Total Complaints
3 filings
BMW 318IS · model year
1992 BMW 318IS
3 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1992BMW318IS carries 3 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1992 318IS is structure:body with 1 filings, followed by structure:body:door (1) and latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 34 investigation files overlapping the 1992 318IS. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
3
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR | 1 |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20040506LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
MAY 5, 2004 INCIDENT: DRIVER'S DOOR LATCH FAILS TO WORK ... SO THAT THE DOOR FLIES OPEN WHILE DRIVING ... AND CAN NOT BE COMPLETELY CLOSED AND/OR LOCKED WHEN PARKED. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 1992 BMW 318IS 2-DOOR SEDAN WITH ONLY 34,319 MILES. THE CAR HAS ONLY BEEN DRIVEN OCCASIONALLY OVER THE YEARS (ONLY BY MYSELF) AND HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. THE PROBLEM: I UNLOCKED AND DROVE MY CAR TODAY (MAY 5, 2004). I WENT TO TWO DESTINATIONS AND CLOSED AND LOCKED THE CAR EACH TIME WITHOUT A PROBLEM. AFTER MY SECOND STOP, I UNLOCKED THE CAR, ENTERED IT, AND CLOSED THE DOOR BEHIND ME WITHOUT REALIZING THERE WAS A PROBLEM. I DROVE AWAY AND WHILE MAKING A TURN, THE DOOR SUDDENLY FLEW OPEN. I WAS ABLE TO STOP IN A SAFE AREA WITHOUT HAVING AN ACCIDENT. I LOOKED AT THE DOOR'S LATCH AND WHERE IT CONNECTS WITH THE BODY AND SAW NOTHING WRONG ... BUT THE DOOR WOULD NOT CLOSE OR LATCH SECURELY. I CHECKED THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT DOOR AND IT LOOKED SIMILAR TO THE DRIVER'S SIDE.
Mileage: 34,312
20001109STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
DRIVER'S INSIDE DOOR HANDLE BROKE WHICH CAUSED DOOR NOT TO OPEN FROM INSIDE. IN EVENT OF A EMERGENCY DRIVER CANNOT GO OUT FROM DRIVER'S DOOR. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
20000302STRUCTURE:BODY
AFTER CAR PASSED THROUGH CAR WASH, WOULD NOT START; TOWED CAR TO DEALER AND WAS ADVISED THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE IS 3-SERIES MODELS AND WAS QUOTED $1500 TO REPAIR. DEALER DID COMPLETE SERVICE 8 WEEKS EARLIER AND DID NOT INFORM ME OF WATER INTRUSION PROBLEMS DUE TO WEATHERING TRIM.*AK
Compare 1992BMW318IS to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1992 BMW 318IS have?▼
The 1992 BMW 318IS has 3 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1992 BMW 318IS?▼
The most-complained component for the 1992 BMW 318IS is STRUCTURE:BODY with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR and LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH.
Is the 1992 BMW 318IS safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.