The 1997 BMW 318is has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 410,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the steering. Last updated July 5, 2026.
THE CRUISE CONTROL AND THROTTLE CABLES ARE ATTACHED TO THE SAME THROTTLE VALVE ACTUATING LEVER AT THE THROTTLE HOUSING. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE PLASTIC BUSHING ON EITHER CABLE COULD BREAK DUE TO ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES COUPLED WITH VIBRATION. IF THE BUSHING BREAKS, THE OUTER CABLE HOUSING CAN SEPARATE FROM THE…
Consequence
THIS COULD CAUSE THE THROTTLE VALVE TO REMAIN PARTIALLY OPEN. IT HIS WERE TO OCCUR, THE CAR MIGHT NOT DECELERATE AS EXPECTED INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A SPRING STEEL CLIP ON THE OUTER TUBE OF EACH CABLE IN THE AREA OF THE ADJUSTING SCREW AND PLASTIC BUSHING. THE CLIP IS DESIGNED TO PREVENT THE OUTER TUBE FROM DISLODGING FROM THE BUSHING.
Complaints by component
STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY
1
1crashes
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL
1
Total complaints2
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“While driving the vehicle with cruise control on consumer applied the brakes and cruise control won't release. Also, air bag light illuminated on the dash board. *ak”
“While driving at 45 mph, suddenly a popping noise occurred in the front end, the steering wheel shuttered because vehicle was equipped with asc plus t (automatic stability control plus traction) and it was trying to gain back control. This resulted in the driver crashing into a tree head on.…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1997 BMW 318is as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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