BMW E46Years to avoid, problems & recalls
NHTSA has 45 owner complaints and 0 safety recalls on record for the BMW E46.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports. Updated daily. How we score years.
Best & worst years
BMW E46 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 E46 median. Tap a year for its full report.
'90'93'94'95'96'97'99'00'02'03'04
- Avoid
- Caution
- Solid
- Best
- Not rated
2004Not rated–/1004 complaints · 0 recalls2003Not rated–/1001 complaint · 0 recalls2002Not rated–/1002 complaints · 0 recalls2000Not rated–/10018 complaints · 0 recalls1999Not rated–/1001 complaint · 0 recalls1997Not rated–/1004 complaints · 0 recalls1996Not rated–/1001 complaint · 0 recalls1995Not rated–/1006 complaints · 0 recalls1994Not rated–/1003 complaints · 0 recalls1993Not rated–/1003 complaints · 0 recalls1990Not rated–/1002 complaints · 0 recalls
Complaints by system
Most common BMW E46 problems
All model years combined: 45 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.
9Structure
7Electrical system2 crash/fire/injury
7Engine and engine cooling1 crash/fire/injury
7Exterior lighting
6Power train
3Air bags2 crash/fire/injury
3Seats1 crash/fire/injury
2Fuel system, gasoline
2Tires
43 other systems
| System | Complaints | Crash, fire or injury |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | 9 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 7 | 2 |
| Engine and engine cooling | 7 | 1 |
| Exterior lighting | 7 | 0 |
| Power train | 6 | 0 |
| Air bags | 3 | 2 |
| Seats | 3 | 1 |
| Fuel system, gasoline | 2 | 0 |
| Tires | 2 | 0 |
| 3 other systems | 4 | 0 |
0 recalls
BMW E46 recalls
Newest first. The ring shows the share of affected vehicles repaired, from the manufacturer's latest report to NHTSA.
3 investigations
NHTSA investigations of the E46
- Rear Lamp IlluminationLed to recall 11V-438
- REAR LAMP ILLUMINATIONLed to recall 11V-438
- REAR LAMP ILLUMINATIONNo recall