1998 BMW 318i Recalls
No NHTSA recalls on record for the 1998 BMW 318i. That means NHTSA has no open safety campaign for this vehicle — it does not guarantee the absence of problems. Owners have filed 12 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the vehicle speed control. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Complaints by component
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Tl* the contact owns a 1998 bmw 318i. While traveling 35 mph, the contact became involved in a crash with another vehicle. As the contact was crashing into the second vehicle, the contact applied the horn just as the air bag deployed. The air bag struck the contact in the left arm, causing his…”
“Cruise control does not disengage when brakes are applied and obviously does not decelerate when expected. I would like to refer to nhtsa recall no.: 97v131. *nm”
“Ignition switch failure while driving vehicle key started rotating in ignition while driving vehicle. Pulled off to the side of road and removed key. Engine would not shut off. Only way to shut off vehicle was to disconnect battery. Email: [REDACTED] *la”
“The blower motor failed and was replaced. Mjs”
“Consumer was inside of vehicle and went to put key in the ignition to start vehicle, she took the key out of the ignition to turn vehicle off and vehicle was still running, she drove vehicle to the dealership. Mechanic told her that cylinder lock switch needed to be replaced.*ak *jb”
“Bmw is currently denying that this has been a problem in the past, despite nhtsa campaign number 97v131000. Currently, they are refusing to provide anything on this vehicle which is still warrantied. No summary listed.”
“Automatic trans pops out of 1st gear while accelerating (loud noise). *ak”
“Automatic trans pops out of 1st gear while accelerating (loud noise). *ak”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1998 BMW 318i as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.