How many recalls does the 2002 BMW M3 have?

The 2002 BMW M3 has 5 NHTSA safety recall campaigns on record.

How do I check if my 2002 BMW M3 has an open recall?

Enter your 17-character VIN at NHTSA's official recall lookup (nhtsa.gov/recalls) to see open, unrepaired recalls for your specific vehicle. Recall repairs are free.

What do owners complain about most on the 2002 BMW M3?

Of 48 NHTSA complaints on file, the most-reported component is air bags.

2002 BMW M3 Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 2002 BMW M3 has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 1,559,511 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 48 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

AIR BAGS 20V018000 2020-01-15 292,948 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 BAGS 14V428000 2018-06-11 574,007 affected

Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2000 323i sedans, coupes, convertibles, and Sports Wagons; 2000 328i sedans and coupes; 2001-2005 325i sedans, coupes, convertibles, and Sport Wagons; 2001-2005 325xi sedans and Sports Wagons; 2006 325i coupes and convertibles; 2001-2006 330i sedans,…

Consequence

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure could cause rupturing of the inflator resulting in 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 will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger side frontal air bag, free of charge. An interim notice was mailed to owners in September 2014. A second notice was mailed when an adequate supply of parts became available,…

AIR BAGS 17V047000 2017-01-20 230,117 affected

Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2000-2002 BMW 320i, 323i, 325i, 325xi, 330i, 330xi, 323Ci, 325Ci, 330Ci, M3, 323iT, 325iT and 325xiT vehicles, 2001-2002 525i, 530i, 540i, M5, 525iT and 540iT vehicles, and 2001-2003 X5 3.0i, X5 4.4i, and X5 4.6is vehicles. These vehicles may have had a…

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 inspect the driver side air bag module, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 15, 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

AIR BAGS 15V318000 2015-05-28 419,235 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

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 BAGS 13V172000 2013-05-02 43,204 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

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

POWER TRAIN

SUSPENSION

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

STRUCTURE:BODY

Total complaints48

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“See attached document for complaint”

AIR BAGS · reported 2023-06-17

“Bmw m 3 parked in the driveway and had been turned off for several hours I was wax the car when I noticed a puff of smoke coming out of the air condition vent so I sat in the driver seat to investigate out of habit I close the door I planed to open the windows and the convertible top to take a…”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2022-08-24

“In november, 2020, I received a notification from bmw that the previous fix to my airbag was only a temporary fix, and I needed to bring my car in for a permanent fix. In january, 2021, the airbag light went on. I am getting ready to start driving my cars on a regular basis again, so I took the…”

AIR BAGS · reported 2021-02-15

“The door central lock control module fails on all of the e46 bmw models where the passenger and driver can become trapped in the vehicle because the door locks cannot be unlocked in any way because of the faulty gm5 central locking module”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2020-07-09

“Upon inspection, vehicle's rear subframe mounting points show cracking and other signs of structural fatigue consistent with other similar vehicles that have undergone complete rear subframe failure. Vehicle's subframe needs to be reinforced and bmw settled in a class action suit regarding the…”

STRUCTURE:BODY · reported 2018-08-01

“Upon inspection, vehicle's rear subframe mounting points show cracking and other signs of structural fatigue consistent with other similar vehicles that have undergone complete rear subframe failure. Vehicle's subframe needs to be reinforced and bmw settled in a class action suit regarding the…”

SUSPENSION · reported 2018-08-01

“Passenger door would not open from inside or outside the car. Car was parked, door would not unlock after pushing remote or console button or when pulling door handle inside which normally unlocks it. This could be a death trap in case of fire! I hear there are known issues with the gm5 module.”

UNKNOWN OR OTHER · reported 2017-05-04

“Air bag light came on.......”

AIR BAGS · reported 2016-11-07