Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2007 BMW 3 Series owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was going between 30 and 35 MPH through city streets at roughly 3 am on my way back from my commute which is roughly 60 miles. I noticed it started to smell like burning plastic and immediately after smoke was visible coming from hood vents, I parked the car as soon as I could and popped the hood and the heat cover for the hood was on fire along with most other components in the engine bay. My friend immediately called 911 for assistance as I ran and tried to warn neighbors , within 7 minutes the car was completely chard. No maitnance lights were on and nothing seemed to be a problem. The two recalls I never received both would explan this incedent NHTSA campaign number: 17V683000 NHTSA campaign number: 17V676000
Passenger airbag restraint failure - BMW's, in particular 3 Series and e90 models, have a known and common failure where the seat based electrical mat fails in the passenger seats. This is not related to wear and tear as the seats often go unused but simply fail after a certain period of time. The error causes the passenger side airbag to default to always on, which can cause injury or death to children or small passengers in that seat. The cost to repair this is usually $200 for parts and $400 for labor which means many drivers simply don't fix it creating a vulnerability. The issue has been recurring with bmws for several generations and across model types and should be addressed by the manufacturer as its a poorly made part and set up. There are numerous documented cases on BMW forums and a partial recall for some models was implemented. …
Both puget sound area dealers were totally indifferent about life treating recall notices, upon calling in in mid 2017' I was asked what recalls are you calling about and both did not give any in formation when I said I heard there was a recall. Nothing we can do to help you now check back later I was told. In November when I called back I was again greeted with surprise that that there was a recall at seattle dealership and asked me to be specific on a exact recall that maybe in effect. After giving exacte required detailed recall info on this life treating defective recalli was told they don't have any parts and to check back next year! Where the hell is the washington state attorney general? This is a disgrace and BMW in my view should be spender from selling cars in washington state until they make this right. …
After being service by dealer for 4 days which included the replacement of right headlight and ABS and brake system the car caught fire which seem to be related to electrical system. While driving the car heavy toxic smoke started coming out of ventilator of ac system. I immediately step out of the car and in a few minutes smoke and flames located in the engine in front of passenger seat burn the car. Flames and black plastic were coming also under the glove compartment right in front of passenger seat. Dealer quoted $25000 for repair and insurance company declared it total loss. Car was delivered to dealer who has kept it for a month, engineer from BMW north America came and inspected but no report has been issued by them or dealer. This company has no concern for safety of consumers and should be penalize. After having owned six BMW's I feel these autos are not safe.
2 complaints: 1st complaint addresses "Takata recall" dated feb. 5, 2016 recall campaign no.16v-071 driver's front air bag. Service center "otto's" in west chester, pa still has not received the parts going on 2yrs. * 2nd complaint engine shut off while driving (55mph) on a busy interstate highway during heavy traffic with no warning the engine just shut off- no power! . It was a humid summer (July) morning BMW fault could have killed many, a very dangerous public safety hazard. I was stranded for hours unable to drive BMW. *adding insult to injury the high humidity could have set-off the airbag fault unresolved by BMW 18 months & counting. Otto's service center wanted almost $4K to repair plus an additional hefty sum under advisement for repairs to repair the work they completed less than a year ago (>$3K) for engine leaking oil - car over-heating
Battery died. Jumpstarted, drove for a bit. Turned off, turned back on drove home. Parked the car. Tried to restart and the red electronic steering wheel lock indicator was on. Plenty of juice in the battery, car will not even attempt to turn over. Can not get into neutral to tow out. Car is dead where it sits because of the electronic steering lock. Thank goodness we weren't in the middle of nowhere.
Wiring insulation cracking degrading leaving exposed bare wiring causing shorts and possible fire in headlight wiring harnesses, wires are stationary do not move. Insulation is craked and falling off wires. Noticed failure during bulb replacement. Made this complaint after reading about numerous other BMW owners noticing same fault
My 2007 BMW 335i became very hard to steer during a drive down a steep grade. A battery not charging error would appear on dash shortly after... Here is what happened. While driving down a steep hill and needing to break hard on a turn to avoid hitting a dead animal on the road I smelled burning rubber and then heard a noise this noise I discovered later in the day was my power steering belt breaking. I lost all power steering went off the road out off control due to lose of power steering and almost hit a bike rider and came very close to going off the side of road. Later that day I decided to google my problem and see if there would be an easy fix to this problem. I discovered there is not an easy fix for a broken belt on my modal of car. I discovered this is common on many BMW models and BMW is aware of it see sib 11-09-08. …
When driving, the smell of burning or melting plastic is so strong, I have to roll down the windows. The smell occurs about 5 times a week and can be smelled both inside and outside the car. It occurs at various times...on the freeway, on surface streets, stopped at a red light etc. There is a safety recall, for positive crankcase ventilation(pcv) valve heater, but they don't have a plan or method of fixing this. Since it can lead to a fire, it needs to be fixed, but the dealership has no information about even how to fix the problem. The website and letter tells you to call the local dealership but they tell you to contact BMW north America, however they don't answer the phone. The service supervisor at the local BMW dealer ship in glendale ca has not returned my messages and the number they refer me to, BMW north America at [phone] just keeps ringing...no answer. …
Using the key remote would only lock the driver's door. Then when using the key remote to unlock the door, the lights flash and the lock "clicks" but the driver's lock wouldn't unlock. I used the metal key in the key fob to manually unlock the door and tried it all over again. Same thing happened...key remote would lock only the driver's door lock...key remote to unlock would flash the lights but not unlock the door...requiring me to use the physical key in the driver's door to unlock the driver's door. Thinking that the car was not registering that the other three doors were not locked, I physically locked the doors while inside the car by depressing the locks on the top of each door. Bad idea! …
Electrical complaints in other 3 Series years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2007 BMW 3 Series?
NHTSA has 31 complaints about the electrical system of the 2007 BMW 3 Series, 27% of the model year's 115 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2007 BMW 3 Series electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2007 BMW 3 Series, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2007 BMW 3 Series electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 55,000 miles, and 17% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 2 fires and 1 injury to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.