Most common 2002 BMW 325i problems
Share of the 162 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
BMW 325i complaints by model year
Best 325i years: 2000, 2007, 2008. Years to avoid: 2006, 2003, 2001, 2002, 2004. Compare all years →
2002 BMW 325i recalls (6)
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2000-2005 323iT, 325iT, 325xiT, 320i, 323i, 325i, 325xi, 328i, 330i and 330xi and 2000-2006 323Ci, 325Ci, 328Ci, 330Ci, M3 Coupe, 323Cic, 325Cic, 330Cic, and M3 Convertible vehicles equipped with non-desiccated frontal Takata PSAN inflators and PSPI passenger frontal air bag…
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger's front air bag, free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Air bags
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2000 323i sedans, coupes, convertibles, and Sports Wagons; 2000 328i sedans and coupes; 2001-2005 325i sedans, coupes, convertibles, and Sport Wagons; 2001-2005 325xi sedans and Sports Wagons; 2006 325i coupes and convertibles; 2001-2006 330i sedans, coupes, and…
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until they have been repaired. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger side frontal air bag, free of charge.
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2002-2005 325i, 325xi, 330i, and 330xi Sedans, and 325xi and 325i Sportswagons, 2002-2006 330Ci, 325Ci, and M3 Convertibles and 325i, 330i, and M3 Coupes, 2002-2003 M5, 540i, 525i Sedan, and 530i Sedans, and 540i and 525i Sportswagons, and 2003 X5 3.0i and 4.4i…
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the vehicle has been remedied. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driver air bag module, free of charge. The recall began Aug 2016.
Air bags
BMW is recalling certain model year 2002-2003 325i, 325xi, 330i, 330xi sedans; 325Ci and 330Ci coupes and convertibles; 325iT and 325xiT Sports Wagons; and M3 coupes and convertibles to address a safety defect in the passenger side frontal air bag which may produce excessive internal pressure causing the inflator to rupture…
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until they have been repaired. BMW intends to issue initial notifications to owners informing them of the safety defect in June 2013.
Exterior lighting › Turn signal
BMW is recalling certain model year 2002-2005 325i, 325xi, 330i, and 330xi vehicles manufactured from September 1, 2001, through March 1, 2005. Over time, resistance in the electrical contacts May cause one or more rear lamp functions (tail light, brake light, and/or turn-signal), within the vehicle's body panel, to stop…
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles free of charge. The safety recall began on February 15, 2012. Owners May contact BMW customer relations and services at 1-800-525-7417.
Suspension
On certain passenger vehicles, during the strut mount manufacturing process, the thrust bearing was not properly positions and secured. If the suspension is fully unloaded, the front strut could separate from the upper mount.
Remedy: Dealers will replace both front spring strut upper mounts. Owner notification began March 15, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free…
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 3 possible defects involving the 2002 BMW 325i:
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 325i owners say
Air bags all 52 →
I got a notice in the mail for an airbag recall. I called the number [phone]) in early December. I was told to call Fremont BMW [phone]) The first question they asked was: Did you buy your vehicle from us? I told them that the car is not currently registered. They told me to schedule a tow on my mobile phone. I don't have a mobile phone. The notice said that some of the dealers have mobile service where they come to your house. They said they would get back to me. That was over a month ago. I don't think BMW is taking this recall seriously.
On Wednesday, seotember 26 2018 - my car had been parked outside since Friday, sept 21. It had rained a great deal that weekend. At 1:00 in the afternoon, I went to get in the car and the windows were black from the inside. I had been smelling a strange electircal bruning smell all day. I did not open the door. I called the fire department.they arrived and investigated. The inside of the car on the drivers side dash was completely melted and the dash was still on fire inside. The pillar airbag had exploded and melted and had spewed plastic on the front seats. The upper driver side corner area of the windsheild was broken from the inside as though something had cataplulted into it from below. The pillar bag inflator was found on the floor of the car and was burnt in the bottom. The driver door panel had deployed. The car was a total loss
Lights all 44 →
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 BMW 325i. While operating the vehicle, the rear lights would not operate. After replacing the light bulbs, the failure continued. While changing the light bulbs, it was discovered that the light assembly was burned and charred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 11V438000 (exterior lighting). The contact stated that the vehicle experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 82,000.
Brake light failure came on in my 2002 bmw325i. I went out to look for the failed bulb, but the brake lights were all working. I noticed that the left side, rear lights were much dimmer than the right side. I went to the mechanic and he showed me a burnt wire and molten plastic connector from the rear light cluster. He said that this is a known problem with this car because BMW did not provide enough ground to the cluster and overtime the extra heat generated by the current will burn the wire and connector. At other times, he said, the connector will short the gnd pin to the pins around it and causes small fires. BMW has a sib number 63 03 06 out for this problem and they have the guts to charge customers $400 to repair their own mistake. I think this is a serious safety violation and I believe that BMW should be held accountable by fixing all the cars out there with this known defect. …
Electrical system all 21 →
On Tuesday June 20, 2023 at 7:20am I was awakened by my neighbor who informed me that my car was on fire. A report was done by the fire department and they did not believe it was done on purpose but something with my car. My car was totally consumed with fire nothing but ashes.
On Wednesday, seotember 26 2018 - my car had been parked outside since Friday, sept 21. It had rained a great deal that weekend. At 1:00 in the afternoon, I went to get in the car and the windows were black from the inside. I had been smelling a strange electircal bruning smell all day. I did not open the door. I called the fire department.they arrived and investigated. The inside of the car on the drivers side dash was completely melted and the dash was still on fire inside. The pillar airbag had exploded and melted and had spewed plastic on the front seats. The upper driver side corner area of the windsheild was broken from the inside as though something had cataplulted into it from below. The pillar bag inflator was found on the floor of the car and was burnt in the bottom. The driver door panel had deployed. The car was a total loss
2002 BMW 325i 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 |
EPA ratings. Class: Compact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2002 BMW 325i a good car?
Based on 162 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2002 325i rates avoid: 4.9× as many complaints as a typical year of the 325i at the same age. It is one of the 325i 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 325i?
The air bags — 52 complaints, 32% of all complaints for this model year, most often about side/window. Next are the lights (44) and electrical system (21).
How many recalls does the 2002 BMW 325i have?
There are 6 recalls for the 2002 BMW 325i, the most recent from January 15, 2020 (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 325i?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2000, 2007 and 2008. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2006, 2003, 2001, 2002 and 2004. See the full BMW 325i years comparison.
At what mileage do 2002 BMW 325i problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 80,000 miles; 20% 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.