Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 BMW 325i owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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
On September 7, 2018 I lend my car to my son so he could run some school related errands he needed to attend to. That day he had also taken my daughter with him as they were going to have lunch after he had finished all of the errands he had to do for that day. Around 3:10 p.m. My son got into an accident which had caused both front airbags to deploy. Soon after the accident a noticeable cut was noticed on my daughter left cheek which was caused from the air bag deployment.
Tl* Takata recall. The contact owns a 2002 BMW 325i. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20V018000 (air bags) however, shortly after the recall repair was performed, the air bags warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to BMW of ontario (1350 auto center dr, ontario, ca 91761; [phone]) and the dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 161,000.
Tl driver owned a 2002 BMW 325i. While driving approximately 45 MPH a vehicle crashed into the front drivers side of the vehicle. The side air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. A police report was filed. The driver of the vehicle was fatally injured and died on the scene. The vehicle was destroyed. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000.
Tl* Takata recall. The contact owns a 2002 BMW 325i. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V318000 (air bags). The dealer replaced the air bag; however, the air bag module, as stated in the notification, was not replaced. The air bag light remained illuminated. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
I have made several appointments with swickley pa dealership to fix the problem with no success. They never show up or call to cancel .they set up 3 rental car delivery days never came. I've been dealing with this problem for about a year now. I've even said don't worry about rental jus to hurry and get done and they still don't come. I've called off for this several times and still it's not done. Since I've been fired because of this and still not fixed. The last time I called the shockley dealership said now they won't do it because I'm unhappy with there service. I really would like the problem remedy before someone gets hurt from the recall. I am a single father of 2 and I really can't afford for me or kids to b injured in automobile accident from inside the car. A small accident can cause serious damage from what I understand. I am going to try to contact better business bureau next
Inadvertent deployment of my driver side airbags. I was driving on highway at approximately 50 MPH (due to rain) and my airbags deployed. I was able to safely pull over to side of road. Tire was blown out and there was some damage to bottom of car from debris, but it is unclear if blowout and debris damage happened before or after airbag deployment. Either way, there was no impact with any object that should have caused this deployment. My car has not been driven for nearly 4 weeks now and it should have only needed a tire replacement. Any other damages could have been fixed in my own time, but car is not drivable b/c of airbag deployment and repair costs are very high.
Dt: while driving on a street the consumer noticed a small pothole and the consumer could not remember if she struck the pothole or not. Instantly, the front passenger's air bag as well as the side/curtain passenger's airbag partially deployed. The consumer was on her way to the dealer when this occurred to trade in on a new vehicle and decided to journey to the dealership with the airbags partially deployed. The consumer inspected the vehicle, no visible damage or impact was noticed. The dealer has made no corrections. The dealer was awaiting an inspection from a BMW representative. This was the first and only incident with the airbags deploying.
On 12/21/06, I was driving on a two-lane road when another driver lost control of his truck, his backend slid off the road and when the back tires gained traction, it shot his truck across his lane and into the side of my car with the front of his truck. His truck ended up damaging my car down the entire driver side (front to rear). My side impact air bags never deployed. My side mirror came through my window and struck me in the arm with glass impacting my left ear, eye and cheek as well as my mouth. The collision center cannot explain why the air bag never deployed. The car is still at the collision center with $10,000 worth of damage.
Related recalls
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.
Airbag complaints in other 325i years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2002 BMW 325i?
NHTSA has 52 complaints about the air bags of the 2002 BMW 325i, 32% of the model year's 162 complaints. The component named most often is side/window (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 BMW 325i airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 20V-018 (inflator module, Jan 15, 2020); NHTSA recall 14V-428 (air bags, Jun 11, 2018); NHTSA recall 15V-318 (inflator module, May 28, 2015). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2002 BMW 325i airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 130,000 miles, and 10% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 2 fires and 6 injuries and 1 death to air bags 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.