Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (door latches, locks, hood and tailgate latches).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 BMW 325i owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325I. The contact stated that he was unable to open the driver's and passenger's side front doors. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.
BMW has a service bulletin (sib-51-19-07) on the BMW vehicles: doors will not unlock using the key fob or central locking button. This is a major safety concern for when this occurs there is only one exit (and entry) into the vehicle and that is through the driver's side door. In the event of an accident and the ability/mobility of the passengers this May not be possible. My 2006 325i BMW (VIN: [redacted]) is having its front door locking/latching assembles replaced due to them malfunctioning and causing a short in the system. This short is causing the fuse which unlocks the doors to blow which creates a safety issue for passengers not being able to unlock their doors to exit the vehicle (except for the driver?s door) in the event one needs to exit in an emergency (or just entering or exiting the BMW). …
Without warning or indication of a pending failure, the electric door locks failed to unlock all four doors. The lock/unlock switch on the dash would not unlock the doors nor would the unlock button on the key remote. The only door that can be unlocked is the driver?s door and only when using the integrated key directly with the exterior of the door or using the ?double jerk? Mechanism (mechanical override) of the inside door handle. None of the passengers doors have the ?double jerk? Mechanism (mechanical override) and anybody riding as a passenger would be stuck in the car with a means of exit other than the driver?s door or the windows. In conjunction with this failure, the gas compartment and the electrical rearview mirrors stopped working. …
I was at the store when the car locks jammed. The only way to get into the car was by manually using the key. The key fob would not unlock the door. The real issue was that the only door that could be opened was the drivers side using the manual key. All the others were jammed shut. There would be no way for those doors to be opened in case of an emergency. This is a very common problem with this make. Its attributed to a faulty design. See threads and youtube video. Http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3080752 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v04l-isycs the consequences are that if there is an accident, there is no way to get to passengers, also, fire situations would be deadly, submerging in water could also prove to be a disastrous. The only repair is replacement with the same actuator, but the problem is only a temporary fix. Over time it will reoccur. It is a design flaw. …
I was in my car (BMW 325i - 2006) with two kids, a toddler and a newborn. I locked the door and window because my toddler wanted to open the door. Later I tried to roll down the rear window and heard a crack. The window was broken. This is a big safety issue especially you have kids in the car. I had to drive home with the window broken and down with my kids in there. The weather was cold and of course was very dangerous because my toddler knows how to open the seat belt and also possessed dangerous to other vehicles as she can throw toys out of the window. I will take my vehicle to BMW dealer tomorrow to see what they can do to fix the situation. I've never had expected that I can roll down the window while it is locked. How do I suppose to remember that the window has been locked or what if my spouse locked it while she drove. I've never had this issue with other vehicles.
Central door locking system failed preventing any of the 4 doors and fuel door from opening. Passengers couldn't open their doors and had to crawl up front to exit through the drivers door. There was no other way for them to exit the car, the doors were completely inoperable. Replaced 15a fuse with 20a fuse as recommended by BMW dealer which worked for a couple of weeks. Problem resurfaced so I inspected the fuse previously replaced to discover it was blown again. Now all power door locks work except front passenger. This issue really needs to be investigated soon. When there is a door unlocking failure, which according to many pages of complaints online is a very common occurrence with these cars, there is absolutely no way for passengers to exit - especially if they needed to exit quickly. It's very dangerous.
I have a 2006 BMW 325i. The car has automatic locks that can be triggered with a remote key or inside the car with a lock/unlock button in the dashboard. The "unlock" feature has failed and I am unable to unlock the car with either the remote or the lock/unlock button in the dashboard. In addition, the only door that can be unlocked from either inside the car or outside the car is the driver's side front door. All the other passenger doors are locked and cannot be unlocked or opened. This obviously creates a major safety issue. The gas tank is also locked when this happens, however, this can be overcome through the manual gas tank release in the trunk. The lock failure must be remedied with some type of repair, either of a fuse or a repair of the actuators.
Tl contact owns a 2006 BMW 325i. While the vehicle was parked, the contact and occupants attempted to exit the locked doors. However, the front driver side automated door lock mechanism was the only functioning device in the vehicle that would allow the door to unlock. The vehicle occupants exited from the front driver side door. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the technician stated the failure was contributed to a defective door latch. The vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint due to the excessive repair cost. There was a technical service bulletin related to the defect. The technical service bulletin number was unknown. The contact had significant concern of the safety hazard. The failure mileage was 69,200.
When trying to unlock the vehicle using the remote, the doors would not unlock. The vehicle has only one manual unlock latch for key insert into the door on the drivers door. Was able to unlock only the drivers door. The remaining three doors cannot be unlocked at all, not even when opening from the inside. Also the gas tank door will not open either. This is not an isolated problem numerous vehicles of this make, model, and year are having the same issue. If there is an emergency, there is no way to get out of the three locked doors. Huge safety concern!!!! Found a blown fuse, and replaced, but it did not correct the problem. This is a serious issue, and there should be a recall for this problem. Check the complaint list, please.
All the door locks would not work whether I used the key fob or the central unlock button. Could not even open up doors from inside. If I would have had kids in my car and an emergency existed then I would have been unable to get them out the door let alone getting myself out. I replaced the fuse and the doors worked for a few weeks and now the door lock issue has resurfaced. I googled the problem and it turns out that BMW has had this door lock fuse/door actuator issue for a long long time, and there hasn't been a recall. This is dangerous (life threatening) and deserves a recall. BMW only wants to replace the 15a fuse with a 20a fuse for a fix, but doing this doesn't fix the root problem.
Door Lock & Latch complaints in other 325i years
Frequently asked questions
How common are door lock & latch problems on the 2006 BMW 325i?
NHTSA has 47 complaints about the locks & latches of the 2006 BMW 325i, 9% of the model year's 515 complaints. The component named most often is doors › latch (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 BMW 325i door lock & latch problems?
No. NHTSA lists no locks & latches recall for the 2006 BMW 325i, though it has 7 recalls 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 2006 BMW 325i door lock & latch problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 54,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 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.