1998 Bmw Z3 Roadster: Reliability Data

20
Total Complaints
73,900mi
Median Mileage
Frame And Members
Top Issue
1
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

50,764 25th Percentile
73,900 Median Mileage
85,926 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Frame And Members
6
Air Bags
3
Seats
2
Power Train
2
Tread/Belt
1
Tires
1
Automatic (Asc)
1
Fuel System, Gasoline
1
Rear
1
Body
1

Severity Assessment

1
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE DRIVING, NEGATIVE CAMBER CAUSED TREAD TO WEAR DOWN ON REAR TIRES. *AK THIS CAUSED ABNORMAL WEAR ON THE REAR TIRES AND HAD A POTENTIAL OF LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. *JG *JB"
"NEGATIVE CAMBER CAUSED INCREASE WEAR ON THE INSIDE OF THE REAR TIRES, WHICH CAUSED 6 TIRE BLOW OUTS. *AK *JB"
"1998 BMW Z3, 1.9. SRS (AIRBAG LIGHT) CONSTANTLY COMING ON EVER SINCE I BOUGHT IT! I HAD IT FIXED 3 TIMES ALREADY AT THE DEALERSHIP SUPPOSEDLY UNDER WARANTY BUT STILL COSTING ME ATLEAST 100 DOLLARS R "DIAGNOSTIC FEES". IT CAME ON AGAIN AND I GIVE UP.ITS BEEN ON FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS NOW. WHY BOTHER GE..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Frame And Members 6 complaints
25th: 72,800 mi Median: 75,000 mi 75th: 83,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

NY: 4 CA: 4 AZ: 3 OK: 2 FL: 1 OH: 1 AL: 1 OR: 1 NJ: 1 00: 1

Who Files Complaints?

15%
Original Owners
85%
Second+ Owners

Bmw Z3 Roadster — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
2000250

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28