Rear lights . Clip contacts melting ground wire . Purchased lights and clips 3 times and melted again. Lights inoperable after 2 weeks of life harness melted . Received multiple warnings and a ticket I now have to prove repair . Recall found for every other model except the 323i 2000 . Not safe to have no tail lights available . Can't drive car in unsafe conditions. Can't sell car in unsafe condition
The worst 2000 BMW 3 Series problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Transmission35
- Body30
- Airbags11
- Engine9
- Electrical4
- Suspension4
- Visibility4
- Brakes3
- Fuel system2
- Lights2
- Acceleration1
- Seat belts1
- Seats1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2000 BMW 3 Series
Recalls 1
Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2000-2001 BMW 3 Series (323Ci, 325Ci, 328Ci and 330Ci), 1999-2001 323i, 328i, 330i, 330xi, and 2000 323i, 328i stationwagon vehicles equipped with Non-Azide Driver air bag Inflators (NADI) manufactured by Takata. These vehicles are equipped with driver-side air bag inflators that were previously inspected, but not replaced under recall numbers 19V‑851, 19V852, or 19V‑853. Due to a manufacturing issue, the NADI inflator may absorb moisture, causing the inflator to explode or the air bag cushion to underinflate.
- Risk
- The inflator could explode during air bag deployment, resulting in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants. An underinflated air bag may not properly protect the occupant. These scenarios increase the risk of serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the driver-side air bag inflator with a newly designed inflator, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 12, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1‑800‑525‑7417.
Recall number 21V401000 · Recall details
See all 1 recalls for the 2000 BMW 3 Series
Defect investigations
Inadvertent side-impact air bag deployme
The subject vehicle's air bag electronic control module contains programmable logic for deploying the side-impact air bags.bmw revised the module several times over the span of the model years 1999 through 2002 (identified as mrs2.ca, mrs2.bb, mrs3, mrs3+ and mrs4).although model year 1999.5 vehicles with version mrs2.bb had 6.5% of the subject population, it accounted for 29% of the total reports received.the mrs2.bb exposure adjusted report rate was almost 4 times higher than other 3 series air bag module versions.in august 2002, bmw initiated a recall campaign for 20,500 model 323i and 328i vehicles with version mrs2.bb (the federal safety agency recall # 02v223000).in addition to experiencing a lower rate of non-crash deployments, most of the non-recalled vehicles also showed evidence of significant pothole/curb impact with some having additional undercarriage contact/scrape or suspension damage.see additional information
EA02012
Inadvertent side-impact air bag
PE02011
Technical service bulletins for the 2000 BMW 3 Series 49
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.
- Bmw: service engine soon light is on
- Bmw: vehicle does not start: loose ground Z6000 4B
- Bmw: dsc warning light is on
- Bmw: the high-voltage (HV) battery cells could be damaged if the vehicle is prevented from entering sleep...
- Bmw vehicle: the service engine soon (MIL) lamp is illuminated and a power reduction is clearly perceptible
- Bmw: the left or right rear light in the side panel has condensation concerning vehicles produced up to...
- Bmw service campaign: the airbag warning lamp (AWL) is illuminated, together with the passenger airbag...
- Bmw: wiring on the headlights may have deteriorated due to environmental conditions and the cover not...
- Bmw: E92. the seat belt extender on the front driver¿s or passenger side failed to deliver the belt. the...
2000 BMW 3 Series fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5L 6‑cyl | RWD | 16-18 | 22-26 | 18-21 |
| 2.8L 6‑cyl | RWD | 16-18 | 25-26 | 19-21 |
What 2000 BMW 3 Series owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Airbag warning light with a takata recall notice. My 2000 323i has a airbag seatbelt warning light that will not go away. The vehicle was damage from the rear end passenger side. Repair work was done to correct the damages.
Takata recall!! I was driving 35 MPH on a regular street I always drive on and mid drive both passanger and driver air bags deployed for no reason!!!! Causing very serious injuries!! Also causing more damage to my car!!!!
The brake lights and turn signals don't work... The transmission- reverse has gone out... And the radiator has a serious leak... Makes the car run hot!
Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2000 bmw 3 series. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v428000 (air bags) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer 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. The VIN was not available.
Received notification from bmw USA for recall campaign no. 14v‑428 (defective front seat passenger air bag) last september 2014. As of today's date (march 11, 2015), bmw USA has not informed me when I can expect them to perform the work needed to rectify the defective front passenger air bag. Their suggestion that I operate the vehicle without a front seat passenger is ludicrous and virtually impractical.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 bmw 3 series. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v428000 (air bags); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Well documented no reverse issue for bmw gm transmission d-clutch fracture.
The airbag icon on the instrument panel stays on. My machanic told me this means that a passenger sitting in the front seat does not activate the sensor in the seat and, as a result, the air bag would not deploy in case of a collision. So I asked them to repair it, after paying about $700, about 8 months later it popped back on , so I'm seriouly looking to trade this car.
While driving on highway heater setting on warm, smoke filled the cabin. Smoke was coming from center console and left side of glove box from underneath. Had to stop the vehicle in the middle of the highway and escape the smoke filled cabin the smoke turn to a flame from under the glove box. The car proceeded to totally burn from this incident. I reviewed the schematics to identify the only heating dissipating element located under there is the fsr blower motor control smoke appeared suddenly.
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Questions about the 2000 BMW 3 Series
Is the 2000 BMW 3 Series reliable?
Owners have filed 88 complaints about the 2000 BMW 3 Series, 2.4 times a typical 3 Series model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2000 BMW 3 Series?
Transmission and drivetrain, with 35 complaints, typically around 100,000 miles. Next is body (30).
How many recalls does the 2000 BMW 3 Series have?
1 recall, covering air bags.
What gas mileage does the 2000 BMW 3 Series get?
Official estimates for the 2000 BMW 3 Series range from 18 to 21 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.5L 6-cyl, RWD) gets 16-18 city and 22-26 highway.
VIN decoder
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