2003 Bmw 3-Series: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 28 complaints
28
Total Complaints
46,578mi
Median Mileage
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Top Issue
4
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

28,000 25th Percentile
46,578 Median Mileage
71,250 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
5
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
2
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
2
AIR BAGS
2
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
1
TIRES
1
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL:AUTOMATIC (ASC)
1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM
1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
1

Severity Assessment

4
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE DRIVING 2003 325XI ON COUNTY HIWAY SLOWED DOWN TO MAKE RIGHT TURN TO ABOUT 15-20 MPH. HALFWAY THROUGH THE TURN LOUD NOISE EMITTED FROM TRANSMISSION AREA (PREVIOUS FAILURE OF TRANS. COMP. MODULE @ 1500 MILES-REPLACED BY DEALER) AND VEHICLE LOCKE UP, HARD ENOUGH FOR MYSELF AND MY WIFE TO MOVE FO..."
"WHILE DRIVING 2003 325XI ON COUNTY HIWAY SLOWED DOWN TO MAKE RIGHT TURN TO ABOUT 15-20 MPH. HALFWAY THROUGH THE TURN LOUD NOISE EMITTED FROM TRANSMISSION AREA (PREVIOUS FAILURE OF TRANS. COMP. MODULE @ 1500 MILES-REPLACED BY DEALER) AND VEHICLE LOCKE UP, HARD ENOUGH FOR MYSELF AND MY WIFE TO MOVE FO..."
"WHILE DRIVING 2003 325XI ON COUNTY HIWAY SLOWED DOWN TO MAKE RIGHT TURN TO ABOUT 15-20 MPH. HALFWAY THROUGH THE TURN LOUD NOISE EMITTED FROM TRANSMISSION AREA (PREVIOUS FAILURE OF TRANS. COMP. MODULE @ 1500 MILES-REPLACED BY DEALER) AND VEHICLE LOCKE UP, HARD ENOUGH FOR MYSELF AND MY WIFE TO MOVE FO..."

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.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING 5 complaints
25th: 39,500 mi Median: 47,500 mi 75th: 65,750 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 5 NJ: 4 CO: 2 AL: 2 CT: 2 NE: 2 NY: 2 GA: 1 WA: 1 00: 1

Who Files Complaints?

21.4%
Original Owners
78.6%
Second+ Owners

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