MYRModel Year Report

2003 BMW 325I

◆ Worse than typical
2003 BMW 325I
RENDERED 2026-11-01T14:45:37.658Z

This year had 30% to 100% more complaints than this model's typical year.

This verdict reflects complaint volume compared to this model's typical year. Recalls and safety issues below apply regardless of the verdict — always check them.

How is this computed?

Complaints
199
Recalls
8

Campaigns on file for 2003

Investigations
3

Opened by NHTSA

Top problem
Air bags

31% of complaints

Complaints per year

1987: 5 complaints 1987 1988: 5 complaints 1989: 8 complaints 1990: 5 complaints 1990 1991: 4 complaints 1992: 41 complaints 1993: 21 complaints 1993 1994: 17 complaints 1995: 31 complaints 1999: 0 complaints 1999 2000: 1 complaint 2001: 151 complaints 2002: 162 complaints 2003: 199 complaints 2003 199 2004: 147 complaints 2005: 71 complaints 2006: 515 complaints 2007: 1 complaint 2008: 1 complaint 2008 2009: 0 complaints 2010: 0 complaints 2011: 1 complaint 2011 2012: 1 complaint
1987: 5 complaints 1987 1988: 5 complaints 1989: 8 complaints 1989 1990: 5 complaints 1991: 4 complaints 1991 1992: 41 complaints 1993: 21 complaints 1993 1994: 17 complaints 1995: 31 complaints 1995 1999: 0 complaints 2000: 1 complaint 2000 2001: 151 complaints 2002: 162 complaints 2003: 199 complaints 2003 199 2004: 147 complaints 2005: 71 complaints 2006: 515 complaints 2006 2007: 1 complaint 2008: 1 complaint 2008 2009: 0 complaints 2010: 0 complaints 2010 2011: 1 complaint 2012: 1 complaint 2012
1987: 5 complaints 1987 1988: 5 complaints 1988 1989: 8 complaints 1989 1990: 5 complaints 1990 1991: 4 complaints 1991 1992: 41 complaints 1992 1993: 21 complaints 1993 1994: 17 complaints 1994 1995: 31 complaints 1995 1999: 0 complaints 1999 2000: 1 complaint 2000 2001: 151 complaints 2001 2002: 162 complaints 2002 2003: 199 complaints 2003 199 2004: 147 complaints 2004 2005: 71 complaints 2005 2006: 515 complaints 2006 2007: 1 complaint 2007 2008: 1 complaint 2008 2009: 0 complaints 2009 2010: 0 complaints 2010 2011: 1 complaint 2011 2012: 1 complaint 2012

2003: 199 complaints

View as data table
YearComplaints
19850
19860
19875
19885
19898
19905
19914
199241
199321
199417
199531
19990
20001
2001151
2002162
2003199
2004147
200571
2006515
20071
20081
20090
20100
20111
20121

Known problem areas

Percentages can add to more than 100% — a complaint can name more than one system.

Air bags

31% · 62 reports

Most commonly citing side/window.

CRASHINJURY
Show complaint excerpts

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 BMW 325I. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the contact fall asleep behind the wheel and crashed into a ditch. The air bags failed to deploy.

NHTSA ODI report, 2014-12-08

Vehicle was struck on driver side by pickup truck darting out from intersecting side street. Truck was going aprox. 10-15 MPH. BMW aprox. 20-25MPH. This was a side t-bone collision, no side airbags deployed.

NHTSA ODI report, 2013-12-18

Dt: the contact owns BMW and while driving down the highway both driver side air bags deploy and there was not an accident. The two air bags that deployed was one of the side above the window and the one at the arm rest.

NHTSA ODI report, 2005-05-12

Exterior lighting

26% · 51 reports

Most commonly citing headlights and turn signal.

FIRE
Show complaint excerpts

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 BMW 325I. The contact stated that the brake lights and the turn signals failed. The contact checked the wiring harness and found that the harness was melted.

NHTSA ODI report, 2013-01-23

Electrical system

22% · 43 reports

Most commonly citing ignition and wiring.

CRASHFIREINJURY
Show complaint excerpts

On June 28,2024, after parking and turning off the ignition switch, the dash started smoking and within minutes the whole dash and front of car were on fire. The car almost completely burned to the ground before the fire department could get there.

NHTSA ODI report, 2024-07-01

Tl* the contact owned a 2003 BMW 325I. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, it caught on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire.

NHTSA ODI report, 2021-02-12

2003 BMW 325I 4 door owned by me for 3 1/2 months destroyed in fire. BMW had sent letter to me regarding manufacturing problem & to bring into dealership for correction. Prior to problem, I did have have slow starting/cranking problems.

NHTSA ODI report, 2004-09-06

Power train

10% · 19 reports

Most commonly citing automatic transmission and manual transmission.

Latches/locks/linkages

7% · 13 reports

Most commonly citing latch.

INJURY

Safety timeline

8 recalls · 3 investigations · oldest first

To check one car, enter its VIN on the NHTSA recall page. Check a VIN →

  1. ▮
    2003Complaint volume 199 complaints filed for this model year.
  2. R
    2003-05-05Vehicle speed control03V124000 On certain passenger and sport wagon vehicles with automatic transmissions, with the engine running, and the vehicle at rest, an increase of engine idle speed (Up to 1,300 RPM) may occur.

    Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the digital engine management control unit. Owner notification began May 5, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and…

    Check if this car was fixed →

  3. R
    2003-05-27Visibility03V160000 On certain passenger vehicles, the window lifting anti-pinching device might not function properly.

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect, and if necessary, replace the electronic control unit for the window lifting anti-pinching device. Owner notification began May 27, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to…

    Check if this car was fixed →

  4. R
    2007-04-02Service brakes, hydraulic07E023000 Certain cardone master cylinders with part numbers 10-2925, 10-2987, 10-2987MZA, 10-3083, 11-3015, 11-3042, 11-3044, 11-3045, 11-3047, 11-3064, and 11-3156, and with date codes lower than DCA7078…

    Remedy: Cardone will notify owners and offer to repurchase any defective master cylinders. The recall began during April 2007. Owners can contact cardone at 1-800-777-4780.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  5. I
    2009-04-08Defect petitionClosed 2009-08-06 Rear lamp illumination
  6. I
    2009-08-07Preliminary evaluationClosed 2009-12-22 Rear lamp illumination
  7. I
    2009-12-18Engineering analysisClosed 2011-09-28 Rear Lamp Illumination
  8. R
    2012-02-15Exterior lighting11V438000 BMW is recalling certain model year 2002-2005 325I, 325XI, 330I, and 330XI vehicles manufactured from September 1, 2001, through March 1, 2005. Over time, resistance in the electrical contacts may…

    Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles free of charge. The safety recall began on February 15, 2012. Owners may contact BMW customer relations and services at 1-800-525-7417.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  9. R
    2013-08-09Air bags13V172000 BMW is recalling certain model year 2002-2003 325i, 325xi, 330i, 330xi sedans; 325Ci and 330Ci coupes and convertibles; 325iT and 325xiT Sports Wagons; and M3 coupes and convertibles to address a…

    Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until they have been repaired. BMW intends to issue initial notifications to owners informing them of the safety defect in June 2013. Once replacement…

    Check if this car was fixed →

  10. R
    2014-12-01Air bags14V428000 BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2000 323i sedans, coupes, convertibles, and Sports Wagons; 2000 328i sedans and coupes; 2001-2005 325i sedans, coupes, convertibles, and Sport Wagons; 2001-2005 325xi sedans and Sports...

    Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until they have been repaired. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger side frontal air bag, free of charge. An interim notice was mailed to owners in September 2014.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  11. R
    2016-08-19Air bags15V318000 BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2002-2005 325i, 325xi, 330i, and 330xi Sedans, and 325xi and 325i Sportswagons, 2002-2006 330Ci, 325Ci, and M3 Convertibles and 325i, 330i, and M3 Coupes, 2002-2003 M5, 540i, 525i...

    Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the vehicle has been remedied. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driver air bag module, free of charge. The recall began Aug 2016.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  12. R
    2020-02-13Air bags20V018000 BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2000-2005 323iT, 325iT, 325xiT, 320i, 323i, 325i, 325xi, 328i, 330i and 330xi and 2000-2006 323Ci, 325Ci, 328Ci, 330Ci, M3 Coupe, 323Cic, 325Cic, 330Cic, and M3 Convertible vehicles equipped with...

    Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger's front air bag, free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

    Check if this car was fixed →

Buy-smart checklist

2003 BMW 325I — pre-purchase inspection

Inspect

  • Air bags: 62 reports on file for this year.
  • Exterior lighting: 51 reports on file for this year.
  • Electrical system: 43 reports on file for this year.

Verify these recalls were completed

  • Recall 03V124000 · Vehicle speed control
  • Recall 03V160000 · Visibility
  • Recall 07E023000 · Service brakes, hydraulic
  • Recall 11V438000 · Exterior lighting
  • Recall 13V172000 · Air bags
  • Recall 14V428000 · Air bags
  • Recall 15V318000 · Air bags
  • Recall 20V018000 · Air bags
Inspected by ______________ Date ______________

Other years of this model

See all years ranked →

Best years3 years

Worst years1 year

FAQ

Is the 2003 BMW 325I reliable?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume compared to this model's typical year, the 2003 BMW 325I is rated "worse than typical".
What are the most common problems with the 2003 BMW 325I?
The most-reported component is air bags, accounting for 31% of complaints on file.
How many recalls does the 2003 BMW 325I have?
8 recalls on file for this model year.

Data updated 2026-11-01 · Complaints are unverified owner reports filed with NHTSA, not independently verified defects. Methodology.