Total Complaints
6 filings
BMW M ROADSTER · model year
2001 BMW M ROADSTER
6 NHTSA complaints, 3 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2001BMWM ROADSTER carries 6 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 3 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 2001 M ROADSTER is engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline with 2 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:engine (1) and engine and engine cooling (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 2001 M ROADSTER. 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
3
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
3 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:GASOLINE | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20110510VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
GAS PEDAL BROKE AND JAMMED. COULD NOT STOP CAR, ENGINE BEGAN REVVING AT HIGH RPM. TURNED THE CAR OFF AND PULLED ONTO SHOULDER OF INTERSTATE. GAS PEDAL BROKE AT THE BASE. UPDATED 05/12/11 *BF
Mileage: 70,600
20041004CrashENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
THE BMW THAT I DRIVE IS SUBJECT TO CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. THERE HAVE BEEN OVER 125 REPORTED AND DOCUMENTED CASES OF THE ENGINE FAILING AT AN ENGINE RPM THAT IS WELL WITHIN THE TOLERANCES OF THE VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS. *AK THESE FAILURES HAVE RESULTED IN ENGINE LOCK UPS, RESULTING IN LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. BMW HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THE ISSUE IN THE S54 ENGINE THAT DRIVES THE MAJORITY OF THE VEHICLES IN THE M CLASS, HOWEVER, THEY HAVE IGNORED THOSE OF US DRIVING THE M ROADSTER, STILL DRIVEN BY THE SAME ENGINE. PLEASE ADVISE.
20041004CrashEQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY
THE BMW THAT I DRIVE IS SUBJECT TO CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. THERE HAVE BEEN OVER 125 REPORTED AND DOCUMENTED CASES OF THE ENGINE FAILING AT AN ENGINE RPM THAT IS WELL WITHIN THE TOLERANCES OF THE VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS. *AK THESE FAILURES HAVE RESULTED IN ENGINE LOCK UPS, RESULTING IN LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. BMW HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THE ISSUE IN THE S54 ENGINE THAT DRIVES THE MAJORITY OF THE VEHICLES IN THE M CLASS, HOWEVER, THEY HAVE IGNORED THOSE OF US DRIVING THE M ROADSTER, STILL DRIVEN BY THE SAME ENGINE. PLEASE ADVISE.
20040521CrashENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
I WOULD LIKE TO FILE A COMPLAINT REGARDING THE BMW S54 ENGINES THAT ARE CURRENTLY USED IN THE BMW M ROADSTERS. I AM AWARE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE LETTERS MAILED, E-MAILS SENT AND EVEN AN INTERNET SITE ESTABLISHED ALL PERTAINING TO THE PROBLEMATIC S54 ENGINE.*AK A WHILE BACK, BMW ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN FOR ALL OF THE M3 VEHICLES THAT ARE POWERED BY THE AFOREMENTIONED S54 ENGINE, HOWEVER, THEY WENT ON TO EXCLUDE THE M ROADSTER AND THE M COUPE WITH THE EXPLANATION THAT THESE VEHICLES ARE NOT "IMPACTED" BY THIS PROBLEMATIC AND UNSAFE ISSUE. WELL, AS TIME GOES ON, THERE HAVE NOW BEEN SEVERL DOCUMENTED INCIDENTS SPECIFICALY INVOLVING THE VEHICLES THAT BMW STATED WOULD NOT BE IMPACTED BY THIS PROBLEM. I OWN AN M ROADSTER AND THE THOUGHT OF THE ENGINE "BLOWING UP" WHILE I AM DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY SCARES THE CRAP OUT OF ME. I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE HAVE BEEN LETTERS SENT TO NHTSA REGARDING THIS ISSUE BUT IT APPEARS AS THOUGH NHTSA HAS NOT CHALLENGED BMW TO ELIMINATE THIS UNSAVE C
20020514ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
CONSUMER STATED THAT ENGINE STALLS AFTER BEING WARM OR HOT ON INITIAL START UP, AND ENGINE GOES TO LOW RPM (50) OR STALLS OUT COMPLETELY. AFTER RESTARTING ENGINE WILL RUN CORRECTLY. TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND PROBLEM STILL HAS NOT BEEN SOLVED, CONSUMER IS CONCERNED THAT THIS COULD LEAD TO ACCIDENT IN TRAFFIC. *YD
20020228ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
CONSUMER STATED THAT ENGINE STALLS AFTER BEING WARM OR HOT ON INITIAL START UP, AND ENGINE GOES TO LOW RPM (50) OR STALLS OUT COMPLETELY. AFTER RESTARTING ENGINE WILL RUN CORRECTLY. TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND PROBLEM STILL HAS NOT BEEN SOLVED, CONSUMER IS CONCERNED THAT THIS COULD LEAD TO ACCIDENT IN TRAFFIC. *YD
Compare 2001BMWM ROADSTER to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 2001 BMW M ROADSTER have?▼
The 2001 BMW M ROADSTER has 6 NHTSA complaints, 3 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2001 BMW M ROADSTER?▼
The most-complained component for the 2001 BMW M ROADSTER is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.
Is the 2001 BMW M ROADSTER 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.