Total Complaints
6 filings
BMW 318IS · model year
1994 BMW 318IS
6 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1994BMW318IS carries 6 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 1994 318IS is engine and engine cooling:engine with 1 filings, followed by fuel system, gasoline:fuel injection system (1) and power train:driveline:differential unit (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 1994 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.
6
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 |
|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20050104ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS
CONSUMER NOTICED ANTIFREEZE ON THE GROUND IN THE GARAGE, TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AND IT WAS DETERMINED TIMING CASE PROFILE GASKET WAS DEFECTIVE.*AK...THIS GASKET HAS CAUSED PROBLEM UNTIL IT WAS REPLACED IN MIDDLE OF 1994. THIS WAS A FREQUENT FAILURE ON 318 VEHICLES. BMW WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THEIR REPRESENTATIVE INDICATED SHE WAS NOT ALLOWED TO DISCUSS THE PROFILE GASKET PROBLEM. *AK
Mileage: 91,001
20010406ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE
AFTER VEHICLE WENT THROUGH A CAR WASH VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER STATED THAT DME UNIT WAS SOAKED.*AK
20010125ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
19990428POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT
I PURCHASED THE CAR IN NOV. 1994 FROM GEARHART BMW IN DENVILLE, NEW JERSEY. FOUR MONTHS AFTER THE PURCHASED DATE, I DISCOVERED A NOISE THAT WAS COMING FROM BEHIND ME WHILE I WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH. I WENT BACK TO THE DEALER TO COMPLAIN THE SITUATION AND THEY SAID THE NOISE YOU HEARD WAS PROBABLY THE TIRE NOISE. I STOPPED AT ONE OF THE NEAREST TIRE'S DEALER AND HAD THEM CHECKED MY VEHICLE. THEY SAID THAT THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM THE DRIVE TRAIN. I REQUESTED THE TIRE'S DEALER TO TYPE UP A SUMMARY FOR MY RECORD. I SHOWED IT TO THE GEARHART DEALER THEN THEY DENIED IT. HOWEVER, I STILL HEARD THE NOISE SO I KEPT GOING BACK TO THE DEALER AND TRIED ANOTHER DEALER FOR A SECOND OPINION. I EVEN TRIED TO CALL THE CUSTOMER SERVICE OF BMW HEADQUARTER, .. NO SOLUTION ! ! !.... FINALLY WHEN THE MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY OF MY VEHICLE ALMOST CAME TO BE EXPIRED, THE MORRISTOWN BMW REVEALED THE PROBLEM TO ME AND TOLD ME THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. AT THAT TIME, I WAS SO ANGRY B
19990101ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
THE PROFILE GASKET FAILURE IS APPARENTLY A COMMON PROBLEM ON THIS MODEL ENGINE...AND WHILE BMW ACKNOWLEDGES IT IS BECAUSE OF BA MATERIALS USED FOR THIS GASKET, NO RECALL NOR OFFER TO REPAIR FREE OF CHARGE HAS APPARENTLY BEEN MADE.
19990101FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM
THE PROFILE GASKET FAILURE IS APPARENTLY A COMMON PROBLEM ON THIS MODEL ENGINE...AND WHILE BMW ACKNOWLEDGES IT IS BECAUSE OF BA MATERIALS USED FOR THIS GASKET, NO RECALL NOR OFFER TO REPAIR FREE OF CHARGE HAS APPARENTLY BEEN MADE.
Compare 1994BMW318IS to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1994 BMW 318IS have?▼
The 1994 BMW 318IS has 6 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1994 BMW 318IS?▼
The most-complained component for the 1994 BMW 318IS is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM and POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT.
Is the 1994 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.