Total Complaints
5 filings
BMW 328IC · model year
1997 BMW 328IC
5 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1997BMW328IC carries 5 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 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 1997 328IC is electrical system:ignition:switch with 1 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:emission control (1) and tires (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 1997 328IC. 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.
5
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
1 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 |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL | 1 |
| TIRES | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| AIR BAGS | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20150930CrashAIR BAGS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 1997 BMW 328I. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS REAR ENDED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
20081024POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
1997 BMW 328 CI WITH 114K MILES. DRIVING AND AT STOP LIGHT READY TO GO INTO 1ST GEAR TO DRIVE OFF AND CAR MOVING VERY SLOWLY. TRANSMISSION PROBLEM I'VE BEEN TOLD AND WILL COST $5K-$7.5 TO FIX DEPENDING ON IF I GO TO DEALER OR MAACO SHOP. NO PRIOR NOTICE OF PROBLEM; IT JUST HAPPENED. *TR
Mileage: 114,000
20001013TIRES
TIRE TREAD CAME OFF DURING HIGHWAY DRIVING CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE REAR BUMPER. THE TIRE DID NOT DEFLATE. CONTINENTAL DENIED CLAIM BECAUSE THE TIRE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED FOR A PUNCTURE. THE PUNCTURE REPAIR REMAINED INTACT AND AS FAR AS I COULD SEE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE LOSS OF THE TREAD. CONTINENTAL TOLD ME THAT THE TIRE WAS LIKELY TO FAIL (TREAD COME OFF) SOONER OR LATER BECAUSE OF THE PUNCTURE REPAIR. I FIND THIS STATEMENT TO BE INCREDULOUS AS I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED IN ANY OF THEIR SERVICE MANUALS THAT REPAIRING A PUNCTURE WOULD RENDER THE TIRE UNUSEABLE. IF I HAD KNOW THAT I WOULD HAVE HAD THE TIRE REPLACED (SILLY AS THAT SEEMS). AT THE VERY LEAST CONTNENTAL SHOULD BE FORCED TO NOTIFY ALL OF THE USERS OF ITS TIRES THAT ANY SORT OF PUNCTURE - EVEN IF IT IS PROPERLY REPAIRED - MAKES THE TIRE UNFIT FOR THE SAFE OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE. WE WERE NOT INJURED IN THE INCIDENT BUT WE WERE ALMOST KILLED AS I TEMPORARILY LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. (DOT NUMBER: ACTM2Y7136 TIRESIZE: 205
19990930ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL
EMISSION FAILED. YH
19990730ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
IGNITION SWITCH FAILED ON THREE OCCASIONS. MJS
Compare 1997BMW328IC to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1997 BMW 328IC have?▼
The 1997 BMW 328IC has 5 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1997 BMW 328IC?▼
The most-complained component for the 1997 BMW 328IC is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL and TIRES.
Is the 1997 BMW 328IC 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.