2001 BMW 325I: fire, smoke or burning smell

7 of the 151 complaints about the 2001 BMW 325I describe fire, smoke or burning smell.

owner complaints: 7
of this car's complaints: 5%
recalls: 0

Is there a fix? 2 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year

2008
1
2006
23
2005
1
2004
6
2003
3
2002
6
2001
7

What owners say

Filed Aug 31, 2022 · Engine · 188,000 miles · NC · fire

The contact owns a 2001 BMW 325i. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked overnight and off, the vehicle caught on fire. The contact was alerted by her father that the vehicle was on fire. There were no occupants at the time of the fire. The entire front end of the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The fire department was called to the scene. It was unknown if there was a fire report was filed. There were no injuries sustained. The father of the contact had a truck parked in front and due to the flames of the vehicle fire, it melted the front of the parked vehicle causing damage. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not driveable after the fire. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 188,000.

Filed Apr 13, 2018 · Engine · LA · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 bmw 325i. While driving 45 MPH, the contact noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact pulled over to a safe area and inspected the vehicle. The contact noticed that the cooling fan failed and the vehicle overheated. The vehicle was able to restart after numerous attempts, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and then to brian harris bmw (12336 airline hwy, baton rouge, la 70817, (225) 754-1200). The dealer stated that there were no recalls for the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Mar 29, 2017 · Airbags · 100,000 miles · AL · crash · fire · 2 injuries

Tl* the contact owned a 2001 bmw 325i. While driving 45 MPH, the vehicle shifted to the left side of the road and flipped over six times. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The vehicle caught fire, which was extinguished by the fire department. The driver sustained a sprain to her neck and back, consistent headaches, and internal bleeding from her gallbladder. The other passenger sustained injuries to the neck and back, but specifics were not available. Medical attention was received. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Filed Mar 5, 2012 · Seats · 198,000 miles · VA · fire · 1 injury

The seat heater caught fire burning a hole in the seat, singing my jeans and my leg (minor burn, not medically treated), and causing the air bag sensor to melt. Bmw has recalled these seats in other models but not this one. I sent the information to bmw and am awaiting a response.

Filed Mar 8, 2011 · Engine · SC

2001 bmw 325i. Attorney writes on behalf of clients regarding vehicle recall repairs *tgw when the vehicle reached 140,000 miles it began running unusually loud while driving 45 MPH. In addition, the vehicle began making an intermittent beeping sound. According to an invoice, the previous owner had the vehicle inspected, but the repairs were declined. The consumer would like to exercise his right to have the recall remedied due to the vehicle potentially catching on fire. Recall numbers 01v206000 and 02v138000 were mentioned in the letter. *jb updated 05/12/11.

Filed Jun 18, 2010 · Locks · 127,000 miles · NY

I have a 2001 bmw 325i sedan (production date 10/2000) and I'm having a issue with my door locks. Today when going to pick up my child from school, I was unable to exit my vehicle. I always lock my doors once I begin driving for my own comfort and safety. So after parking my car and removing my key, normally I would be able to pull the interior handle to the drivers door and the door would unlock, it didn't. I don't have an alarm on the car so I didn't understand what was going on. I pushed the lock/unlock button inside the car to attempt to unlock the door with no success. I pressed the button on my key to attempt to unlock the doors with again, no success. The only was I was able to exit my vehicle was to put the key back in the ignition, open the drivers window, take the key back out and use the key to unlock the door from the outside. This is not the first time this issue has happened, but is the first time it happened where I was locked inside my car. It happened once in the winter and I was unable to get into my car for over 30minutes. This is a very big safety issue because I was trapped in my car. I could have been involved in a accident and can't get out the car through the doors because of this issue. The most scary part is that I don't know when it's going to happen. Something has got to be done about this. I took the car to be looked at by a mechanic and was told that it would cost me almost $800 to repair this issue. They informed me that this is a common issue with my car. I searched to see if there was a recall or something for this issue offered by bmw and could not find anything but more people complaining of the same expensive issue. This issue is a serious safety issue. If I was involved in a accident where the car caught fire and all doors were locked but the drivers door, how would my passengers get out??? Very serious and dangerous safety issue!!!!!

Filed Jun 15, 2001 · Engine · FL · fire

Consumer parked vehicle in garage at work. 5 minutes later, consumer was called downstairs, and told engine vehicle on fire. Front part was totaled. Cooling fan and other electrical wires were possible cause of fire.