BMW 325IS Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 39 consumer complaints across the 4 model years of the BMW 325IS (1992–1995) that have at least 5 complaints. 1993 has the most, with 16. Across all years, the part named most often is body and structure (10 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All 325IS model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 5 | 180,000 | 2 | 1 | — | Not enough data |
| 1994 | 10 | 203,907 | 3 | 1 | — | Not enough data |
| 1993 | 16 | 116,314 | 3 | 1 | — | Stable |
| 1992 | 8 | 178,500 | 4 | 1 | — | Not enough data |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Body and structure10 25%
- Engine cooling9 23%
- Transmission and drivetrain4 10%
- Exterior lighting4 10%
- Air bags4 10%
- Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)3 7.5%
- Suspension3 7.5%
- Seat belts3 7.5%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
1994: “Owner of a 1994 325IS. Was driving on highway and transmission suddenly died down (slipped out of gear) almost causing the vehicles behind to almost crash into me. In illinois. Called the national Bmw customer center and they say they have no active recall despite numerous complaint of incidents with the transmission of 325 I in the consumer reports site. This vehicle has been well kept and maintained please look into this, someone can get killed.”
NHTSA complaint #10422665, filed 2011-08, 135,000 miles1992: “I recently had the rear end of my car detached itself from the supreme while driving down the road. I have brought the car to several mechanic and have had every individual mechanic say he has seen it happened to my same exact car. And also said I was lucky I didn't crash. After having the car looked at by a mechanic he said that Bmw had manufactured the subframe mounts insufficient and it has resulted in thousands of cases of rear ends falling off of the cars and it is not something that happens with wear and tear. …”
NHTSA complaint #10043405, filed 2003-10, 158,000 miles1993: “My 1993 Bmw 325IS has a failure of the chassis mounting points for the rear subframe of the car. The car had been feeling funny for weeks prior to this until one day the car started to shudder when taking a turn and accelerating out of it. From that day on the car felt completely detached from my steering inputs, it was obvious something was wrong. Had I not caught it when I did, more than just financial damage would have surely occured; after all, these are what hold the whole rear of the suspension and drive train the the chassis. …”
NHTSA complaint #10081226, filed 2004-07, 139,829 milesOther BMW models
3,165 complaintsBMW 328I
2,576 complaintsBMW X3
2,016 complaintsBMW 325I
1,377 complaintsBMW Z4
1,271 complaintsBMW 3 Series
832 complaintsBMW 528I
830 complaintsBMW 330I
813 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology