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Recalls, inspection results and owner complaints for the 1986 BMW 3 Series, from official sources in the US, Canada and Europe. To check one specific car, enter its VIN or plate.
We checked recall campaigns for this vehicle, or for its model where the register works by model.
Source: NHTSA (US Department of Transportation) · US public domain
We checked Transport Canada's recall database for this make, model and year.
Source: Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Open Government Licence – Canada
On certain 318I, 325I and M3 vehicles, elevated pressure in the cooling system due to overheating could result in cracking of the heater core end piece. Should this happen, coolant could be expelled onto the lower right leg of the driver, possibly resulting in personal injury and/or fogging of the interior surfaces of the windows causing reduced driver vision. Correction: A thermistatic bypass valve will be installed to control coolant temperature in the heater core. Also, a new design radiator cap will be installed to control pressure and provide greater overflow.
On certain 325E, 325ES, 528E, 535I, 635CSI and 735I vehicles, the center high mounted brake light could add sufficient electrical load to cause the brake light switch to overheat, eventually leading to melting of the plastic internal switch parts. This could cause the switch plunger to jam in the ON or OFF position. This would render the brake light permanently ON or OFF regardless of brake pedal operation. Correction: A brake light switch with an increased current load capacity will be installed on affected vehicles.
On certain 318I, 325, 325E and 325ES vehicles, when a significant force is applied directly to the steering gearbox as the result of certain frontal crash conditions or front end contact with an object on the road, the steering column disengagement element, which is designed to reduce the amount of steering wheel rearward travel, could disengage completely. This would result in loss of post impact steering maneuverability without prior warning. Correction: Two plates will be bolted to the disengagement element to ensure that the element will not completely disengage in the event of an impact to the steering gear.
Problems owners of this model reported to NHTSA, grouped by component.
Source: NHTSA (US Department of Transportation) · US public domain