2009 BMW 3 SERIES — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
N/A
Safety Rating
74
Owner Complaints
2
Recalls
11
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 2009 BMW 3 SERIES
The 2009 BMW 3 SERIES has received a total of 74 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). There have been 2 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CRANKCASE (PCV), ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:FAN. 11 technical service bulletins have been issued by BMW of North America, LLC for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Air Bags (15 complaints), Electrical System (8 complaints), and Fuelpropulsion System (6 complaints).
Recalls for the 2009 BMW 3 SERIES
NHTSA has recorded 2 recalls for the 2009 BMW 3 SERIES, potentially affecting up to 917,691 vehicles.
Recall 22V119000 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CRANKCASE (PCV)
| 917,106 vehicles affected
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2008-2013 1 Series Coupe (128i); 2007-2013 3 Series Coupe (328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive); 2007-2010 X3 SAV (X3 3.0si, X3 xDrive30i); 2008-2013 1 Series Convertible (128i); 2006-2011 3 Series Sedan (325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 330i, 330xi); 2006-2012 3 Series Wagon (328i, 328i xDrive); 2007-2013 3 Series Convertible (328i); 2006-2010 5...
Consequence: An electrical short can cause the PCV valve heater to overheat, increasing the risk of a fire while driving or, soon after driving when parked.
Remedy: This recall supersedes and expands previous NHTSA recalls 17V-683 and 19V-273. Dealers will install an electrical wiring harness with fuse protection for the PCV Valve heater in potentially affected vehicles, free of charge. This recall supersedes and expands previous NHTSA...
View full details →Recall 12E029000 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:FAN
| 585 vehicles affected
Defect: This recall involves aftermarket parts sold by Valeo. Valeo is recalling certain engine cooling fans, part numbers 696121, 696273, and 696275, used as service replacement parts for model year 2008-2011 BMW 1-Series, 2006-2011 BMW 3-Series, 2000-2009 BMW 5-Series, 2004-2005 BMW 6-Series, and 2006-2007 BMW 7-Series vehicles. A metal-oxide semiconductor may overheat due to insufficient screwing of the semiconductor on the...
Consequence: This condition could cause the fan motor to become inoperative, or cause the motor circuit board in the assembly to overheat, potentially leading to a fire in the engine compartment.
Remedy: Valeo will notify owners and replace the fans free of charge. The safety recall began on August 22, 2012. This recall is being conducted by Valeo, not by BMW. For further information, owners may contact Valeo at 1-888-718-2536.
View full details →Owner Complaints for the 2009 BMW 3 SERIES
74 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2009 BMW 3 SERIES. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 15 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Electrical System | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuelpropulsion System | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior Lighting | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Or Other | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel System Gasoline | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Power Trainmanual Transmission | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Electronic Stability Control Esc | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine And Engine Coolingengine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment Adaptivemobility | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel System Diesel | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel System Other | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Power Train | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes Hydraulic | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Service Brakes Hydraulicfluid | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibilityrearview Mirrorsdevicesinterior | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibilitysunmoon Roof Assembly | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibilitywindshield | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibilitywiper | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Most Recent Complaints
4 MONTHS AGO MY CAR STOPPED SUDDENLY MECHANIC CHANGED FUEL PUMP , COUPLE WEEKS AFTER THAT IT HAPPENS AGAIN I TOOK IT BACK AND THE MECHANIC SAID EVERYTHING IS OK , I WENT HOME AND TODAY I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY STOPPED AGAIN, I WAS SO SCARED I JUST WANT TO KNOW IF YOU GOING TO FIX THIS PROBLEM
I TOOK MY CAR TO A BMW DEALERSHIP IN CANNONSBURG, PA. HAD NO ISSUES WHATSOEVER DROPPING IT OFF. I HAD DRIVEN 3 HOURS TO GET TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR THE RECALL. BY THE END OF THE DAY I RECEIVED A CALL TELLING ME MY CAR WAS OVER HEATING AND NOT DRIVABLE. HOW IS THAT MY RESPONSIBILITY? WHEN OBVIOUSLY I DROVE IT A LONG DISTANCE TO GET 3 RECALLS TAKEN CARE OF. I WAS TOLD THE WATER PUMP, I THINK WAS NOT WORKING? IT WAS WORKING WHEN I DROPPED IT OFF? IF IT WAS OVERHEATING I COULD HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO DRIVE IT. PLEASE HELP ME FIGURE OUT OUR TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE. I NEED MY CAR AND I'M REGRETTING TAKING IT IN FOR A RECALL NOW.
RECALL # 17V676, 17V683 IT HAS BEEN NEARLY A YEAR AND I'M STILL UNABLE TO MAKE REPAIR APPOINTMENT WITH BMW DEALER FOR REASON OF PARTS UNAVAILABLE. MY AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM COULDN'T KEEP CAR COOL ENOUGH AS HEAT FROM THE ENGINE IS HIGH.
RECALL # 17V676, 17V683 IT HAS BEEN NEARLY A YEAR AND I'M STILL UNABLE TO MAKE REPAIR APPOINTMENT WITH BMW DEALER FOR REASON OF PARTS UNAVAILABLE. MY AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM COULDN'T KEEP CAR COOL ENOUGH AS HEAT FROM THE ENGINE IS HIGH.
IN NOVEMBER 2017 I RECEIVED TWO (2) RECALL NOTICES FOR MY 2009 BMW 328I. I WAS ADVISED THAT THE BLOWER MOTOR WIRING (RECALL CAMPAIGN # 17V-676) AND PCV VALVE HEATER (RECALL CAMPAIGN # 17V-676) WERE DEFECTIVE. I WAS FURTHER NOTIFIED THAT NO REMEDY FOR EITHER DEFECT WAS AVAILABLE AT THAT TIME. IT IS NOW SEPTEMBER 2018. I HAVE CONTACTED BMW AND BEEN ADVISED THAT AT THIS TIME A REMEDY REMAINS UNAVAILABLE. I AM CONSIDERING SELLING OR TRADING IN MY VEHICLE BUT BECAUSE THIS RECALL HAS NOT YET BEEN COMPLETED MY RESALE PRICE MAY BE LOWERED. IF TWO (2) RECALL REPAIRS HAVE NOT BEEN PERFORMED 10 MONTHS AFTER A RECALL NOTICE HAS BEEN ISSUED, WHY BOTHER ISSUING THE RECALL NOTICE IN NOVEMBER 2017 IF IT IS FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE THAN BUREAUCRATIC PAPER SHUFFLING FOR BMW TO CLAIM TO THE NHTSA THAT BMW IS GOING TO FIX A DEFECT WHILE ACTUALLY DOING NOTHING TO REMEDY THE DEFECT?
Safety Rating for the 2009 BMW 3 SERIES
NHTSA has not yet tested the 2009 BMW 3 SERIES in its New Car Assessment Program.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2009 BMW 3 SERIES
BMW of North America, LLC has issued 11 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2009 BMW 3 SERIES. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
B540907 — STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
RETRACTABLE HARDTOP STATUS REQUEST SUPPLEMENT
SIB-51-09-11 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
BMW: POOR ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS ARE CAUSING THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER TO SHOW THE DOORS ARE OPEN WHILE DRIVING EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE CLOSED. *RM
SIB-72-03-10 — SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
BMW: ON SOME E92 MODELS THE SAFETY BELT EXTENDER IS NOT EXTENDING THE BELT OR IS NOISY. THIS CAN BE A FAULT OF THE EXTENDER OR THE BELT IS CONTORTED. *RM
SIB-72-03-10 — SEAT BELTS:FRONT
BMW: ON SOME E92 MODELS THE SAFETY BELT EXTENDER IS NOT EXTENDING THE BELT OR IS NOISY. THIS CAN BE A FAULT OF THE EXTENDER OR THE BELT IS CONTORTED. *RM
SIB-32-01-09 — STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR
BMW: IMMEDIATELY AFTER A COLD START IF ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS ARE TURNED ON SUCH AS HEATED SEATS IT MAY SWITCH OFF AFTER 5-10 SECONDS BECAUSE OF A VOLTAGE LEVEL DIP. *RM
SI-B12-22-10 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
BMW VEHICLE: PROGRAM CONTROL UNITS. SERVICE ENGINE SOON (MIL) LAMP MAY COME ON DUE TO A DIAGNOSTIC ERROR. TO DETERMINE WHETHER A SPECIFIC VEHICLE HAS HAD THIS SERVICE COMPLETED OR IS AFFECTED BY THIS SERVICE, FIRST CHECK THE B PILLAR LAB EL FOR CODE NUMBER 577. IF CODE NUMBER BEEN...
SIB-72-01-10 — SEAT BELTS:FRONT
BMW VEHICLE: FRONT SAFETY BELT DOES NOT RETRACT SMOOTHLY OR JAMS. THE UPPER PART OF THE DRIVER'S OR PASSENGER'S FRONT SAFETY BELT DOES NOT ROLL UP FULLY OR ROLLS UP SLOWLY. THE ADJUSTMENT OF THE INERTIA REEL IS INCORRECT AT THE FASTENING POINT. THE BELT IS TOUCHING THE GUIDE FUNNEL....
SIB-51-20-09 — STRUCTURE:BODY:TAILGATE:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS
BMW: THE TAILGATE OPENS SLOWER IN LOW TEMPERATURES AND DOESNT FULLY OPEN. *RM
SIB-22-01-10 — EQUIPMENT
BMW: THERE CAN BE VIBRATION IN THE ENGINE WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS DUE TO ENGINE MOUNT BRACKET BOLTS. *RM
SIB-63-05-10 — EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL
BMW: THE REAR LED LIGHTS ARE INOPERATIVE. THERE IS CONNECTION CORROSION IN THE TAIL LAMP. *RM
Showing 10 of 11 technical service bulletins.
NHTSA Investigations for the 2009 BMW 3 SERIES
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the BMW 3 SERIES
- 2004 BMW 3 SERIES — 93 complaints
- 2005 BMW 3 SERIES — 29 complaints
- 2006 BMW 3 SERIES — 288 complaints
- 2007 BMW 3 SERIES — 190 complaints
- 2008 BMW 3 SERIES — 93 complaints
- 2009 BMW 3 SERIES (current)
- 2010 BMW 3 SERIES — 43 complaints
- 2011 BMW 3 SERIES — 1 complaint
- 2012 BMW 3 SERIES — 11 complaints
- 2013 BMW 3 SERIES — 34 complaints