2003 Bmw 325Ci: Reliability Data

35
Total Complaints
80,000mi
Median Mileage
Air Bags
Top Issue
0
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

32,179 25th Percentile
80,000 Median Mileage
111,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Air Bags
9
Electrical System
5
Latches/Locks/Linkages
2
Electrical
2
Fuel Injection System
2
Engine And Engine Cooling
2
Exterior Lighting
2
Suspension
2
Power Window Devices And Controls
1
Delivery
1

Severity Assessment

0
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"JUNE 9, 2003 DEAR BMW, I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW 2003 BMW 325CI ON NOVEMBER 8, 2002 FROM ASSAEL BMW DEALER IN MONROVIA, CALIFORNIA. AFTER A MONTH OF OWNING IT, THE CAR STARTED EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS. WHEN I WAS AT A STOPLIGHT OR STOP SIGN AND HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE CAR/ENGINE WOULD SPUTTER,..."
"JUNE 9, 2003 DEAR BMW, I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW 2003 BMW 325CI ON NOVEMBER 8, 2002 FROM ASSAEL BMW DEALER IN MONROVIA, CALIFORNIA. AFTER A MONTH OF OWNING IT, THE CAR STARTED EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS. WHEN I WAS AT A STOPLIGHT OR STOP SIGN AND HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE CAR/ENGINE WOULD SPUTTER,..."
"THE COMPUTER FIRST FAILED ON MY 2003 BMW 325I ON JUNE 15, 2003, (THREE WEEKS AFTER I PICKED IT UP FROM THE DEALERSHIP, BMW OF MANHATTAN), CAUSING ME TO LOSE ACCELERATION WITHOUT WARNING. I WAS TRAVELLING AT 60-65 MILES PER HOUR IN THE FAR LEFT LANE OF THE GARDEN STATE PARKWAY. I WAS BARELY ABLE TO M..."

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.

Electrical System 5 complaints
25th: 90,000 mi Median: 111,000 mi 75th: 160,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 10 MA: 5 NJ: 5 DC: 3 NY: 3 TX: 2 AZ: 2 FL: 2 PA: 1 CT: 1

Who Files Complaints?

17.1%
Original Owners
82.9%
Second+ Owners

Bmw 325Ci — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
2001552
2002311
2004761
2005403
2006401

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