Most common 2002 BMW 325 problems
Share of the 26 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
BMW 325 complaints by model year
Best 325 years: 2000, 2003, 2006. Years to avoid: 1995, 2001, 2002. Compare all years →
2002 BMW 325 recalls (2)
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2000-2002 325i and 325xi Sedan, and 323Ci, 325Ci, and 330Ci Convertible vehicles. This recall affects certain vehicles that may have had a driver-side air bag module installed as replacement equipment such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air…
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the vehicle has been remedied. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the driver's air bag module, free of charge.
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2000-2002 BMW 320i, 323i, 325i, 325xi, 330i, 330xi, 323Ci, 325Ci, 330Ci, M3, 323iT, 325iT and 325xiT vehicles, 2001-2002 525i, 530i, 540i, M5, 525iT and 540iT vehicles, and 2001-2003 X5 3.0i, X5 4.4i, and X5 4.6is vehicles.
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the vehicle has been remedied. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver side air bag module, replacing it as necessary, free of charge.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 3 possible defects involving the 2002 BMW 325:
Rear lamp illumination
Odi has received complaints from consumers stating that their tail light assembly is not properly illuminating.the tail light assembly consists of a turn signal lamp, a tail lamp and a brake lamp.the complainants have indicated that the issue is with an 8 pin connector and associated ground wiring.these components are allegedly overheating and melting due to excessive electrical current that runs through the…
Rear Lamp Illumination
In a letter submitted to the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) dated August25, 2011, BMWindicated that it will conduct a voluntary recall campaign to remedy the subject vehicles.The issue involves the rear lamps in the vehicles body panel.Through normal vehicle use over time, the rear lamps ground wiring and associated 8-pin connector can experience an increase of the resistance at the electrical contact…
Rear lamp illumination
In March 2009, the office of defects investigation (odi) received a petition from mr. Mark peters requesting an investigation of rear lamp failure in model year 2002-2005 BMW 3-series vehicles.an information request letter was sent to BMW in April 2009, and odi received BMW's response in June 2009.the tail lamp assembly contains lighting for the brake lamps, tail lamps, and turn signals.a technical service bulletin…
What 2002 BMW 325 owners say
Electrical system
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 BMW 325. While the vehicle was parked in the driveway, the contact discovered that the driver side air bag deployed and evidence of a fire was present. The contact indicated that the dashboard was melted and burn marks were present throughout the cabin of the vehicle. The front windshield was shattered and the ceiling panel was burned and hanging down. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 140,000.
Can not unlock car in any way. The relays in the gm5 module which give power to the actuators become weak and can not open car. Car can not be opened with car key as key hole is also electronic. In the end I cant get inside the car.
Air bags
Takata recall. We are under recall 17V047. For four months, we have been calling and doing on-line chats with BMW of mobile (mobile, alabama). Every call or chat ends with them asking for our phone number and email address. They say they will contact us shortly with info on when or if the recall can be done. They have never once called or emailed us back. I can understand that it might take a while, but they could at least let us know what is going on while we are driving this dangerous car. Is there anything we can do about this, or do we wait and be ignored until something really bad happens? Aren't they required to honor this recall?
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 BMW 325. The contact stated that another vehicle crashed into the rear of the vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact was unconscious immediately after the impact. The contact was taken to a hospital where he sustained bruising on his neck, the shoulders and a severe concussion. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000. The VIN was not available.
Windows, wipers & sunroof
Third window regulator broke on my 2002 BMW 325 - three different windows. I finally got sick of it and called BMW north America and they refuse to do anything about it. The windows go down & you can't get them back up. I did an internet search and easily found tons more complaints. Obviously this is a defective part that BMW should be forced to make good on - it needs to be recalled and anyone who already paid to fix it should be reimbursed. Cheap rotten parts. Here's one example of what I saw when I searched on the internet -. Http://repairpal.com/rear-window-regulator-455 and here is another one http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=802143.
I purchased a new 2002 BMW 325i on 12/4/01 equipped with several options including a sunroof. I was driving into work on Friday, January 25, 2002 and all of a sudden, the glass on my sunroof exploded and showered glass all over my head, the interior of my car and apparently some pieces nicked the paint on the trunk. BMW says that it was most likely a rock that hit the glass. Although I have full-glass coverage, I asked my insurance company, liberty mutual, to send a claims adjuster. His findings were inconclusive; could have been a rock, defect, ice buildup, on the glass, etc. I'm very concerned that this could have resulted in serious injury. A common highway stone should not cause such a violent reaction. BMW has been dissapointedly unresponsive and uncaring regarding this issue.
2002 BMW 325 engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5L 6-cyl | 5-speed manual | RWD | 18 / 27 / 21 |
| 2.5L 6-cyl | 5-speed automatic | RWD | 17 / 24 / 20 |
| 2.5L 6-cyl | 5-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 17 / 25 / 20 |
| 2.5L 6-cyl | 5-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 17 / 23 / 19 |
EPA ratings. Class: Subcompact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2002 BMW 325 a good car?
Based on 26 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2002 325 rates use caution: 7.5× as many complaints as a typical year of the 325 at the same age. It is one of the 325 years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2002 BMW 325?
The electrical system — 6 complaints, 23% of all complaints for this model year, most often about wiring. Next are the air bags (6) and windows, wipers & sunroof (3).
How many recalls does the 2002 BMW 325 have?
There are 2 recalls for the 2002 BMW 325, the most recent from October 2, 2019 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the BMW 325?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2000, 2003 and 2006. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 1995, 2001 and 2002. See the full BMW 325 years comparison.
At what mileage do 2002 BMW 325 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 55,000 miles; 37% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.