2003 BMW 3 Series Body and structure Problems
- Complaints
- 5about this part
- Share
- 7%of 73 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 105,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 5 complaints about the body and structure of the 2003 BMW 3 Series, 7% of the 73 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 105,000 miles.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I arrived home with my son who was sitting in the front passenger seat. When he tried to get out of the car, the door would not open. The lock button stayed down and would not open with two pulls on the handle as it should, with use of the interior locking/unlocking button , or with the remote control key fob. It has now remained non-functional. In the event of a crash on the driver's side, there would be no way to leave the car or received help without breaking a window and trying to slither out through broken glass. …”
NHTSA complaint #10585959, filed 2014-05, 51,000 miles“The passenger side door lock will not work. The door stays locked and when it first occured the passenger had to crawl out the window. Neither the electronic key lock nor the pushbutton lock control on the console will open the door lock on the passenger side. All other locks work fine, including the trunk. The manual door opener will not open the passenger door either. This is extremely dangerous since, in the case of an accident, the passenger would be trapped in the vehicle.”
NHTSA complaint #10472119, filed 2012-08, 120,000 miles“Passenger side door and both rear doors failed to open. All three doors remained locked and could not be open from inside by using the mechanical handles. Neither the remote key nor the regular key was able to unlock the doors.”
NHTSA complaint #10439773, filed 2011-12, 90,000 miles“Driver's side door will not open, either with the inside door latch or the outside latch. The lock plunger goes up and down normally with either the key, the key remote, or the inside door lock/unlock button, but in no case can either door latch open the driver's side door. All other doors operate normally. This makes entering or exiting the car difficult, necessitating either climbing in/out through the window or by climbing across the console from the passenger seat. If there were an emergency, it would be impossible to exit the vehicle quickly. No event appeared to cause this to happen. …”
NHTSA complaint #10522498, filed 2013-06, 148,000 miles“Bmw did not properly design the rear floor of the car body where it supports the rear subframe. As a result under normal driving, many of the Bmw e46 3-series cars (325, 323, 330, in the I, ci, or cic trims, example 325ci or 330i) suffer from torn sheet metal where the rear subframe attaches to the body. This eventually causes a major safety hazard as the rear subframe and associated suspension can separately entirely from the vehicle resulting in a loss of control and severe crash. …”
NHTSA complaint #10577907, filed 2014-04Related service bulletins
- 10030626Oct 2, 2009Bmw vehicles: doors will not unlock using the key fob or central locking button. *pe updated1/4/10. *pe updated 5/24/10.
- 10033135Oct 1, 2009Bmw vehicles: rear axle carrier (sub frame) support proposed class action settlement. Under certain circumstances, a fracture in the steel body structure could form in the area…
Body and structure: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 1 | 5% |
| 2012 | 1 | 14% |
| 2010 | 1 | 3% |
| 2009 | 1 | 2% |
| 2008 | 3 | 4% |
| 2007 | 6 | 5% |
| 2006 | 9 | 4% |
| 2005 | 1 | 4% |
| 2004 | 2 | 3% |
| 2003 | 5 | 7% |
| 2002 | 1 | 4% |
| 2001 | 2 | 6% |
| 2000 | 30 | 34% |
| 1999 | 1 | 17% |
| 1997 | 1 | 20% |
Other parts of the 2003 BMW 3 Series
23 complaintsAir bags
21 complaintsElectrical system
12 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
4 complaintsSuspension
4 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
4 complaintsBrakes
3 complaintsEngine cooling
3 complaintsFuel system
3 complaintsTires
3 complaintsEngine
2 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
2 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2003 BMW 3 Series
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology