2001 BMW 330CI — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 79 complaints · 6 recalls
Most-reported system: FUEL SYSTEM (18 complaints · 22.8%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 6
  • Fires 3
  • Injuries 7
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2000 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution FUEL SYSTEM appears in 18 of 79 owner complaints (22.8%) in this vehicle snapshot. FUEL SYSTEM: 18 complaints, 22.8% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 18 · 22.8% AIR BAGS: 16 complaints, 20.3% of reports AIR BAGS 16 · 20.3% · 5 crash reports POWER TRAIN: 11 complaints, 13.9% of reports POWER TRAIN 11 · 13.9% EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 8 complaints, 10.1% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 8 · 10.1% ENGINE: 7 complaints, 8.9% of reports ENGINE 7 · 8.9% · 1 fire reports STRUCTURE: 5 complaints, 6.3% of reports STRUCTURE 5 · 6.3% ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 4 complaints, 5.1% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4 · 5.1% · 1 fire reports STEERING: 3 complaints, 3.8% of reports STEERING 3 · 3.8% · 1 crash reports SUSPENSION: 3 complaints, 3.8% of reports SUSPENSION 3 · 3.8% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 37 complaints, 46.8% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 37 · 46.8% · 3 crash reports 2 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
FUEL SYSTEM 18 22.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 16 20.3% 5 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 11 13.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 8 10.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 7 8.9% 0 crashes · 1 fires
STRUCTURE 5 6.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4 5.1% 0 crashes · 1 fires
STEERING 3 3.8% 1 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 3 3.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 37 46.8% 3 crashes · 2 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 2002; the first recall shown was reported in Jun 2001. 2002-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2010-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2010-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2011-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2012-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2013-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2015-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jun 2001 Jan 2024 Recall campaign 01V206000 ◆ Recall campaign 01V206000 Recall campaign 02V138000 ◆ Recall campaign 02V138000 Recall campaign 07E023000 ◆ Recall campaign 07E023000 Recall campaign 19V853000 ◆ Recall campaign 19V853000 Recall campaign 20V018000 ◆ Recall campaign 20V018000 Recall campaign 21V401000 ◆ Recall campaign 21V401000
  • Campaign 02V138000 was reported 62 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 19V853000 was reported 5,164 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 20V018000 was reported 5,214 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 21V401000 was reported 5,712 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2002-Q1 Owner reports 2
2002-Q2 Owner reports 1
2002-Q3 Owner reports 2
2002-Q4 Owner reports 1
2004-Q1 Owner reports 1
2004-Q3 Owner reports 1
2004-Q4 Owner reports 1
2005-Q1 Owner reports 1
2005-Q4 Owner reports 2
2006-Q2 Owner reports 2
2007-Q2 Owner reports 1
2008-Q1 Owner reports 1
2008-Q3 Owner reports 2
2008-Q4 Owner reports 2
2009-Q1 Owner reports 1
2009-Q2 Owner reports 2
2010-Q1 Owner reports 3
2010-Q2 Owner reports 4
2010-Q3 Owner reports 1
2010-Q4 Owner reports 2
2011-Q1 Owner reports 3
2011-Q3 Owner reports 1
2011-Q4 Owner reports 1
2012-Q1 Owner reports 4
2012-Q2 Owner reports 2
2012-Q3 Owner reports 1
2012-Q4 Owner reports 1
2013-Q1 Owner reports 1
2013-Q2 Owner reports 4
2013-Q4 Owner reports 1
2014-Q1 Owner reports 1
2014-Q2 Owner reports 2
2014-Q4 Owner reports 3
2015-Q1 Owner reports 1
2015-Q3 Owner reports 1
2015-Q4 Owner reports 3
2016-Q1 Owner reports 1
2016-Q2 Owner reports 2
2017-Q2 Owner reports 1
2017-Q3 Owner reports 2
2017-Q4 Owner reports 1
2018-Q1 Owner reports 1
2018-Q3 Owner reports 2
2019-Q1 Owner reports 1
2019-Q4 Owner reports 1
2020-Q3 Owner reports 1
2021-Q3 Owner reports 1
2022-Q4 Owner reports 1
2024-Q1 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 01V206000
Recall campaign 1 02V138000
Recall campaign 1 07E023000
Recall campaign 1 19V853000
Recall campaign 1 20V018000
Recall campaign 1 21V401000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (6)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 01V206000

    Report date
    Component:
    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
    Consequence:
    IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR, ENGINE OVERHEATING AND SUBSEQUENT ENGINE DAMAGE COULD RESULT. IN ADDITION, IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE FAILURE OF THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUITRY TO CAUSE A FIRE IN THE FAN CONTROL UNIT LOCATED IN THE FRONT OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FAN. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN SEPTEMBER 28, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-831-1117.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 02V138000

    Report date
    Component:
    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
    Consequence:
    IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR, ENGINE OVERHEATING AND SUBSEQUENT ENGINE DAMAGE COULD RESULT. IN ADDITION, IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE FAILURE OF THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUITRY TO CAUSE A FIRE IN THE FAN CONTROL UNIT LOCATED IN THE FRONT OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FAN. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN SEPTEMBER 28, 2001. THIS IS A SUPPLEMENT TO A RECALL THAT BEGAN DURING SEPTEMBER 2001 (SEE RECALL CAMPAIGN 01V206). OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-831-1117.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 07E023000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID CAN RESULT IN POOR BRAKING PERFORMANCE, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    CARDONE WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE ANY DEFECTIVE MASTER CYLINDERS. THE RECALL BEGAN DURING APRIL 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT CARDONE AT 1-800-777-4780.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 19V853000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, an inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants. An underinflated air bag may not properly protect the occupant. These scenarios increase the risk of serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    BMW notified owners, and Dealers will replace the driver air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began November 10, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 20V018000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger's front air bag, free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 21V401000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    The inflator could explode during air bag deployment, resulting in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants. An underinflated air bag may not properly protect the occupant. These scenarios increase the risk of serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will replace the driver-side air bag inflator with a newly designed inflator, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 12, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 79 complaints · page 1 of 4

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources