BMW E46 · model year

1995 BMW E46

6 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1995BMWE46 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 1995 E46 is engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline with 1 filings, followed by electrical system:wiring:fuses and circuit breakers (1) and visibility:glass, side/rear (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 1995 E46. 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

Total Complaints

6 filings

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

ComponentCount
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS1
VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY1
TIRES1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY1

Recent Complaints

20071211FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

MY FUEL TANK SUCKED ITSELF INWARD DUE TO A DEFECTIVE VENT HOSE. BMW KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND ISSUED A SERVICE FLASH IN 1998. (16 04 97) THE VENT HOSE IS CONNECTED TO THE CHARCOAL EMISSIONS CANISTER. PRESENTLY, MY TANKS CAPACITY IS REDUCED BY A FACTOR OF OVER . FURTHERMORE, MY TANK LEAKS GASOLINE FROM A CREASE IN THE DENT, WHICH RESULTED FROM THE INWARD COLLAPSE. I HAVE PERSONALLY READ THE STORIES OF AT LEAST 30 OTHER BMW MODEL E38 OWNERS, WHO HAVE ALSO EXPERIENCED THIS. IN SOME CASES, THEIR FUEL TANKS RUPTURED WITHOUT WARNING, SPILLING GASOLINE ALL AROUND THEIR VEHICLES WHILE DRIVING. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD NOT BE IGNORED BY BMW ANY LONGER. *TR

Mileage: 200,000

20070813TIRES

ON 8/13/07, I WAS TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 70 MILES PER HOUR ON NC HWY 52 NORTHBOUND (A 4 LANE DIVIDED HIGHWAY) WHEN I HAD A SUDDEN MASSIVE BLOW OUT OF A MICHELIN TIRE ON THE LEFT REAR OF MY VEHICLE, A 1995 BMW 325 IS. THERE WAS NO WARNING. THE TIRE WAS NOT LOW ON AIR PRESSURE AND DID NOT HAVE ANY PUNCTURE AS VERIFIED BY THE TIRE DEALERSHIP OWNER. THE TIRE IS A MICHELIN ENERGY PLUS MXV4, SIZE 205/60R15. IT HAS THE FOLLOWING LETTERING ON IT: DOT APTM W17X 2306. THE DEALER SAID THAT THE 2306 INDICATES THE WEEK OF MANUFACTURE. THE TIRE HAD 12,000 MILES ON IT. THERE WAS A COMPLETE SEPARATION OF THE OUTSIDE SIDE WALL FROM THE REST OF THE TIRE. WITH SOME STRUGGLE, I WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL. FORTUNATELY THERE WAS NO VEHICLE BESIDE OF ME AS I HAD TO UTILIZE BOTH OF THE LANES IN MY DIRECTION TO REGAIN CONTROL. ON THE SAME DAY, I SHOWED THE TIRE TO THE OWNER OF C&C TIRE IN ASHEBORO, NC (336-629-6634) WHERE THE FOUR NEW MICHILEN TIRES WERE PURCHASED AND INSTALLED ON 4/14/07. NO DA

Mileage: 160,753

20070503ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY

IN 1995 I PURCHASED A BMW 318TI. I HAVE JUST LEARNED THAT THERE HAD BEEN THREE RECALLS ON THIS BMW MODEL. I DID NOT RECEIVE ANY OF THE RECALL NOTICES. NOT ONE NOTICE FROM BMW. THE FIRST RECALL HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE HEATING AND COOLING SYSTEM. THE HEATER HAS NOT WORKED FOR 8 YEARS AND THE A/C HAS PROBLEMS ALSO. SINCE LEARNING OF THESE RECALLS I REALLY DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT THESE PROBLEMS WITH MY CAR. *TR

20070301VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR

THE DELAMINATION OF THE SECURITY GLASS ON MY BMW 750IL. THIS HAS BECOME A SAFETY ISSUE WITH OTHER OWNERS AS WELL. MY SIDE AND REAR WINDOWS HAVE BECOME SO CLOUDY THAT THEY LOOK LIKE MAGNIFYING GLASS. I LITERALLY HAVE TO LET MY WINDOWS DOWN WHEN APPROACHING TRAFFIC TO ENSURE MY PATH IS CLEAR. *NM

Mileage: 105,000

20060913ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS

FAULT IN THE CONTACTS ON LIGHTING. A CONTINUING FAULT ON THE BRAKE CIRCUIT CAUSES THE WARNING LIGHTS TO COME ON AT DIFFERENT INTERVALS DURING THE DRIVING EXPERIENCE. AFTER CHANGING 4 SET OF REAR TAIL LIGHT BULBS DURING THE COURSE OF THE YEAR I HAD MY MECHANIC CLEAN THE CONTACTS. WITHIN 3 MONTHS ON CLEANING, THE FAULT LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. AFTER A DAY OR SO THE LIGHT WENT OUT AND HAS NOT RETURNED. THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM AS MY BULBS WERE CHANGED 3 TIMES LAST YEAR ON FRONT AND REAR LIGHTS. *JB

Mileage: 205,233

20060824ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

PROBLEMS RUNNING THE VEHICLE AND WAS TOLD HAD OIL LEAK DUE TO FAILURE OF HEAD GASKET REQUIRING $ 3000 REPAIR. *JB

Compare 1995BMWE46 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1995 BMW E46 have?
The 1995 BMW E46 has 6 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1995 BMW E46?
The most-complained component for the 1995 BMW E46 is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS and VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR.
Is the 1995 BMW E46 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.