There are 5 owner-reported body & structure complaints for the 2002 BMW 3 Seriesin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN EITHER WITH THE KEYLESS REMOTE OR BY PULLING ON THE DOOR HANDLE INSIDE THE CAR (THE WINDOWS WERE DOWN SO I COULD REACH INSIDE) I HAD TO OPEN THE PASSENGER DOOR AND CLIMB ACROSS THE SEAT TO GET INTO THE DRIVER'S SEAT. THE BUTTON BETWEEN THE SEATS TO UNLOCK ALL OF THE DOORS ALSO FAILED TO OPEN ANY OF THE LOCKS. THE HAZARD LIGHT SWITCH BESIDE IT STILL WORKED, SO I KNOW THE PROBLEM ISN'T DUE TO THAT FAULTY SWITCH. THIS DOOR LOCKS RETURNED TO NORMAL AFTER DRIVING THE CAR ABOUT 30 MINUTES AND IT HASN'T YET RETURNED IN THE FIVE DAYS. *TR
BMW 2002 330I 4 DOOR SEDAN. THE RAIN GUTTERS SURROUNDING BOTH THE REAR PASSENGER DOORS HAVE COME LOOSE AND PREVENT THE DOORS FROM CLOSING TIGHT. THE WARNING LIGHT ON THE DASH COMES ON BECAUSE THE DOORS WILL NOT FULLY CLOSE. BMW SERVICE CONFIRMS THAT THE ADHESIVE HOLD THE GUTTER CLIPS IN PLACE FAILS AS DO THE CLIPS THEMSELVES. IN A CONVERSATION WITH BMW THEY CALL THIS WEAR AND TEAR AND REFUSE TO REPAIR THE GUTTERS! IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE WHEN THE REAR DOORS CAN NOT BE PROPERLY CLOSED. NO DEATH OR INJURY YET BUT THE POTENTIAL IS CERTAINLY THERE. BMW SUGGESTED REPLACING THE GUTTERS FOR $450. WHICH ACCORDING TO THEM IS THE ONLY "CURE" FOR THE FAILURE. THIS SAFETY FAILURE SHOULD BE A RECALL. *TR
THE SUBFRAME ON MY 2002 BMW 325CI HAS BROKE IN 2 HALVES IT IS GOING TO COST ALOT OF MONEY TO GET FIXED I HAVE TALKED TO A GUY AT BMW HE TOLD ME THERE WAS OVER 200 CARS AT HIS DEALERSHIP ALONE THIS YEAR GETTING SUBFRAMES REPLACED THE MORE I LOOKED INTO THIS NEARLY ALL BMW E46 MODELS HAVE THIS SAME ISSUE AND BMW HAS NOT RECALLED ANY OF THESE CARS. *TR
SUNROOF TABS BROKE, LEAVING THE SHADE TO GET STUCK ALMOST ALWAYS LEADING TO THE WINDOW TO JAM. I KNOW THIS IS A CONSTANT PROBLEM. EVERYONE I KNOW WITH A 325I HAS THE SAME PROBLEM AS I. *TR
WATER LEAKS INTO THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT, FLOODING THE CARPET UNDERNEATH THE FLOOR MAT. HAPPENS NEARLY EVERY TIME IT RAINS HEAVILY OR WHEN I WASH THE CAR. HAVE ALREADY TAKEN CAR BACK TO DEALER FOR REPAIR. THEY REPLACED THE LEFT REAR DOOR SEALS, BUT SAME WATER LEAKS CONTINUE TO HAPPEN. *LA
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026