10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 8
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
92,904 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2006 BMW 325 engine problems

engine problem

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2006 BMW 325 Owner Comments (Page 3 of 4)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #26

Oct 112015

325

  • 128,871 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Noted vibration with vehicle running in gear when stopped, during inspection noted bolts on right side motor mount broken off flush with the engine block, found bolt head with about 1" of threads laying on top of lower engine cover.

- Pensacola, FL, USA

problem #25

May 092015

325

  • 77,000 miles
I have 77,000 miles on this car and the water pump has become defective as I began to seach online about this issue I see there are thousands of complaint about the same year and model of my car I beleive this part should be recalled

- Burien, WA, USA

problem #24

Jan 072013

325 6-cyl

  • 110,000 miles
Front two valve cover bolts sheered off causing oil to leak directly on the exhaust.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #23

Jan 222015

325

  • 58,559 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Please withdraw the recently filed complaint concerning this 2006 BMW from your records. The confirmation number (ODI number) is: 10678988. Further research has indicated that the information in the complaint was obtained from an inaccurate source. Therefore, the complaint is being withdrawn. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

- Fredericksburg, VA, USA

problem #22

Jan 222015

325

  • 58,559 miles
There is a clear manufacturing defect concerning the aluminum screws associated with the valve cover gasket and the aluminum head bolts on 2006 BMW 325I's. the NHTSA has received many complaints regarding this defect. The aluminum screws/bolts have been redesigned since discovering this manufacturing defect. Bmwna have had numerous service issues related to these defective aluminum screws/bolts. They have openly admitted that the screws/bolts in question were defective in nature and production, and that the screws/bolts have been redesigned to avoid future failures. Some of these complaints included, and resulted in, vehicles leaking oil in the engine area, potentially causing fires in the vehicle. The defective screws/bolts pose a serious potential risk to the safety of the owners of these vehicles, as well as to other drivers who share the roadway with them. It is my strong belief that this public safety risk cannot go on any further without proper intervention from the governmental agencies we employ as taxpayers. I respectfully request that bmwna issue a voluntary recall of the BMW 2006 325I's affected by this manufacturing defect. If bmwna declines to issue a voluntary recall, I respectfully request that the NHTSA issue a mandatory recall for this defect. I have learned that BMW of North America is aware of the defective aluminum screws/bolts, and has issued an internal "technical service bulletin" (tsb) to forewarn dealerships of this manufacturing defect, and the steps to remedy the issue. I have diligently maintained my vehicle as prescribed by the service manuals, as well as the on board computer in the vehicle. My contention is extremely clear; the aluminum bolts are a manufacturing defect and should be fixed at no cost to the consumer!

- Fredericksburg, VA, USA

problem #21

Dec 202014

325

  • miles
I hit a bump in the road, complements of moonachie, New Jersey route 120, New Jersey has the worst roads in the country and one of the highest taxes too. I had an auto parts place that sold me 2-struts-2 shocks, which the roads ripped apart on my car tell me, he'd be out of business if it wasn't for New Jersey. After I hit the crater in the road I felt a loud rattle bumping sound when I slowed downed and accelerated, the engine never really idled right afterwards. I had a friend look at the car and he told me all four bolts connected to the motor mounts, all of the bolts separated and broke off in the engine, they snapped off completely and broke the motor mounts as well. I hear from reading on this site the bolts were a manufactures reject, faulty bolts. That being said, I wish I could litigate against BMW for using the bolts and the state of New Jersey for not properly caring for the roads and leaving hazardous conditions on the roads which I might add be fatal for some unfortunate person. Visit hoboken, New Jersey and check out their main street, Washington, the roads in newark, New Jersey are much better than there.could New Jersey's politicians be stealing this money set aside for road repair" nah, of course not, in New Jersey"

- North Bergen, NJ, USA

problem #20

Sep 162005

325 6-cyl

  • 15 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My wife own a 2006 BMW 325I, we bought it new, and since day one we complaint to our dealer that the engine knocks. We were told that they had similar complaints but can't fix the problem. Thus, they given us a pamphlet on how to start the car in the morning. Over, the years I have taken it back to the dealer but to no avail. We purchased our car at BMW of townson and do all of our services at russell BMW. Both dealers are in the state of Maryland. They do have all the records of our services and complaint pertain to engine knocks. Recently, there are lots of recalls which initially car makers would not voluntary do it until it is scrutinize by NHTSA. I wonder if you would look into this issue. Thank you very much for your time and attention. I can be reach at [xxx] or my cell [xxx]. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Hanvoer, MD, USA

problem #19

Apr 142014

325 6-cyl

  • 94,000 miles
There is a clear manufacturer defect concerning the aluminum bolts associated with the valve cover gasket on the BMW 2006 325I's. with research that I have been doing from others, I noticed that this is a manufacture defect and BMW does know about the problem. This can be a safety concern if not corrected quick due to the possibility of oil falling on top of the exhaust pipe and may cause a fire.the defective bolts pose a serious potential risk to the safety of the owners of these vehicles, as well as to other drivers who share the roadway with them. I respectfully request that BMW North America issue a voluntary recall of the BMW 2006 325I's affected by this manufacturer defect. I am not privy to what constitutes a vehicle's defective components to reach a "recall status".

- Lompoc, CA, USA

problem #18

Jan 032014

325 6-cyl

  • 4,100 miles
I am the original owner of 2006 325I with 42,000 miles. On January, the car suddenly alarmed warning signs on ca highway #5 and started to make loud noise and shakings. At that time, I was pregnant and with my 2 year old baby on back seat. The situation was happening on the highway! I was so worried about driving safety. To solve the problem, the dealer shop asked me to replace head gasket aluminum volt and housing gasket. It did cost over $4000. During the repair, the technician said that the problem is common on this model. I researched about this problem and read many complaints about same issues from BMW 2006 325I owners. The owners agree that the head gasket aluminum volt and housing gasket issue result in manufacture defects. Later, BMW changed the volt materials and provided good will repairs for some owners. I strongly assume that this is one of manufacture defects cost customers to repair as well as threaten drivers" safety. So I called BMW customer relation. But they said that ?keep the receipt and you may get refund when ?there are enough people complain about it???you are more than welcome to report this problem to NHTSA?.? I asked about how many customers had same problems. But they said "do not know". based on their response, it seems that they knew and understood it is manufacture defects, but do not care until the issue is lousy or handled with powerful authority. It is threatening driving safety of not only the owners but all other drivers on highways because it does not give any signs before broken on highway. Therefore, I am reporting this issue while hoping that no other drivers or babies get hurts from this sudden defects and you could do investigate it in depth so that you could protect all other drivers" life.

- Irvine, CA, USA

problem #17

Dec 022013

325 6-cyl

  • 82,000 miles
Transmission oil leak.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #16

Feb 202014

325 6-cyl

  • 90,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

When starting from idle to running state at a stop light the whole car started shaking. Took the shop and they say it a faulty coil/spark plug. Costs me $600-$1000. Looks like this is a common problem in BMW 325I 2006. They should fix this.

- Union City, CA, USA

problem #15

Nov 272013

325

  • 79,000 miles
There is a clear manufacturer defect concerning the aluminum bolts associated with the valve cover gasket on the BMW 2006 325I's. the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received several complaints regarding this manufacturer defect. The aluminum bolts have been redesigned since discovering the manufacturer defect. Bmwna have had numerous service issues related to these defective aluminum bolts. They have all openly admitted that the bolts in question were defective in nature and production, and that the bolts have been redesigned to avoid future failures. Some of these complaints included, and resulted in, vehicles leaking oil in the engine area causing fires in the vehicle. The defective bolts pose a serious potential risk to the safety of the owners of these vehicles, as well as to other drivers who share the roadway with them. It is my strong belief that this type of public safety risk cannot go on any further without proper intervention from the governmental agencies we employ as taxpayers. I respectfully request that BMW North America issue a voluntary recall of the BMW 2006 325I's affected by this manufacturer defect. I am not privy to what constitutes a vehicle's defective components to reach a "recall status". I have discovered that BMW of North America is keenly aware of the defective aluminum bolts, and has issued internal memos to their staff called "technical service bulletins" (tsb) to forewarn dealerships of this manufacturer defect, and the steps to remedy the issue. I have requested this information from BMW of North America, as well as several dealerships; and I was refused. I have diligently maintained my vehicle as prescribed by the service manuals, as well as the on board computer in the vehicle. My contention is extremely clear; the aluminum bolts are a manufacturer defect! fix them all at no cost to the consumer.

- Hagerstown, MD, USA

problem #14

Nov 072013

325

  • 30,000 miles
I am writing this department in hopes to resolve ongoing major manufacturing defects on the BMW 2006 325I's. the 325I motor is well known for aluminum bolts snapping on the motor resulting in significant oil leaks and oil pressure. The intake manifold gasket and bolts are well known for prematurely failing and the head of bolts snapping off under pressures. The valve cover gasket and oil pan is also known to prematurely fail due to poor engineers and the utilization of aluminum bolts. BMW fixed the issue in 2007 and replaced defective bolts with iron bolts. The irony is that BMW refuses to acknowledge the issues in the 2006 BMW 325I. Consumers are on the hook for thousands of dollars worth of repair bills because of faulty engine components. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received several complaints regarding this manufacturer defect. The aluminum bolts have been redesigned since discovering the manufacturer defect. Bmwna have had numerous service issues related to these defective aluminum bolts. They have all openly admitted that the bolts in question were defective in nature and production, and that the bolts have been redesigned to avoid future failures. Some of these complaints included, and resulted in, vehicles leaking oil in the engine area causing fires in the vehicle. The defective bolts pose a serious potential risk to the safety of the owners of these vehicles, as well as to other drivers who share the roadway with them. It is my strong belief that this type of public safety risk cannot go on any further without proper intervention from the governmental agencies we employ as taxpayers.

- Hagerstown, MD, USA

problem #13

Aug 222013

325 6-cyl

  • 47,032 miles
Broken cylinder head bolts at the front timing cover. Symptom was oil leak at timing cover. Upon inspection, the heads of 4 bolts had sheared off and 3 bolt heads had dropped through the timing chain housing and ended up in the oil pan. First, head bolts should not fail. Second, the sheared bolt heads pass through the timing chain housing and could interfere with the timing chain and cause immediate engine failure.

- El Granada, CA, USA

problem #12

Sep 202012

325 6-cyl

  • 79,000 miles
My car started having a massive oil leak at around 79,000 miles. The motor seals started to fail once the car had about 70,000 miles on it. The general consensus is that the motor seals are very common to prematurely fail. The bolts that hold the motor together started to break at around 80,000 miles.

- Hagerstown, MD, USA

problem #11

Aug 112013

325 6-cyl

  • 54,000 miles
I was driving my vehicle on the highway in the left lane, trying to pass a car in the middle lane. After getting in front of the car in the middle lane, I tried to accelerate so I could re-enter the middle lane, but the car acted as if it slipped into neutral and would not accelerate. The engine growled as if it were in neutral. It kept driving, but would not accelerate, despite me stepping harder on the gas. This was potentially dangerous as there was a car immediately behind me, which could have rear ended me at over 60mph, and the car in the middle lane that I was trying to pass could have also hit me on the passenger side of my car. In researching this, many BMW owners have been complaining about this, and yet BMW has not issued an investigation or recall: www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/bmw_trans.html there are 650 complaints regarding this problem at the above link. People should not be having transmission problems like this under 75K miles.

- New York, NY, USA

problem #10

Jul 042013

325 6-cyl

  • 88,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325I. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the low coolant light illuminated as the vehicle over heated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis where it was stated the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.

- Lexington, KY, USA

problem #9

Jun 132013

325 6-cyl

  • 87,000 miles
My car was having an oil leak when I sent my car to get check they found out the bolts are broken which I did my research and I found out is a manufactures defect, because this bolts are place no to be taken off. This leakage has my car going crazzzy when I wash my car and I turn my fog lights on all the lights on my dash go on my engine goes off and smells like is about to burn this is a serious problem.

- Lynn, MA, USA

problem #8

Nov 152012

325

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325xi. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 mph, the engine stalled without warning. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road. Upon restarting it, the vehicle responded normally. The failure occurred four times intermittently. In addition, the ABS, dsc and AWD warning indicators illuminated sporadically on the instrument panel. The failure was not diagnosed nor was the vehicle repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

- Elkrigde, MD, USA

problem #7

Feb 202013

325 6-cyl

  • 74,000 miles
1. seat occupancy sensors are broken. The indicator shows up on the dashboard even when the driver and the passenger have their seat belts fasten. 2. oil leaks from pan gasket due to the aluminum bolts and etc.

- San Gabriel, CA, USA

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