FaultScore

Worst years for a BMW 325I

Owners have filed 1,808 complaints about the BMW 325I with NHTSA across model years 1987 to 2012. More of them are about the airbags than anything else.

Avoid

2006 BMW 325I

709 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly airbags.

Cleanest on record

1993 BMW 325I

25 complaints — the lowest FaultScore of the graded years.

Every BMW 325I year, graded

The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded
Year Grade Complaints Crashes Fires Median miles Most reported
2012 1 0 0 Seats
2011 1 0 0 Airbags
2008 1 1 1 Engine & Cooling
2007 1 0 0 Tires
2006 D 709 15 36 80,393 Airbags
2005 B 81 3 2 80,000 Airbags
2004 C 182 13 14 79,000 Airbags
2003 C 261 8 11 74,000 Airbags
2002 C 198 9 24 80,000 Airbags
2001 C 196 11 8 100,000 Airbags
2000 1 0 0 Airbags
1995 B 42 4 0 189,000 Transmission & Drivetrain
1994 C 23 0 4 29,000 Engine & Cooling
1993 A 25 0 0 Engine & Cooling
1992 55 2 2 158,000 Engine & Cooling
1991 4 1 0 Transmission & Drivetrain
1990 5 1 0 Acceleration & Cruise Control
1989 10 1 0 Engine & Cooling
1988 7 1 1 Brakes
1987 5 1 0 Seat Belts

What breaks on a BMW 325I

Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.

Airbags 529 29.3%

Worst in 2006

Electrical System 217 12.0%

Worst in 2006

Lights 205 11.3%

Worst in 2003

Engine & Cooling 176 9.7%

Worst in 2006

Worst in 2006

Worst in 2002

Worst in 2003

Steering 60 3.3%

Worst in 2006

Seat Belts 56 3.1%

Worst in 2006

Brakes 52 2.9%

Worst in 2006

Worst in 2006

Worst in 2006

Worst in 2006

Seats 40 2.2%

Worst in 2006

Exactly what failed on a BMW 325I

The named sub-assemblies behind those complaints, across every model year.

Frontal 51 24.8%
Power Window Devices AND Controls 28 13.6%
Automatic Transmission 27 13.1%
Cooling System 25 12.1%
Side/Window 15 7.3%
Brake Lights 14 6.8%
Door 13 6.3%
Engine 12 5.8%
Body 11 5.3%
Module 10 4.9%

Complaints filed over time

Every complaint about every BMW 325I, by the month it reached NHTSA.

May 1995 peak 34 Jul 2026

BMW 325I problems by state

Where owners filed from. Heavier states are usually just bigger markets, but a part that fails in heat or salt shows up here first.

Compare the BMW 325I

Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.