1999 BMW 323I Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other 323I years
- Far more complaints than other years 2nd of 14 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 7 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 136 complaints with NHTSA about the 1999 BMW 323I. That ranks 2nd out of 14 323I model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (45 complaints, 33%), typically at around 116,500 miles. Complaints mention 10 crashes, 7 fires, 12 injuries. There are 7 safety recalls covering this model year.
- 136owner complaints
- 7safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 10complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1999 BMW 323I problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 45 | 33% | 116,500 | — | — |
| Power Train | 33 | 24% | 108,350 | — | — |
| Structure | 14 | 10% | 148,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 10 | 7% | 85,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 9 | 7% | 123,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 9 | 7% | 17,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 8 | 6% | 95,618 | — | — |
| Visibility | 6 | 4% | 48,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 5 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 4 | 3% | 97,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 3 | 2% | 63,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 2% | 64,781 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 2% | 57,561 | — | — |
| Steering | 3 | 2% | 30,560 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 1% | 44,500 | — | — |
| Engine | 1 | 1% | 148,000 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1999 BMW 323I recalls (7)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Problem: 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.
Fix: 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.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator moduleDo not drive
Problem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 1999 323i and 328i vehicles equipped with Non-Azide Driver air bag Inflators (NADI) manufactured by Takata at one specific inflator production facility. These inflators do not contain phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. Due to a manufacturing issue, the NADI inflators may absorb moisture, causing the inflators to rupture or the air bag cushion to underinflate.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, an inflator rupture may result 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.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the driver air bag inflators and replace them, as necessary, free of charge. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Note: BMW recommends that owners do not continue to drive their vehicles.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Problem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 1999-2000 323i and 328i and 2000 323Ci and 328Ci vehicles equipped with Non-Azide Driver air bag Inflators (NADI) manufactured by Takata. These inflators do not contain phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. Due to a manufacturing issue, the NADI inflators may absorb moisture, causing the inflators to rupture or the air bag cushion to underinflate.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, an inflator rupture may result 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.
Fix: BMW will mail interim notices informing owners of the safety risk on January 17, 2020. Owners will receive a second notice when the remedy becomes available. Dealers will inspect the driver air bag inflators and replace them, as necessary, free of charge. BMW mailed interim notices informing owners of the safety risk on January 17, 2020. The recall began July 27, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Problem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 1999-2001 323i, 325i, 328i and 330i and 2000-2001 323Ci, 325Ci, 328Ci, 330Ci, 323iT, and 325iT vehicles equipped with Non-Azide Driver air bag Inflators (NADI) manufactured by Takata. These vehicles may have received a replacement driver air bag as part of a vehicle repair. Due to a manufacturing issue, the replacement NADI inflator may absorb moisture, causing the inflator to rupture or the air bag cushion to underinflate.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, an inflator rupture may result 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.
Fix: BMW notified owners, and Dealers will replace the driver air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began November 10, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Air bags:side/window
Problem: On certain 4-door passenger vehicles, the side air bag system could deploy in certain non-crash impacts, such as when contacting large potholes or curbs at substantial speeds.
Risk: This could cause the side air bag and head protection system to deploy without an actual side crash or impact severe enough to cause significant visible damage to the vehicle. Unexpected deployment of the side air bag could cause serious injury if the occupant's head is resting near the side air bag.
Fix: Dealers will recalibrate the central air bag control module to reduce the possibility of such a non-crash deployment. Owner notification began october 25, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact bmw at 1-800-831-1117.
Service brakes, hydraulic:pedals and linkages
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. It is possible that the retaining clip that secures the brake booster pushrod to the brake pedal arm was not properly installed during production. It is possible for the clip to detach from the pin on the brake pedal arm allowing the pushrod to disconnect from the arm.
Risk: If this occurs, braking is not possible.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the clip for tight installation and replace the clip if it is loose.
Air bags:side/window
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. These vehicles are built with a side air bag system consisting of door-mounted thorax air bags (rear door air bags are optional), a head protection system (hps) for front occupants, a central electronic sensor and diagnostic system, left and right satellite impact sensors, and associated wiring. This system is unduly sensitive to certain non-crash impacts, such as contacting large potholes or curbs at substantial speed.
Risk: This could cause the side air bag and hps to deploy without an actual side crash. In addition, the battery safety terminal (bst) would also activate, disconnecting the starter cable from the battery. In this case, vehicle electrical system would continue to operate and the engine would continue to run, but after stopping, could not be restarted.
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the central computer control module that regulates the performance of all of the vehicle's occupant protection systems.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 1999 bmw 323i. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 19v852000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The vehicle was taken to sandia bmw located at 6001 pan american fwy, albuquerque, nm 87109, where it was…
Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 1999 bmw 323i. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 19v852000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair…
I received a safety recall notice - remedy unavailable from bmw. The airbag warning light has been activated on the dashboard since december 19, 2019. The notice read that "it is also possible that the airbag housing may explode and could cause metal fragments to pass through the air bag cushion…
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 bmw 323i. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 19v851000 (air bags) however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. Bmw of ocala (5145 sw college rd, ocala, fl 34474) was contacted and confirmed that the part were not available for the recall…
Airbag recall, bmw doesn't have the parts to fix the problem until sept of 2020. In the meantime bmw wants my car off the road until they fix it, which would be unreasonable. Have not offered a rental car until then.
Other BMW 323I years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 323I | 1 | 2 |
| 2010 323I | 1 | 2 |
| 2009 323I | 0 | 2 |
| 2008 323I | 3 | 2 |
| 2007 323I | 2 | 2 |
| 2006 323I | 0 | 2 |
| 2005 323I | 0 | 1 |
| 2004 323I | 0 | 1 |
| 2003 323I | 0 | 1 |
| 2002 323I | 0 | 1 |
| 2001 323I | 3 | 3 |
| 2000 323I | 401 | 7 |
| 1999 | 136 | 7 |
| 1998 323I | 16 | 0 |
See all BMW 323I problems by year, every BMW model, or the BMW VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1999 BMW 323I?
Owners most often report air bags, power train, structure problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 45 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1999 BMW 323I?
Yes, 7 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1999 BMW 323I a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other 323I model years, the 1999 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.