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FaultScore report

1999 BMW M Coupe problems

Owners have filed 16 complaints about the 1999 BMW M Coupe with NHTSA between 1999 and 2013. The largest single group is the body & structure.

Read the complaints What breaks Worst years for the BMW M Coupe All 1999 cars
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Not graded

Too few complaints, or too short a model run, to compare fairly.

How this is worked out

The numbers

16

Complaints

0

Crashes reported

0

Fires reported

0

Injuries reported

73,550 mi

Median mileage at failure

Half of reported failures happened before this

20%

Failed under 36,000 miles

Inside a typical bumper-to-bumper warranty

How 1999 compares with every other BMW M Coupe

Click any bar to open that year's report.

16 9 1 4
99 00 01 02
Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks on a 1999 BMW M Coupe

Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.

Body & Structure 8 50.0%

Median failure at 76,000 miles

Seats 2 12.5%
Transmission & Drivetrain 2 12.5%

Median failure at 38,228 miles

Equipment & Accessories 1 6.3%
Doors, Latches & Locks 1 6.3%
Suspension 1 6.3%

Median failure at 137,000 miles

Airbags 1 6.3%

When it fails

Odometer readings owners gave when they filed. About half of all complaints include one.

25,000 – 49,999 miles 2 20.0%
50,000 – 74,999 miles 3 30.0%
75,000 – 99,999 miles 3 30.0%
100,000 – 149,999 miles 2 20.0%

When owners complained

A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single owner can see from inside their own car.

Oct 1999 peak 2 Jan 2013

The most recent complaints

In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.

at 137,000 miles Atlanta, GA

SUSPENSION

REAR SUBFRAME IS BEGINNING TO SEPARATE FROM THE BODY OF THE VEHICLE, POSSIBLY CONTRIBUTOR TO UNSAFE AND UNSTABLE HANDLING. FIRST NOTICED AFTER HAVING SERVICE 2 INTERVAL DONE IN 2009, BUT UPON MORE RESEARCH ONLINE MANY Z3 OWNERS ARE HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE REGARDLESS OF MODEL OR HOW IT'S DRIVEN. BROKEN SPOT WELD UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. TRYING TO CATCH IT EARLY ON BEFORE IT GETS WORSE.

NHTSA complaint #10490975 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 137,000 miles Atlanta, GA

STRUCTURE:BODY

REAR SUBFRAME IS BEGINNING TO SEPARATE FROM THE BODY OF THE VEHICLE, POSSIBLY CONTRIBUTOR TO UNSAFE AND UNSTABLE HANDLING. FIRST NOTICED AFTER HAVING SERVICE 2 INTERVAL DONE IN 2009, BUT UPON MORE RESEARCH ONLINE MANY Z3 OWNERS ARE HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE REGARDLESS OF MODEL OR HOW IT'S DRIVEN. BROKEN SPOT WELD UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. TRYING TO CATCH IT EARLY ON BEFORE IT GETS WORSE.

NHTSA complaint #10490975 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 83,200 miles Sussex, NJ

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS

SUBFRAME TEAR, SEPARATING OF TRUNK FLOOR FROM RAILS.

NHTSA complaint #10229389 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 81,410 miles Oklahoma City, OK

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS

THE 1999 BMW M COUPE I OWN IS SUFFERING FROM A REAR SUBFRAME FAILURE. THE DIFFERENTIAL MOUNT AND REAR SUBFRAME ARE BECOMING DISCONNECTED FROM THE FRAME. VISUAL INSPECTIONS HAVE SHOWN THE SEPARATION. THIS WILL LEAD TO THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL BECOMING TOTALLY DISCONNECTED FROM THE CAR, LEADING TO A POSSIBLE ACCIDENT. THIS ISSUE IS CURRENTLY UNRESOLVED AS THE FIX WILL BE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. THERE ARE NUMEROUS DOCUMENTED CASES OF SUBFRAME FAILURES ON BMW Z3, M ROADSTER AND M COUPE MODELS. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A MANUFACTURER DEFECT THAT HAS NO BEEN ADDRESSES BY THE MANUFACTURER. THIS PRESENTS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE.

NHTSA complaint #10177257 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 76,000 miles Montreal, 00

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS

THERE IS A CRASH RISK AS THE CAR'S SUBFRAME IS RAPIDLY TEARING AND THIS DESIGN FLAW COULD EVENTUALLY LEAD TO A LOSS OF CONTROL LEADING TOWARDS A CRASH. THE CAR INVOLVED IS A BMW M COUPE 1999.

NHTSA complaint #10166970 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 50,000 miles Phoenix, AZ

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS:UNDERBODY SHIELDS

REAR SUBFRAME WELDS ARE FAILING. AS A RESULT, THE FLOOR IS TEARING FROM THE SUBFRAME. THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE CONTAINS DESCRIPTIONS AND PHOTOS OF MANY EXAMPLES OF THIS VERY ISSUE. HTTP://WWW.THELARGEGLASS.COM/BMW/SUBFRAME/.

NHTSA complaint #10136818 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 26,456 miles Clifton, VA

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS

DIFFERENTIAL BRACKET AND SUBFLOOR ARE CRACKING AND TEARING APART AT THE WELD SEAMS AND SPOT WELDS. COULD LEAD TO UNPREDICTABLE HANDLING, ESPECIALLY DURING REGULAR DRIVING TURNS/HIGHWAY SPEEDS (INSTABILITY, ROUGH SHAKING, LOOSE CHASSIS KNOCKING).

NHTSA complaint #10091272 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 26,456 miles Clifton, VA

POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT

DIFFERENTIAL BRACKET AND SUBFLOOR ARE CRACKING AND TEARING APART AT THE WELD SEAMS AND SPOT WELDS. COULD LEAD TO UNPREDICTABLE HANDLING, ESPECIALLY DURING REGULAR DRIVING TURNS/HIGHWAY SPEEDS (INSTABILITY, ROUGH SHAKING, LOOSE CHASSIS KNOCKING).

NHTSA complaint #10091272 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 71,100 miles Janesville, WI

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS

SEPARATION OF FLOOR PAN WELDS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM IN AN UNCOMMON VEHICLE. I'M UNABLE TO PROVIDE A CAUSE, SINCE I AM THE THIRD OWNER, AND HAVE NEVER DRIVEN THE CAR AT IT'S INTENDED LIMITS. TO MY KNOWLEDGE, IT HAS NEVER BEEN RACED. SO FAR, I HAVE NOT REPAIRED THE PROBLEM.

NHTSA complaint #10075125 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Marietta, GA

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS

SERIOUS CRACKING ALONG MULTIPLE BODY SEAMS IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT IN STRUT TOWER AREA AND IN THE REAR IN THE LOWER SUBFRAME AREA.

NHTSA complaint #10062195 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Marietta, GA

EQUIPMENT

SERIOUS CRACKING ALONG MULTIPLE BODY SEAMS IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT IN STRUT TOWER AREA AND IN THE REAR IN THE LOWER SUBFRAME AREA.

NHTSA complaint #10062195 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 50,000 miles Danville, CA

POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT

REAR DIFFERENTIAL MOUNT CRACKS. SUBFRAME SEPARATING FROM THE FLOOR OF TRUNK, AND TRUNK BEING TEARED OUT BY SUBFRAME. MAJOR ISSUE!!!!

NHTSA complaint #10058105 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Novato, CA

SEATS

SEAT SHIFTS IN DIRECTION OF DECELERATION (BRAKE) AND ACCELERATION (GAS). FEELS LIKE SEAT WILL COME OFF ITS RAILS.

NHTSA complaint #10008271 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Novato, CA

AIR BAGS

RECURRING AIRBAG LIGHT.

NHTSA complaint #10008272 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Carmel, NY

SEATS

WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED THE FRONT SEATS SLIDE FORWARD APPROXIMATELY ONE HALF INCH, WHEN BRAKE PRESSURE IS RELEASED SEATS SLIDE BACK INTO PLACE. VEHICLE TRAVELING AT 60 MPH HIT A BUMP IN ROADWAY AND THE DRIVER'S SIDE, CLOSED AND LOCKED DOOR UNLATCHED AND OPEN ENOUGH FOR THE AIR TO RUSH IN AND THE ROAD COULD BE SEEN THROUGH THE OPENING. *AK

NHTSA complaint #852017 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Carmel, NY

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED THE FRONT SEATS SLIDE FORWARD APPROXIMATELY ONE HALF INCH, WHEN BRAKE PRESSURE IS RELEASED SEATS SLIDE BACK INTO PLACE. VEHICLE TRAVELING AT 60 MPH HIT A BUMP IN ROADWAY AND THE DRIVER'S SIDE, CLOSED AND LOCKED DOOR UNLATCHED AND OPEN ENOUGH FOR THE AIR TO RUSH IN AND THE ROAD COULD BE SEEN THROUGH THE OPENING. *AK

NHTSA complaint #852017 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.