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BMW 318iYears to avoid, problems & recalls

NHTSA has 90 owner complaints and 4 safety recalls on record for the BMW 318i.

Years to avoidNoneBased on weighted complaintsBest years—Fewest complaints for their ageOwner complaints90Top: Engine and engine coolingSafety recalls41984–2003 model years

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports. Updated daily. How we score years.

Best & worst years

BMW 318i years to avoid

Complaints by model year, colored by the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the 318i median. Tap a year for its full report.

'84'85'91'92'93'94'95'96'97'98'01'03
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
2003Not rated–/1003 complaints · 0 recalls2001Not rated–/1004 complaints · 0 recalls1998Not rated–/1008 complaints · 0 recalls1997Not rated–/1005 complaints · 1 recall1996Not rated–/1003 complaints · 1 recall1995Not rated–/10014 complaints · 2 recalls1994Not rated–/10014 complaints · 2 recalls1993Not rated–/10011 complaints · 2 recalls1992Not rated–/1008 complaints · 3 recalls1991Not rated–/1008 complaints · 1 recall1985Not rated–/1007 complaints · 0 recalls1984Not rated–/1005 complaints · 0 recalls
Complaints by system

Most common BMW 318i problems

All model years combined: 90 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Engine and engine cooling331
Electrical system172
Air bags116
Vehicle speed control92
Visibility61
Power train61
Fuel system, gasoline50
Service brakes, hydraulic41
Tires30
6 other systems92
4 recalls

BMW 318i recalls

Newest first. The ring shows the share of affected vehicles repaired, from the manufacturer's latest report to NHTSA.

–Engine and engine cooling: cooling system98V-178 · 1992–1995 · Aug 4, 1998 · 340,000 vehicles–Vehicle speed control97V-131 · 1992–1997 · Aug 19, 1997 · 410,000 vehicles–Air bags: frontal96V-110 · 1992 · Jul 1, 1996 · 75,000 vehicles–Air bags: knee bolster91V-054 · 1991 · Apr 10, 1991 · 13,500 vehicles
3 investigations

NHTSA investigations of the 318i

  1. Rear Lamp IlluminationEA09019 · 2003 · closed Sep 28, 2011
    Led to recall 11V-438
  2. REAR LAMP ILLUMINATIONPE09036 · 2003 · closed Dec 22, 2009
    Led to recall 11V-438
  3. REAR LAMP ILLUMINATIONDP09002 · 2003 · closed Aug 6, 2009
    No recall