1998 BMW M3: problems, recalls and reliability
1 recall and 14 owner complaints on record; most reports concern air bags.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Nov 1999
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 14 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“On october 13th at approximately 1800hrs the left rear tire of my 1998 bmw m3 "rapidly deflated" resulting in a rollover crash. Approximately 1/4 of the inner sidewall was left shredded. Weather was sunny and warm, with no debris or contamination on the road surface(sr-62). The tire was installed by a bmw service center 5/7/08 at 68,814 miles, accident occurred at 82,943 miles. The dunlop 8080e p245/40 zr-17 dot# dmc903y1607 was determined to have good tread at the time of the accident by the california highway patrol and the tire pressure was checked three days prior. *tr”Owner report · Tires · Oct 2008
“1) normal vehicle operation 2) left rear strut-tower failure resulting in penetration of strut and spring and failure of rear suspension. Could have resulted in loss of control and accident. 3) repairs pending. Known issue w/ bmw e-36's. *nm”Owner report · Suspension · Sep 2006
“Repeated failure of the shift gate. Tranny sticks in 5th gear position, causing dangerous shift delays while in traffic. See: http://www.brazeauracing.com/tech/transmissions.htm for a partial listing of those affected. *jb”Owner report · Power Train · Nov 2004
Show 7 more owner reports
“The gear shift in my manual transmission, 1998 bmw m3 (4 door), sticks under fifth gear and often I am also unable to shift into fifth gear. The issue with this is well known by bmw of north america. The danger here is that when I want to shift into fifth gear I cannot, and more importantly, it is extremely difficult to downshift from 4th to 3rd because the gear shift naturally wants to go into fifth. This can be a very serious problem when going into a turn or needing to downshift to control engine speed rather than using brakes when conditions may be too slick to safely apply the brakes. *la”Owner report · Power Train · Jan 2004
“Problem1: rear defogger not working. Checked the system, fuses okay, voltage correctly supplied to rear window heating contacts. Heating elements in the window itself are failing. Afety issue: no visibility through the rear window when fogged.*ak problem2: automatic environmental controls are quitting erratically leaving driver without windshield defogger, air blower, heating or air conditioning. Car has no safety default or manual override option. Safety issues: occupants can get frost bites or freeze to death in harsh winter conditions or suffer from heat stroke during hot weather. Fogging of the windshield and side windows with disfunctional blower.”Owner report · Visibility · Jan 2003
“The dealer fix for this problem across the country has been to reset the code and say, "oh, don't worry about it." apparently its a sensor in the seat, and lots of bmw's are having these problems. Safety system faults should not be tolerated.*ak”Owner report · Air Bags · Jun 2001
“Intermittently vehicle would suddenly accellerate. Problem has occurred on four occasions. Been in dealer's shop on three occasions, and was unable to locate the cause. Please feel free to provide any further details. *ak”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Jul 2000
“Horn stopped working on 3 different occasions. Dealer attempted to remed problem. But, after 3 months horn would go out again. Last time dealer replaced the contact points. Also, half of the spoiler came off, bolts had fallen apart without warning, causing spoiler to fall off immediately while driving.*ak”Owner report · Structure · Aug 1999
“Consumer ran into a pole and split pole in half, air bags did not deploy. Automobile was totalled. Dealer was contacted. *ak”Owner report · Air Bags
“The factory installed rear view mirror blocks a substantial portion of the driver's field of view and creates a very large and extremely unsafe blind zone.”Owner report · Visibility
When filing, owners marked a crash in 2 of these complaints and injuries in 1 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 1 campaign
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES ARE BUILT WITH A SIDE AIR BAG SYSTEM CONSISTING OF DOOR-MOUNTED THORAX AIR BAGS (REAR DOOR AIR BAGS ARE OPTIONAL), A CENTRAL ELECTRONIC SENSOR AND DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM, LEFT AND RIGHT SATELLITE IMPACT SENSORS, AND ASSOCIATED WIRING. THIS SYSTEM IS UNDULY SENSITIVE TO CERTAIN NON-CRASH IMPACTS, SUCH AS CONTACTING LARGE POTHOLES OR CURBS AT SUBSTANTIAL SPEED.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE CENTRAL COMPUTER CONTROL MODULE THAT REGULATES THE PERFORMANCE OF ALL OF THE VEHICLE'S OCCUPANT PROTECTION SYSTEMS.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 1998 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact M3 by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 1998 BMW M3 reliable?
NHTSA has 14 owner complaints and 1 recall campaign on record for the 1998 BMW M3. The most complained-about area is air bags.
Does the 1998 BMW M3 have open recalls?
1 recall campaign has been issued, the latest concerning air bags:side/window. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.