Total Complaints
5 filings
BMW BMW · model year
1998 BMW BMW
5 NHTSA complaints. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1998BMWBMW carries 5 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.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1998 BMW is service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:disc:pads with 1 filings, followed by power train:automatic transmission (1) and vehicle speed control (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 24 investigation files overlapping the 1998 BMW. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
5
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 |
|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
| AIR BAGS | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20010712AIR BAGS
SEATBELT TENSIONER WIRING FAILS AND AIRBAG LIGHT KEEPS GOING ON. DEALER KEEPS PERFORMING TSB BUT IT FAILS AGAIN SHORTLY AND THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT COMES BACK.*AK
20010712SEAT BELTS
SEATBELT TENSIONER WIRING FAILS AND AIRBAG LIGHT KEEPS GOING ON. DEALER KEEPS PERFORMING TSB BUT IT FAILS AGAIN SHORTLY AND THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT COMES BACK.*AK
19990420POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
TRANSMISSION FAILED. *YC
19990420VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
THROTTLE SENSOR FAILURE. *YC
19990419SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS
BRAKE PADS WORN CAUSING NOISE.
Compare 1998BMWBMW to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1998 BMW BMW have?▼
The 1998 BMW BMW has 5 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1998 BMW BMW?▼
The most-complained component for the 1998 BMW BMW is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION and VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL.
Is the 1998 BMW BMW 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 vintage: August 2026. 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.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1998 BMW BMW; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.