BMW 325i Complaints (2006)

515 consumer complaints on file.

#11730424April 10, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While driving the vehicle, the blower (A/C) began to cycle on and off. Then I began to smell electrical smoke. Then I began to see smoke coming from vents and where the windshield meets the dashboard, closer to the passenger side. I pulled over and shut off the car as the smoke was getting worse inside the car. I popped the hood and saw smoke coming from the passenger side. I then called 911. Smoke was beginning to billow from engine compartment. As I was talking to the 911 dispatcher, I saw flames beginning in the engine bay close to the firewall on passenger side. The car was a total loss and is in a tow yard. It can be inspected upon request. The 911 operated told me to be aware of smoke and explosions so I backed away about 30ft. Many cars were passing by, close to the car. There are 2 safety recalls on this vehicle that are related to possible fire. I have an open case with BMW USA. They have not inspected the car. I have liability only for insurance so they will not cover. There were no warning lamps or indicators before fire.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11695308October 23, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE
Since the airbag was not fixed, it has caused PVC meltings as well as leakage
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11687394September 15, 2025
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The Valvetronic Actuator malfunctions. The malfunction may have been caused by a Battery Positive Cable that has corroded over time. The result is that the vehicle stops unexpectedly during acceleration. Driver safety and that of others is put at risk due to the vehicle suddenly losing power and stoping while being driven. The vehicle was evaluated by the dealer. Warning lamps were intermittent and inconsistent. To my knowledge there is no Valvetronic Actuator or Battery Cable specific warning lamps or messages. There was a 2017 recall for the Battery Positive Cable, but my specific VIN was not covered (by a few months). My VIN (1986 325I) should have been included in the 2017 recall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11669664June 27, 2025
SEATS, AIR BAGS
The passenger seat occupancy sensor (OC3 mat) on my 2006 BMW 3 Series (VIN: [XXX] ) has failed. As a result, the front passenger airbag is disabled, which poses a serious safety risk. BMW issued a 15-year warranty extension for this issue, acknowledging it as a common failure, but my vehicle is now slightly outside the coverage period. This part is vital for detecting front-seat occupants and enabling the airbag during a crash. I believe BMW should still be required to fix this safety-critical defect, especially in vehicles where the issue was never repaired while under the extended coverage window. This should be reclassified as a full safety recall, not just an expired service campaign. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11634581January 7, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owned a 2006 BMW 325i. The contact stated while driving 60-65 MPH, the A/C became inoperable and made an abnormally loud sound. The contact then noticed an abnormal burning wiring odor, and there was smoke coming out of the A/C vents. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that she attempted to pull to the side of the road, but could not safely do so. The contact continued driving and came to a complete stop at the traffic light, where the cabin became engulfed in smoke. The contact then pulled into a business parking lot and immediately exited the vehicle. The contact stated upon opening the hood, the contact noticed a reflection of the flame inside the hood. The contact ran into the business and asked for assistance. The contact stated that upon returning to the vehicle, the contact noticed that the fire had started from the middle of the hood to the cabin of the vehicle. The contact and the business employee attempted to extinguish the fire with two fire extinguishers but were unable to do so. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. The contact stated that the vehicle burned to the ground from the middle of the hood to the trunk, where the gas tank was located, and the hood was fractured in half. The contact stated that there were burned particles around the parking lot, but there was no property damage. The fire department report was filed. A police report was filed, but the contact did not have the information available. There was no injury sustained. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot, where it was totaled. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11634322January 6, 2025
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325I. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V513000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The dealer offered an inspection but declined to repair the vehicle. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11623286November 2, 2024
ENGINE
This compliant is regarding the cooling system of BMW 32d5i 2006. Experience overheating of the car. The BMW dealership service department has confirmed that the water pump is at fault. And the quote for water pump replacement is their system. Yes, this is the second recurrency of overheating. Yes, the dashboard indicated overheating. The second warning was October 23,2024. The first warning was several years prior.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11616440September 25, 2024
AIR BAGS
There is a recall 17v-428 for the seat mat, and i went to my local BMW dealer and said this car was not on the list, but they acknowledge it’s the same issue but because this VIN was not included they can’t fix it at no charge . They want $2100 to repair. Can you help me ? Thanks
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11614154September 12, 2024
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact's husband owns a 2006 BMW 325i. The contact stated moments after her son had started, parked and exited the vehicle, there was smoke coming from under the hood. The under hood caught on fire and the hood failed to open. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. The contact stated that the under hood, the front of the vehicle and the front tires burned significantly. A fire department report was filed. A police report was not filed. There was no injury sustained. The vehicle remained at the residence. The vehicle was awaiting to be destroyed. The dealer was contacted. The contact contacted the manufacturer and sent pictures of the incident to the manufacturer; however, the manufacturer informed the contact that the fire was not related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000(Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11556402November 22, 2023
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, there was a significant amount of smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe and coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact drove to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the PCV valve heater fuses had failed. The dealer charged a fee for the repair because the recall remedy was not available. The dealer installed an inline fuse and wiring that connected the PCV valve to the PCV valve heater. The contact stated that he received a second notice advising that the recall remedy was available, and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where the recall repair was performed. The vehicle was repaired. The contact later contacted the manufacturer for reimbursement, but the manufacturer referred the contact back to the dealer for assistance. The contact stated that he followed up with the dealer, who advised him that the failure was not related to the recall. The contact was not reimbursed. The failure mileage was approximately 132,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11540074August 22, 2023
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325I. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for routine maintenance. The mechanic informed the contact that vehicles older than 2013 were not serviced by the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with a fuel leak. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that while adding fuel, he noticed that fuel was leaking from the fuel tank. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 229,896.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11530296July 4, 2023
AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS, SEATS
Put a box of moderate weight into the passenger seat (hard drives) - probably 40 lbs. After driving for a few minutes and over a few bumps, the seat belt warning light came on because the seat sensor was tripped by the weight. Put the seat belt on to silence the warning. Shortly thereafter, both the seatbelt and passenger airbag warning lights showed on the dash, regardless of occupancy. Hooked up to scanning tool and cleared the codes but they always return. This is not a rare event from reading the online forums - it is likely due to the sensor mat in the seat for occupancy being defective, or a combination of that and the seat belt pre-tensioner being defective, for the passenger side only. The vehicle operates normally other than the warning lights. Obviously have not tested the airbag, but that is highly unlikely to be the actual problem from my investigation of the symptoms.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11504177January 28, 2023
AIR BAGS, SEATS
Existing vehicle recall excludes this particular VIN among the same MY and model even though this VIN is affected. Report Receipt Date: NOV 12, 2013 NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V564000 Component(s): AIR BAGS Potential Number of Units Affected: 76,565 Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC SUMMARY: BMW of North America LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2006 325i, 325xi, 330i, 330xi sedans and 325xi sports wagons, [shortened]. The front passenger seat occupant detection mat that determines if and how the passenger frontal air bag should deploy in a crash may fatigue and develop cracks which could lead to a system failure. CONSEQUENCE: Should the system fail, in the event of a crash, the front passenger air bag would be deactivated, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11503057January 22, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, AIR BAGS
After recall done pvc valve and blower heat a/c now not working the car engine light come up abs /brake and more
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11497828December 16, 2022
ENGINE
I was driving on the freeway when all of a sudden a lot of white smoke started to come from the engine. The car instantly overheated and it shut off. My car had no problems until now. I called a tow truck to bring it home. I had many mechanics check it out and they couldn’t figure out why this happened out of nowhere. They all said the same thing that this car was in fixable and it’s not ever drivable no more. Then I received this letter from BMW saying that my car was on a safety recall list and they have no remedy.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11496430December 7, 2022
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11493988November 17, 2022
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, he smelled a burning odor. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that he was unable to duplicate the failure using an OBD reader. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11482599September 2, 2022
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325i. The contact stated that the dealer had previously replaced the passenger's side front seat air bag sensor and steering wheel air bag sensor; however, the failure recurred while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, with the air bag warning light being illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11481921August 30, 2022
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I'm starting to lose gas mileage and a very strong smell of gas inside and outside of car .
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11480697August 23, 2022
AIR BAGS, AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION
Component failed: passenger seat occupancy sensor (BMW error code: 0x93C3) Implication: passenger airbag will not deploy in case of accident if the occupancy sensor is defective. Similar problems: similar recalls were issued by BMW for the same model and year but with only sports seat; regular seats were not recalled. Previous inspections: this issue has not been previously inspected, but personal inspection leads to faulty seat occupancy sensor. Prior warnings: dashboard shows seatbelt and airbag lights; roof indicator lamp shows passenger airbag off.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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