IllustrationTHE REAR TAILLIGHTS ON MY CAR HAVE BURNT OUT. I THOUGHT IT WAS THE BULBS. BUT WHEN I WENT TO CHECK, THE BROWN WIRE ON BOTH OF MY TAILLIGHTS COMPLETELY BURNED AND ALSO BURNED ENTIRELY CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE HARNESS. *TR
2000 BMW E46
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all E46 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 16 of 18 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Structure. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
0 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports
What owners actually said
18 reportsBMW 330I AUTO REVERSE GEAR FAILURE GEAR BOX MODEL ZF5HP19 YEAR 2000 W REG. *TR
2000 BMW 323I WILL NOT GO INTO REVERSE. CALLED BMW NA THEIR RESPONSE " THIS IS NO BMW PROBLEM. I WROTE THE PRESIDENT OF BMW AND YOU SHOULD DO THIS AS WELL HERE IS THE INFO YOU NEED. PRESIDENT JOSEP KERSCHER ADDRESS: BMW OF NORTH AMERICA 300 CHESTNUT RIDGE RD. WOODCLIFF LAKE, NJ 07677. *TR
WITHOUT WARNING, REVERSE GEAR STOPPED WORKING, ACTS AS IF IN NEUTRAL. ALL OTHER GEARS WORKING WELL. INTEND TO REPAIR AND SAVE RECEIPTS AND OLD PARTS. *TR
THE PROBLEM WITH MY 2000 323 CI BMW IS, THE REAR MOUNTING POINTS FOR THE SUBFRAME HAVE RIPPED OUT FROM THEIR SPOTS IN THE SHEET METAL BECAUSE THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL TRANSMITS THE TORSIONAL LOAD FROM THE ENGINE THROUGH THE SUBFRAME, THEN INTO THE CHASSIS. THE CONSTANT LOADING AND UNLOADING WEAKENS THE INSUFFICIENT SHEET METAL, CAU…
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THE PROBLEM WITH MY 2000 323 CI BMW IS, THE REAR MOUNTING POINTS FOR THE SUBFRAME HAVE RIPPED OUT FROM THEIR SPOTS IN THE SHEET METAL BECAUSE THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL TRANSMITS THE TORSIONAL LOAD FROM THE ENGINE THROUGH THE SUBFRAME, THEN INTO THE CHASSIS. THE CONSTANT LOADING AND UNLOADING WEAKENS THE INSUFFICIENT SHEET METAL, CAUSING IT TO FATIGUE AND SEPARATE FROM THE CHASSIS. THIS FAILURE OF THE CHASSIS THREATENS THE SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE. THE APPROXIMATE COST TO FIX THIS DEFECT IS AROUND $9,000. *JB
TRANSMISSION ON A BMW 323CI (2000) SUDDENLY FAILED. IT WILL NO LONGER GO INTO REVERSE. FORWARD SEEMS FINE. THERE WERE NO WARNING SIGNS. THERE IS NO MAINTENANCE TO BE PERFORMED. CAR HAS 65XXX MILES. *JB
SINCE PURCHASE OF THIS VEHICLE (2000 BMW 323I, VIN [XXX]), WE'VE HAD NOTHING BUT TROUBLE WITH IT AND NO ONE CAN FIX IT PROPERLY. IT'S LEFT MY WIFE AND CHILDREN STRANDED BECAUSE OF A KNOWN VANOS TIMING PROBLEM. AND NOW I'VE HAD TO HAVE THE ENGINE COMPLETELY REPLACED AT THE COST OF $7,300 BECAUSE OF ANOTHER KNOWN PROBLEM...THE CHE…
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SINCE PURCHASE OF THIS VEHICLE (2000 BMW 323I, VIN [XXX]), WE'VE HAD NOTHING BUT TROUBLE WITH IT AND NO ONE CAN FIX IT PROPERLY. IT'S LEFT MY WIFE AND CHILDREN STRANDED BECAUSE OF A KNOWN VANOS TIMING PROBLEM. AND NOW I'VE HAD TO HAVE THE ENGINE COMPLETELY REPLACED AT THE COST OF $7,300 BECAUSE OF ANOTHER KNOWN PROBLEM...THE CHEAP, PLASTIC COOLANT EXPANSION TANK THAT CRACKED AND CAUSED THE ENGINE TO OVERHEAT TO COMPLETE FAILURE. THESE ARE A FEW OF THE KNOWN PROBLEM THAT BMW IS KEENLY AWARE OF. WHEN WILL SOMEONE HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF VEHICLES MADE WITH INFERIOR COMPONENTS AND MAKE THEM RECALL THESE SUSPECTED PARTS? I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT A TOYOTA! *NM UPDATED 07/11/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I DRIVE A 2000 328CI BMW WITH 84,000 MILES ON IT. 1. IT HAS BEEN A DAILY DRIVER FOR 3 YEARS. 2. THE SUBFRAME HAS TORN BEHIND THE DRIVER SIDE REAR WHEEL. 3. BMW IS NOT RECOGNIZING THIS AS AN ENGINEERING DEFECT AND IS GIVING A HARD TIME COVERING THE FIX. *NM
REAR SUBFRAME CRACKING FROM MOUNTING POINT ON DRIVERS SIDE. VERY UNSAFE, CREAKING CLUNKING NOISES FROM REAR OF VEHICLE DUE TO THIS. *NM
THIS CAR IS MY DAILY DRIVING CAR AND THAT IS ITS SOLE PURPOSE. THE REAR SUBFRAME MOUNT HAS BEGUN TO RIP OUT OF THE CAR ON THE DRIVER SIDE. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THE FAILURE, BUT BMW HAS BEEN CONTACTED AND I AM AWAITING THEIR REPLY. *JB
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.