2006 BMW 3 Series Equipment Problems
- Complaints
- 3about this part
- Share
- 1%of 202 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 117,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 3 complaints about the equipment of the 2006 BMW 3 Series, 1% of the 202 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 117,000 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 was driving from school and push the gas and 15mph the car jerked in transmission light came on. The car went into safe mode. I could not drive over 40 mp. The dealer ship said the transmission mechatronic may have malfunction. Something inside of the transmission the manufacturer build it with a plastic valve cover it's common on Bmw the transmission failure. There are over 67,000 complaints on line for the same issue. Where is the recall!. You pay for this expensive car to pay 7000 to fix. I am looking to start a law suit if they don't recall and fix this common expensive problem!”
NHTSA complaint #10717240, filed 2015-05, 178,000 miles“The driver door lock does not open using the remote. Bmw is asking to pay them for diagnosis and eventual repair. I do believe this is a safety issue and the cost should be on Bmw.”
NHTSA complaint #10282497, filed 2009-09, 56,000 miles“I have a 2006 3 SERIES with a malfunctioning air bag indicator system. This vehicle series was recalled under NHTSA action number ea08001. I have contacted Bmw north america twice and they will not confirm that I am in the recall but each time ask me to take the car to the dealer to have the issue repaired at my expense. The seat belt and airbag light in conjunction with the airbag is not active in the passenger seat is always on when a passenger is in the seat. This malfunction has been on going for at least six months. …”
NHTSA complaint #10245615, filed 2008-10Related service bulletins
- 10182619Oct 1, 2020Discharged Battery Energy Diagnosis Must Be Performed: The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has…
- 10030611Oct 1, 2010Bmw: rear bulb failure. The bulb out warning shows in the instrument cluster. Diagnosis shows a fault for the rear lamp. The bulb out can be displayed for 2 possible causes-poor…
- 10031584Sep 1, 2009Bmw: various electrical problems or intermittently. Symptoms typically include various warning lamps in the instrument cluster and starting problems. Affected may be the ekp…
- 10031544Sep 1, 2009Bmw: water leaks into either the driver's side or passenger's side footwell during fast cornering. Insufficient sealing at the point of contact between the air conditioning…
- 10028390Sep 1, 2008Bmw: the telematics control unit (tcu) in vehicles may not have been properly activated. This causes the manual and automatic emergency call and roadside call (bmw assist) not to…
- 10026205Apr 1, 2008Bmw: replace the chain tensioning rail bearing bolt that could come loose and cause damage to the engine. Models e60 (5 series), e70 (x5 series), e83 (x3 series), e9x (3 series).
- 10032815Nov 1, 2007Bmw vehicle: noise from front axle/right side. A grinding or scraping noise may be heard while cornering at vehicle speeds up to 30 mph. The noise is more pronounced while the…
Equipment: other model years
Other parts of the 2006 BMW 3 Series
101 complaintsElectrical system
32 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
26 complaintsSteering
24 complaintsTires
13 complaintsSeat belts
12 complaintsSeats
12 complaintsEngine
11 complaintsBody and structure
9 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
8 complaintsVehicle speed control
6 complaintsOther or unknown
5 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2006 BMW 3 Series
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 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