2003 BMW 3 Series Engine problems

Coolant leak from exhaust manifold Reservoir fails All coolant hoses fail

The cooling fans exploded after I started my car up following coolant fluid leaking out the bottom of a hose with no warning signs showing the car over heating in the end result.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw 325. The contact stated that the vehicle's electrical system was malfunctioning. The contact stated that certain lights were illuminating on the dashboard while other lights were not. The vehicle also failed to start. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was awaiting diagnosis and repairs. The vin was not available. The failure mileage was 158,000.

Tl* the contact owned a 2003 bmw 330xi. While the vehicle was parked at the contact's job, the front end caught fire. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact stated that the power steering pump was replaced days before the fire, but it was unknown if the repair contributed to the fire. There were no injuries. The fire department was called and extinguished the fire. The vehicle was destroyed, but not towed. The fire department informed the contact that once a police report was filed, they could disclose specifically where the fire originated. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified. The failure mileage was 106,000.

2003 BMW 325I LOW FUEL STALL

STALL LIMPS

Takata recall - call the dealer about recall and was told I would get a call when the part for the jobs was received. It's been months and have heard nothing from the dealership.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw 325i. When the contact took the vehicle to be smogged, the contact was informed that fuel was leaking from the fuel tank. The contact stated that the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel tank needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 145,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw 3251. The contact stated that while driving at various speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was able to restart. In addition, the contact noticed a strong abnormal odor from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the coil cylinder needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 92,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw 325xi. While driving at approximately 50 mph, smoke appeared under the hood of the vehicle and filled the driver's cabin. The contact exited the vehicle and observed oil between the valve gasket and the head gasket as well as oil leaking underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was turned off. When the oil dip stick was removed, hot oil shot out onto the contact. The contact was burned, but did not receive medical attention. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was...

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw 325xi. When the ignition was turned to the on position, the vehicle failed to start without warning. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 93,000.

Originar request car gone for repair: main issue; leak of anti-free, pump issue. Hose replacement. 2012 - Package results no included in our original requests. Suspension problem: tech found both rear coil springs broken. Note by car's owner: we when ahead and replaced both, although around 90% of my drive is in highways and my frequent passenger is only a 3 year old boy. Repair cost: us$400.00 --------------------------------------- 2015- Car brought over the dealership for "computer programming" as...

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 bmw 325xi. The contact received notification for recall nhtsa campaign number: 14v280000 (engine and engine cooling). However, the part needed to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

While driving on the freeway my engine just shut off and continues to do so every time I drive my car. So, my brakes and steering lock up because the engine shuts off. My mechanic told me there was a recall dme ms45 - fc28b2, 28aa, 28ac; internal ram faults model e46 m54 with ms45.1 From 9/00 to 7/06 e83 m54 with ms45.0/Ms45.1 From 9/03 to 9/06 e85 m54 with ms45.0 From 10/04 to 1/06 e60 m54 with ms45.1 From 9/03 to 3/05 situation customers may complain about a crank/no start or a rough start...

My 2003 bmw 325it stalls unexpectedly while driving. The engine shuts down, I loose power steering, the check engine light goes on and have to pull off the road. I then put it in park and start the engine again. This started to happen in 2011 and now occurs with increasing frequency. It happened three times in 2014, including today october 11, 2014, while I was driving on a two lane road at about 40 mph. I am very worried about my personal safety and hope to have an early response from you about this critical matter. I have also written to bmw corporation. I am the original owner of the car, bought on october 22, 2002 from vob auto sales 1396 rockville pike, rockville, md 20852 usa. *Tr

The bmw e46 3-series (1999-2006) suffers from a design flaw in the cooling system. Plastic parts in the cooling system fail as soon as 4 years and 80,000 miles from manufacture date, often failing catastrophically and causing the engine to overheat. Continued driving of the car in this situation leads to complete engine failure and loss of power (including power steering and power brakes), potentially causing an accident if it happens at highway speeds. Typical failed parts include the coolant expansion tank,...

Brought in my car to local mechanic three times for oil leak (oil on driveway, oil light sensor on dashboard illuminated). In each case, I thought the problem was fixed but after two weeks the dashboard oil light came on again. I thought my mechanic was inexperienced with bmw's, so I took it to a bmw dealer and all seemed fine ($1,000 repair) until two weeks later when the oil light yet again appears on the dashboard. I am taking it back to the bmw dealer next week for a second time. I believe every possible gasket...

Engine vapor separator, hoses, dipstick, and vanos line replacement. This part separates the water vapor from the oil to remove condensation so it doesn't circulate inside the engine. The car was unsafe to drive with a faulty vapor separator and can cause engine vapor lock if it fails. The repair was about $1,400. *Tr

The oil filter housing gasket fails on bmw cars. It is a mesh gasket between the engine and the block where the oil enters/exits the filter. The repair is about $600 and fails frequently on these cars. It causes oil to leak onto the block and gives a strong burning oil smell. Oil can accumulate on top of the engine depending on the severity of the leak. Oil blows and covers the oil filter housing and the inside of the hood with a spray of sticky oil. *Tr

The cooling fan broke loose spontaneously and flew through the air cutting through the hood of the car and ripping through the entire engine compartment. Moments prior the hood had been open with people standing around looking at the hoses. Had the fan broke loose at this time, I would have seriously injured or killed people. *Tr

While travelling on route 50 in maryland at 55mph engine cut out completely. I lost power steering and brakes. Fortunately, I was able to pull over to side of road, turn off vehicle and restart it. I brought it to the dealership where I purchased it. They cannot diagnose it without at least $1100 worth of work (they think its a transmission problem). After $1100 they state it would be an easy $200 fix or a substantial $6-8000 fix. I will be bringing it to another mechanic for second opinion. I was fortunate I was not in traffic and could pull over safely.

Car ran perfectly, then I turned off, then I restarted 5 seconds later to reposition in garage. Engine then revving from 800 to 1200 rpm rhythmically, approx once per second, eml light on, brake light on, service engine light on, very hard to stop car, had anyone been close I would have hit them. Engine revving continued for 2 days, then went away on own. I then took off airbox to inspect maf, filter. Codes on 3rd day: p1632 throttle, pending: p0102, iats. There have been other incidents over the years of restarting engine to have extremely rough idle, also cleared on its own, but never surging like this. *Tr

While driving my 2003 bmw 325ci the engine will shut off. This causes: 1. Power steering stops functioining 2. I am unable to accelerate 3. Braking takes excessively long with engine off 4. Dashboard lights up. *Tr

Our 2003 bmw 325i has had repeated stalling events occurring at increasing frequency. While idling at stop lights or at highway speed warning lights on the dashboard (eml, hazard and brake) light and the engine loses power, and rpm's drop. After the first occurrence, the bmw was taken to advantage midtown bmw in houston, tx for diagnosis/repair. Bmw replaced the throttle controller which they said was defective. 1-2 Months later the problem began occurring again with increasing frequency. The car stalled at a...

The car had no symptoms leading up to the event. Car was idling in parking lot to warm up and randomly turned off. Would not turn back on and had to be towed to a shop. Found out that the crankcase ventilation system froze causing oil present in all six cylinders. System was replaced once the mechanic had access to the technical service bulletin. Mechanic was surprised to see bmw had no recalls for this design flaw since it is very dangerous. If the car had been moving with 2500-3500 rpms, much more damage would have been caused with anywhere from piston rings to engine block in addition to an accident and possibly death or injury. *Tr