THE CRUISE CONTROL AND THROTTLE CABLES ARE ATTACHED TO THE SAME THROTTLE VALVE ACTUATING LEVER AT THE THROTTLE HOUSING. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE PLASTIC BUSHING ON EITHER CABLE COULD BREAK DUE TO ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES COUPLED WITH VIBRATION. IF THE BUSHING BREAKS, THE OUTER CABLE HOUSING CAN SEPARATE FROM THE BUSHING. IN THIS CASE, DURING APPLICATION OF THE THROTTLE PEDAL WITHOUT CRUISE CONTROL BEING ENGAGED, THE OUTER TUBE COULD CATCH ON THE EDGE OF THE BROKEN BUSHING.
Consequence: THIS COULD CAUSE THE THROTTLE VALVE TO REMAIN PARTIALLY OPEN. IT HIS WERE TO OCCUR, THE CAR MIGHT NOT DECELERATE AS EXPECTED INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A SPRING STEEL CLIP ON THE OUTER TUBE OF EACH CABLE IN THE AREA OF THE ADJUSTING SCREW AND PLASTIC BUSHING. THE CLIP IS DESIGNED TO PREVENT THE OUTER TUBE FROM DISLODGING FROM THE BUSHING.
Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.
Data completeness
24 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.
37.5%Usable mileage9 / 24 records
91.7%Valid incident date22 / 24 records
100.0%Valid filing date24 / 24 records
91.7%Ordered incident and filing dates22 / 24 records
Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.
Problems by model year
Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.
Component complaint heatmap
Component
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
Visibility:Power Window Devices And Controls
00.0%
No examples available for this selection.
337.5%ODI 10162024 · 85,000 mi
THE WINDOWS FALL OFF TRACK ON MY 1996 BMW E36 318TI. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING TO BOTH WINDOWS ON MY CAR REGULARLY FOR THE PAST 2.5 YEARS I HAVE OWNED THE CAR AND HAS RUINED THE TINT ON BOTH WINDOWS. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH OTHER 318TI OWNERS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND HAVE FOUND THAT THIS A HIGHLY COMMON FAILURE AND NORMALLY COSTS SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS TO REPAIR, ONLY TO BREAK AGAIN SHORTLY THEREAFTER. I FEEL AS THOUGH THE WINDOWS COULD SHATTER WHEN THEY FALL INTO THE DOOR OR POSSIBLY HARM PASSENGERS BY FALLING INTO THE CAR WHILE IN THE OFF-TRACK PO…
3 SERIES MODELS (E36) AND NOTABLY THE 318TI BMW AUTOMOBILES HAVE AN EXTREMELY HIGH FAILURE RATE FOR THE WINDOW REGULATORS. ITS NOT UNCOMMON TO HAVE TO REPAIR THEM ANNUALLY AT A COST OF APPROXIMATELY 300 DOLLARS PER DOOR. THE FAILURE OCCURS WITHOUT WARNING CAUSING THE WINDOW TO JAM, OR FALL INSIDE THE DOOR. THIS IS A WELL KNOWN DOCUMENTED PROBLEM AMONG THE OWNER COMMUNITY AND REACTIONS AT DEALERS IS "OH YEA HAPPENS ALL THE TIME." I PROPOSE THIS COULD PRESENT AN EGRESS ISSUE IN EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY. *JB
MY 1997 BMW 318TI SUFFERED FROM UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. HERE'S HOW IT HAPPENED: I PULLED OUT ONTO THE STREET AFTER GETTING MY CAR WASHED. I PUSHED THE ACCELERATOR DOWN HARD AS I PULLED OUT. THE CAR LUNGED FORWARD AND THE WET TIRES SPUN ON THE PAVEMENT. I LET OFF ON THE ACCELERATOR BUT THE CAR RACED FORWARD ON ITS OWN. I APPLIED BOTH FEET TO THE BRAKES. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO REV AT ITS MAXIMUM POSSIBLE REVOLUTIONS AND THE WHEELS WERE SCREECHING FORWARD. THE ABS SYSTEM WAS KICKING IN CONTINUALLY IN AN EFFORT TO STOP THE VEHICLE BUT IT…
UNINTENTIONAL ACCELERATION: I WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT, WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. I EASED THE PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE TO LET THE CAR ROLL FORWARD SLIGHTLY, THEN INCREASED THE BRAKE PPRESSURE AGAIN, THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO REV FAST, CAUSING THE REAR WHEELS TO SPIN AND PROPELLING THE CAR FORWARD APPROXIMATELY FOUR FEET, EVEN THOUGH I HAD FULL PRESSURE APPLIED TO THE BRAKES. I NARROWLY AVOIDED A COLLISION WITH TURNING TRAFFIC BY SHIFTING TO A LOWER GEAR, WHEREUPON THE RPM DROPPED. SHORTLY AFTER THIS, AS I WAS SLOWLY EASING INTO A…
1. WINDOW MOVEMENT STOPPED 2. WINDOW FELL INTO THE DOOR AND THE TINT GOT SCRATCHED 3. THE DEALER QUOTED 300 TO FIX IT, REPLACED REGULATOR AND BRUSHING. *TR
IGNITION SWITCH FAILURE. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO TURN OFF CAR, KEY MOVED TO OFF POSITION WITHOUT RESISTANCE BUT DID NOT TURN OFF CAR. SWITCH LOCKED IN OFF POSITION BUT KEY WOULD MOVE AND CAR CONTINUED TO RUN. KEY COULD BE REMOVED AND REINSERTED BUT COULD NOT TURN OFF CAR. HAD TO PULL FUSE ON THE FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM TO STALL ENGINE AND DISCONNECT BATTERY TO TURN OFF POWER TO CAR. THIS PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE COMMON IN A LARGE NUMBER OF BMWS. INABILITY TO TURN OFF ENGINE COULD POSE HAZARD IF SITUATION REQUIRED DRIVER TO CUT POWER TO ENGINE. ALS…
Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.
Failure mileage by component
Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.
Component failure mileage distribution
Component
Mileage range (25th–75th percentile)
Median
Usable records
Examples
Visibility:Power Window Devices And Controls
85,000–144,000 mi
110,000 mi
5
ODI 10162024 · 85,000 mi
THE WINDOWS FALL OFF TRACK ON MY 1996 BMW E36 318TI. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING TO BOTH WINDOWS ON MY CAR REGULARLY FOR THE PAST 2.5 YEARS I HAVE OWNED THE CAR AND HAS RUINED THE TINT ON BOTH WINDOWS. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH OTHER 318TI OWNERS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND HAVE FOUND THAT THIS A HIGHLY COMMON FAILURE AND NORMALLY COSTS SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS TO REPAIR, ONLY TO BREAK AGAIN SHORTLY THEREAFTER. I FEEL AS THOUGH THE WINDOWS COULD SHATTER WHEN THEY FALL INTO THE DOOR OR POSSIBLY HARM PASSENGERS BY FALLING INTO THE CAR WHILE IN THE OFF-TRACK PO…
MY 1996 BMW 318TI - DRIVER SIDE FRONT WINDOW HAS 3 TIMES IN LAST 5 YEARS FALLEN INTO THE DOOR INTERIOR WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE HAD THIS REPAIRED NOW 3 TIMES IN 5 YEARS AT A TOTAL COST TO BE OF $1300. THIS IS A SYSTEMIC DESIGN AND SAFETY PROBLEM THAT OCCURS NOT MOST OF THE 3 SERIES BMW FROM 1995 TO 2002. BMW UTILIZES A VERY POOR CHANNEL DESIGN TO RETAIN THE WINDOW SAFELY AND SECURELY WITH 3 CHEAP INADEQUATE PLASTIC / METAL CLIPS THAT FAIL CONSISTENTLY AND REPEATEDLY AFTER REPAIR OVER A SHORT TIME IT IS A HUGE DESIGN PROBLEM AND THERE S…
THIS IS THE 8TH TIME PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW OF MY 1996 BMW318TI IS IN NEED OF REPAIR. MOTOR REPLACED ONCE, THAN REGULATOR, FOLLOWED BY NUMEROUS REPAIRS FOR SLIDES OR CLIPS TO BE FIXED. WHEN PUTTING UP WINDOW THERE IS A LOUD CRACK AND THE WINDOW GOES OFF TRACK, SO IT CAN NEITHER GO UP OR DOWN. THIS IS A COSTLY COMPLAINT FROM MANY OWNERS OF THIS CAR SO THERE HAS TO BE SOME SORT OF PROBLEM OR DEFECT. *TR
MY 1997 BMW 318TI SUFFERED FROM UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. HERE'S HOW IT HAPPENED: I PULLED OUT ONTO THE STREET AFTER GETTING MY CAR WASHED. I PUSHED THE ACCELERATOR DOWN HARD AS I PULLED OUT. THE CAR LUNGED FORWARD AND THE WET TIRES SPUN ON THE PAVEMENT. I LET OFF ON THE ACCELERATOR BUT THE CAR RACED FORWARD ON ITS OWN. I APPLIED BOTH FEET TO THE BRAKES. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO REV AT ITS MAXIMUM POSSIBLE REVOLUTIONS AND THE WHEELS WERE SCREECHING FORWARD. THE ABS SYSTEM WAS KICKING IN CONTINUALLY IN AN EFFORT TO STOP THE VEHICLE BUT IT…
1. WINDOW MOVEMENT STOPPED 2. WINDOW FELL INTO THE DOOR AND THE TINT GOT SCRATCHED 3. THE DEALER QUOTED 300 TO FIX IT, REPLACED REGULATOR AND BRUSHING. *TR
Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.
Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.
Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples
Monthly complaint and recall timeline
Month
Complaints
Campaigns announced
Examples
2024-11
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2024-12
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-01
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-02
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-03
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-04
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-05
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-06
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-07
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-08
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-09
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-10
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-11
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-12
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-01
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-02
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-03
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-04
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-05
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-06
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-07
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-08
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-09
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-10 (partial)
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
Emerging complaint spikes
Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.
This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.
No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.
Equal-age model-year comparison
Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.
1998: 6 complaints · 1999: 0 complaints
Equal observation windows
Model year
Through age 0
Through age 1
Through age 2
1998
4
6
6
1999
0
0
0
Date coverage across each selected cohort
Date basis for all complaints in selected model years
Year
Incident dates used
Filing date fallbacks
Excluded dates
1998
9
2
0
1999
1
0
0
Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.
Components reported together
Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.
Component co-occurrence matrix
Component
Visibility:Power Window Devices And Controls
Tires
Power Train:Automatic Transmission
Suspension
Vehicle Speed Control
Visibility:Glass, Side/Rear
Air Bags:Frontal
Electrical System:Ignition
Visibility:Power Window Devices And Controls
—
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Tires
0
—
1ODI 542966
LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS DO NOT ILLUMINATE ROAD PROPERLY.
Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.
Recurring narrative patterns
Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.
3 patterns with matching reports.
Brake response concerns
1 mentions · 4.2% of complaints
Median mileage: Unavailable (0 usable records).
ODI 702896
UNINTENTIONAL ACCELERATION: I WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT, WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. I EASED THE PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE TO LET THE CAR ROLL FORWARD SLIGHTLY, THEN INCREASED THE BRAKE PPRESSURE AGAIN, THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO REV FAST, CAUSING THE REAR WHEELS TO SPIN AND PROPELLING THE CAR FORWARD APPROXIMATELY FOUR FEET, EVEN THOUGH I HAD FULL PRESSURE APPLIED TO THE BRAKES. I NARROWLY AVOIDED A COLLISION WITH TURNING TRAFFIC BY SHIFTING TO A LOWER GEAR, WHEREUPON THE RPM DROPPED. SHORTLY AFTER THIS, AS I WAS SLOWLY EASING INTO A…
IGNITION SWITCH FAILURE. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO TURN OFF CAR, KEY MOVED TO OFF POSITION WITHOUT RESISTANCE BUT DID NOT TURN OFF CAR. SWITCH LOCKED IN OFF POSITION BUT KEY WOULD MOVE AND CAR CONTINUED TO RUN. KEY COULD BE REMOVED AND REINSERTED BUT COULD NOT TURN OFF CAR. HAD TO PULL FUSE ON THE FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM TO STALL ENGINE AND DISCONNECT BATTERY TO TURN OFF POWER TO CAR. THIS PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE COMMON IN A LARGE NUMBER OF BMWS. INABILITY TO TURN OFF ENGINE COULD POSE HAZARD IF SITUATION REQUIRED DRIVER TO CUT POWER TO ENGINE. ALS…
Matching rule\b(stall\w*|loss of power|lost power|engine shut\w* off)\b
Warning lights and dashboard alerts
1 mentions · 4.2% of complaints
Median mileage: Unavailable (0 usable records).
ODI 10004595
CONSUMER STATED HAD TO HAVE BOTH FRONT SEAT BELT LATCHES REPLACED, BECAUSE OF LOOSENESS. WHEN EVALUATED AIR BAG WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT SEAT BELT LATCHES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *TS