The 2002 BMW 325ci has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 755,387 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 31 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
AIR BAGS20V0180002020-01-15292,948 affected
Defect
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…
Consequence
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
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 BAGS15V3180002015-05-28419,235 affected
Defect
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…
Consequence
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
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. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Note: This recall supersedes recall 14V-348 in…
AIR BAGS13V1720002013-05-0243,204 affected
Defect
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…
Consequence
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking and potentially seriously injuring the passenger seat occupant or other occupants.
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. Once replacement parts are available, estimated for July, BMW will notify owners again to contact their dealers and schedule a…
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS
22
1crashes1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2
1fires
ENGINE
1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
1
SEAT BELTS
1
STRUCTURE:BODY
1
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
1
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS:UNDERBODY SHIELDS
1
SUSPENSION:REAR
1
Total complaints31
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“I brought my 325ci into bmw buena park to have an airbag recall completed. There were no issues prior to dropping the car off at dealership but when the car was returned the airbag system light was on and was filled with error codes. I returned the car to the dealer and they cleared the codes but…”
“2002 bmw 325 I. Consumer writes in regards to airbag safety recall. The consumer stated the air bag warning light remained illuminated after the recall repair was completed. The dealer and manufacturer stated the consumer would be responsible for any remaining expenses.the vehicle's warranty has…”
“When putting on seatbelt on both driver and passenger side the seatbelt will go in and moments later during driving it will unclique and come off this happens every once in a while not all the time. Just happens while the vehicle is in motion and stationary mostly while the vehicle is stationary.…”
“Tl* the contact owned a 2002 bmw 325ci. The contact called on behalf of the driver. While making a left turn, the contact's vehicle was involved in a head on collision. The air bags failed to deploy. The driver of the contact's vehicle sustained bruises, but did not require medical attention. The…”
“Just took my 2002 bmw in to replace defective airbags. Bmw sterling, va wanted $1611.05 to replace airbag control unit/sid. Did not pay them... This should be looked into immediately... They are ripping people off. They replaced the airbags and you have a light on - so are they functional or…”
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2002 bmw 325ci. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign numbers: 13v172000 (air bags) and 15v318000 (air bags); however, the parts were not available for the recall repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of…”
“Takata recall hello, I'm at my bmw service center now (bmw of fairfax) to have service done on my car. I received notification of the takata air bag recall and notified the service center as to when I can get my air bags fixed. They could not give me a definitive time line. I went to the service…”
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2002 bmw 325ci. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v318000 (air bags); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2002 BMW 325ci as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.