2002 Bmw M3: Reliability Data
When Do Complaints Happen?
Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.
What Fails?
Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.
Severity Assessment
Sample Complaint Reports
"WHILE DRIVING AND CHANGING GEARS COULD HEAR A GRINDING NOISE. HAD VEHICLE AT DEALERSHIP FOR A THIRD TRANSMISSION. PROBLEM WITH TRANSMISSION HAS HAPPENED TWICE BEFORE, AND REPLACED TWICE.*AK"
"ENGINE BLEW UP WHILE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING ON HIGHWAY. AFTER PULLING OVER CONSUMER FOUND A LOT OF PIECES TO ENGINE ON FLOOR, AND OIL WAS EVERY WHERE. CONTACTED DEALER, AND THEY WERE NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING. *AK"
"HOOD SENSOR WILL INDICATE THAT HOOD IS CLOSE, EVEN THOUGH IT IS STILL OPEN. CONSUMER IS ABLE TO DRIVE AWAY. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK"
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.
Where Are Complaints Coming From?
Top states by complaint count.
Who Files Complaints?
Bmw M3 — Other Years
See how this model compares across different model years.
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
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