While driving, the consumer noticed smoke coming from the vents. The consumer was able to pull over and lift up the hood. The consumer noticed steam coming from the engine. The consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection. The mechanic informed the consumer that the radiator needed replacement. Please fill in additional information. *Jb
Engine & cooling
BMW 318 Engine problems by year
51 complaints filed with NHTSA about the BMW 318's engine & cooling. Stalling, loss of power, oil consumption, overheating, head gaskets, timing chains and engine failure.
Engine complaints by model year
Latest 318 engine complaints
The vehicle had a gas leak in the tank. The dealer was notified. *Ak the consumer filled the gas tank and 15 minutes later all the gas leaked out. The consumer also experienced problems with the brakes, engine, and the a/c panel which intermittently went out. *Scc *jb
New bmw combusted -- electrical fire due to defect in fan assembly already known to bmw. Had I been driving the car at the time, it would have resulted in a fatality.
My car was simply idling in a parking lot with the a/c on for a few minutes when I returned to find my car with smoke billowing from under the hood. I immediately ran to the car and turned it off. I noticed the temperature gauge was all the way to the red zone. I then noticed radiator fluid spilling to the ground. I opened the hood of the car and noticed the fluid was releasing from the radiator cap. My car was towed to the dealer and they replaced the cooling fan. This is not an isolated incident. I have...
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read numerous incidents on the internet of people's cooling fans failing and their bmw's overheating. I'm surprised bmw has not yet issued a recall. This needs to be done. My car was not some car waiting at a dealership to be bought. I ordered it and it was assembled in a plant in germany. They are installing faulty fans into new cars. Their problem is that they do not know which fans are the bad/failing fans. They should recall all 3 series bmw 2001 fans and replace them. This upsets me. My car is running fine, but who knows what if any, unknown long term damage was sustained in my engine from overheating!!!!!. *Ak
Multiple complaints of overheating for same model due to failure of auxiliary cooling fan as noted on internet bulletin board www.Bimmer.Org in recent weeks/months
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
Cooling fan failure caused engine to overheat - vehicle undriveable. *Ak
Engine lost coolant, engine melted, replaced engine. *Ak
The consumer was driving and water pump/fan belt and radiator failed. *Ak
WATER PUMP MALFUNCTIONED. *AK
Converter failure at <20000 miles seems unusaul. In talking to two dealers, both service departments indicated that the "318's had a problem with the converters that year". Seems to me that if they had a problem, they should fix rather than waiting for it to break, then my having to take time off from work, and rent a car while mine is in for repairs. *Ak
PROFILE GASKET LEAK.
NO SUMMARY PROVIDED BY CONSUMER
Profile gasket failed, causing the engine to overheat. Much of the antifreeze leaked onto the roadway. Other gaskets, etc. Also had to be replaced: valve cover gaskets, thermostat, intake manifold gas, throttle body gasket, exhaust pipe gasket, valve cover gasket, chain tensioner, and more. The repair bill was $950 in labor and $426.00 In parts. In researching the internet and the nhtsa web site, I found many other bmw 318 owners that had the same problem; most of them with 1993 models. I spoke to the dealer and bmw customer service and they say they can't do anything because the car is no longer under warranty.
The affected gasket is known to be of a defective nature and is prone to failure at some point in the vehicle's life, possibly resulting in a sudden loss of coolant. The original part and replacement parts are referenced in a bmw technical service bulletin 11 10 93 (3885). Thus far, bmw has chosen only to evaluate each case individually and selectively reimburse owners for the cost of repairs for vehicles which are out of warranty.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data