2003 BMW 325I Complaints

GM5 LOCKING MODULE FOR 2003 BMW E46. ALL FOUR LOCK WOULD NOT UNLOCK OR LOCK ON THE REMOTE OR SWITCH INSIDE THE CAR. I HAD TO EITHER WAIT IN THE HEAT OR COLD OUTSIDE WHILE WAITING FOR THE LOCKING SYSTEM TO RESPOND. IF THERE ARE CHILDREN IN THE CAR AND YOU CANNOT GET TO IN TIME BECAUSE OF THE LOCK/UNLOCK ISSUE, IT CAN BE FATAL FOR OTHERS. *TR

OWN A BMW 3251, REAR END STARTED MAKING POPPING NOISE WHEN PUT IN REVERSE AND WHEN TURNING CURVES. WHEN ON INTERSTATE REAR END LOCKED UP WHILE DRIVING CAUSING MY CAR TO SKID THROUGH ALL LANES OF TRAFFIC. AFTER HAVING CAR INSPECTED THE REAR END HAD BROKE, WE REPLACED THE REAR END. ALSO HAVING TROUBLE WITH HEAD LIGHTS STAYING ON AND BLINKERS. RIGHT REAR TAIL LIGHT OVER HEATED AND BURNT ITEMS IN TRUNK. RADIATOR HAS BROKE AND DRIVERSIDE WINDOW REGULATOR AND CLUTCH FAN. *TR

1-AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WOULD NOT TURN OFF AFTER START UP. TOOK VEHICLE TO LOCAL BMW DEALER. WAS INFORMED THAT I NEEDED TO FIX THIS PROBLEM SO AIR BAG WOULD DEPLOY PROPERLY ON PASSENGER SEAT . WAS TOLD THIS IS A 'COMMON' PROBLEM ON E46 MODELS! VERY COSTLY TO REPAIR..NOT TO MENTION THAT THE PARTS THAT NEEDED REPLACEMENT ARE WELL STOCKED AT ALL BMW DEALERS THAT I CALLED..VERY RARELY HAS ANYONE SAT ON PASSENGER SEAT..THE DEFECT IN THE SEAT SENSOR IS DISCUSSED IN INTERNET WEB SITES AS FAR BACK TO THE E39 SERIES MODELS AS WELL AS THE E90 SERIES MODELS. 2- RADIATOR EXPANSION TANK FAILS TOO OFTEN ON THIS SERIES MODEL. I DEVELOPED A ANTI-FREEZE LEAK ON A RETURN VACATION TRIP. NO WARNING WAS GIVEN.. PARKED CAR IN GARAGE IN THE EVENING, NOTICED A FAIR AMOUNT OF ANTI-FREEZE ON GROUND. AGAIN, WAS TOLD THIS IS COMMON ON THIS SERIES E46 MODEL.. SINCE WHEN IS EQUIPMENT FAILURE A STANDARD FOR THE SAFE OPERATION OF ANY MOTOR VEHICLE? THE PARTS THAT FAIL IN THIS VEHICLE CAN CAUSE GREAT INJURY TO ITS OCCUPANTS ESPECIALLY THE PASSENGER IN THE CASE OF AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT. IN THE CASE OF THE RADIATOR EXPANSION TANK,FOR THIS PART TO FAIL WITHOUT WARNING CAN BE CATASTROPHIC TO THE ENGINE, WHICH WILL CAUSE SEVERE DAMAGE. IF ENGINE IS NOT OPERATIONAL, ONE CAN LOSE POWER STEERING OR BRAKE CAPABILITY, OR BOTH. *TR

BMW 325I REAR BLINKERS SHORTED OUT CAUSING ELECTRICAL WIRES TO BURN. WHILE DRIVING MY BMW A WARNING LIGHT ON MY CONSOLE TURNED ON INDICATING THE LEFT REAR BRAKE/BLINKER LIGHT(S) WENT OUT WHILE AT THE SAME TIME I SMELLED WIRING BURNING. I STOPPED THE CAR AND ALL MY LIGHTS SEEMED OK, SO I PRESUMED IT WAS A FAULTY SENSOR. A SHORT WHILE LATER WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY I PULLED INTO THE LEFT LANE AND REALLY PISSED THE DRIVER OFF BEHIND ME AND NEARLY CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. AT THIS MOMENT I NOTICED MY LEFT BLINKER WAS MAKING A FAST NOISE AS THOUGH THE LEFT BLINKER BULB(S) WAS OUT. I PULLED OVER A SECOND TIME TO CHECK MY BLINKERS, FEARING I WOULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT, AND ALL MY FLASHERS, BRAKE LIGHTS AND BLINKERS WERE WORKING FINE. THE WARNING LIGHTS ON THE CONSOLE WENT ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY. I PURCHASED A NEW BULB HOPING THIS WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM, BUT EVERYTHING SEEMED OK AND FUNCTIONAL. WHEN I RETURNED FROM MY TRIP, I WAS TOLD BY TWO EUROPEAN AUTO SHOPS AND THE SERVICE MANAGER OF A BMW DEALERSHIP THAT BMW IS AWARE OF A GROUND PROBLEM WITH THE REAR LIGHT CLUSTER. WHEN I UNSNAPPED THE PLASTIC CONNECTION FROM THE REAR LIGHT CLUSTER, THE METAL PRONGS AND PLASTIC WERE MELTED AWAY. THE HEAT APPARENTLY WAS SO HOT, THE SOLID METAL PRONGS 1/4" LONG COMPLETELY MELTED INCLUDING THE PLASTIC CASING. A BMW DEALERSHIP EMPLOYEE TOLD ME THAT THIS ISSUE IS COMMON WHEN DRIVING IN THE CITY WHEN ONE IS USING THE BRAKES AND BLINKERS INCESSANTLY, PARTICULARLY IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. "THE GROUNDING WIRE ISN'T HEAVY ENOUGH TO WITHSTAND THE DEMAND FOR ELECTRICITY REQUIRED BY THE BRAKE AND BLINKER LIGHTS SIMULTANEOUSLY". THIS IS A KNOWN BMW DEFECT AND THIS CAN EASILY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT, AS IN MY CASE, NOT TO MENTION A LOT OF DRIVERS REALLY PISSED OFF WHEN I CUT IN FRONT OF THEM THINKING MY BLINKERS ARE WORKING. THIS IS AN ISSUE BMW SHOULD REPAIR! *TR

2003 BMW 325I 4-DOOR SEDAN - PROBLEM: ELECTRIC DOOR LOCKS WILL NOT ALWAYS UNLOCK WITH KEY FOB. PERSISTENT WITH COLDER AMBIENT TEMPERATURES (LESS THAN 65 DEGREES F). I CAN UNLOCK DRIVERS DOOR WITH KEY, BUT NO OTHER DOORS UNLOCK. ISSUE: THE DOOR LOCKS DOUBLE-LOCK MEANING WHEN DOORS ARE LOCKED, THEY CAN'T BE OPENED FROM OUTSIDE OR INSIDE (BY PULLING ON HANDLE). THE ONLY DOOR THAT UNLOCKS WITH INTERIOR HANDLE PULL IS DRIVERS DOOR. IF VEHICLE IS IN AN ACCIDENT MY PASSENGERS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO UNLOCK THEIR DOORS TO EXIT VEHICLE! THEY ARE BASICALLY LOCKED INSIDE. THIS IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE, ESPECIALLY IF THERE IS A DANGER OF FIRE OR SOME OTHER EVENT THAT NECESSITATES QUICKLY EXITING THE CAR. MY RESEARCH: I'VE BASICALLY NARROWED IT TO THE GM5 MODULE THAT CONTROLS THE DOOR LOCKING AND UNLOCKING. THIS MODULE CONTROLS SOME OTHER VEHICLE FUNCTIONS AS WELL. THE DOOR LOCKING FUNCTION WORKS GREAT, BUT UNLOCKING IS SPORADIC WITH AMBIENT TEMPERATURE FLUCTUATIONS. OPINION: THERE SHOULD BE AN INVESTIGATION OPENED ON THIS ISSUE. READING SEVERAL BMW USER FORUMS THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM ACROSS MANY VEHICLE YEARS. THE DOUBLE-LOCKING DOOR LOCKS ARE A NICE ANTI-THEFT FEATURE, BUT ARE DANGEROUS IF THE SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONS. BMW MUST ACKNOWLEDGE A DEFECT IS PRESENT IN THE GM5 MODULE AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION. *TR

MULTIPLE BLINKER AND BRAKE LIGHTS PERIODICALLY MALFUNCTION ON MY 2003 BMW 325I. I UNDERSTAND FROM TALKING WITH SEVERAL OTHER BMW OWNERS THAT THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE DUE TO FAULTY DESIGN INVOLVING THE GROUNDING OF THE LIGHT FIXTURES. FURTHERMORE, I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT BMW SHOULD PAY TO HAVE REPAIRED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 325XI. THE TAIL LIGHTS STOPPED FUNCTIONING WITHOUT ANY PRIOR WARNINGS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE ENTIRE REAR LIGHTING SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 54000.

REAR LIGHTING SYSTEM, TO INCLUDE TURN SIGNAL AND BRAKE LIGHT, ON MY 2003 BMW 325I WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. BMW ACKNOWLEDGED DEFECT IN SYSTEM IN SI B 63 03 06, DATED FEBRUARY 2007 BUT TO DATE HAS REFUSED TO INITIATE A RECALL TO FIX THIS SAFETY DEFECT. THE NATURE OF THE DEFECT CAUSES THE LAMP HOUSING TERMINALS TO BURN AND BURNS THE SURROUNDING PLASTIC HOUSING. THIS CAN BE A FIRE HAZARD PARTICULARLY OF THERE IS FLAMMABLE MATERIAL IN THE TRUNK. OBVIOUSLY THE BRAKE LIGHTS WORKING INTERMITTENTLY IS AN OBVIOUS HAZARD. THE REPAIR COSTS APPROX $600 FOR BOTH SIDES. *TR

POOR CONNECTION AT REAR LAMP CONNECTOR. BMW. MODEL E46. ( NHTSA ITEM NUMBER - 10020856 ). *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 325I. THE CONTACT NOTICED A CRACK IN THE FUEL TANK THAT CAUSED GASOLINE TO LEAK OUT. EACH TIME THE GASOLINE TANK IS FILLED, HE SMELLS FUMES. RECENTLY, AFTER FILLING THE VEHICLE WITH GASOLINE, THE CONTACT PARKED HIS VEHICLE AND OBSERVED APPROXIMATELY A QUARTER TANK OF FUEL ON THE GROUND. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO HIS MECHANIC AND WAS INFORMED ABOUT THE CRACK IN THE FUEL TANK. THE BMW MANUFACTURER ADVISED HIM TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TO DETERMINE IF THE FUEL TANK WAS CRACKED. ONCE THIS HAS BEEN DETERMINED, THE CONTACT MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR REIMBURSEMENT OR BMW WILL REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 68,172. UPDATED 8/18/09 *CN THE DEALER DETERMINED THE GAS TANK WAS NOT CRACKED, BUT THE LEAK WAS CAUSED BY A SEAL THAT WAS INSTALLED INCORRECTLY AT THE FUEL PUMP. UPDATED 08/21/09.*JB