Sub frame tore from car rear chassis on a 2000 BMW 323ci, very dangerous and may cause serious accident.

- San Leandro, CA, USA

Back in June 2006, I took my 2000 BMW 332ci to BMW of san diego in California for the squeaking noise coming from rear area of my car while driving. They told me that they didn't find anything wrong with the vehicle so nothing was done at that time. Now I took my car to a regular check up at the same BMW of san diego, and they are now telling me that rear subframe is torn and it is safety hazard so they think I should not drive my car at all until I get a repair done at local body shop. They think I should tow the car there. I then noticed that there are about 40 other complaints on NHTSA site about the same exact problem I am having. I learned through online forum that this particular problem has been recalled by BMW germany in german a few years back. I also learned that BMW of North America has paid to fix this problem on for some customers even if they are already out of warranty just like myself. Currently I am waiting for BMW of North America representative to visit the BMW of san diego to take a look at my vehicle. Since the BMW of san diego recommended that I do not drive my car without getting the problem fixed, I am currently driving their loaner car. My car is at the dealer right now. When I called the body shop referred by the BMW of san diego, I was informed by one of the employees there that problem with sub frame getting torn has been only seen for BMW 3 series and no other manufacturer or model.

- San Diego, CA, USA

I drive a 2000 328ci BMW with 84,000 miles on it. 1. it has been a daily driver for 3 years. 2. the subframe has torn behind the driver side rear wheel. 3. BMW is not recognizing this as an engineering defect and is giving a hard time covering the fix.

- San Diego, CA, USA

Rear subframe of car tearing out of body.

- Deerfield, NY, USA

I recently purchased the car used. Then took it to my local mechanic for thorough inspection and maintenance tune up. Front and rear shocks and struts along with springs replaced with oem parts. He and I located the subframe on the rear driver was torn. Car is mechanically sound and the only issue right now is that when driving, I can hear the metal on metal clunking noise. Afraid that if it does not get repaired, it will lead to more structure problems with the car. I'm scare to drive the car fearing that an accident is waiting to happen. Please help with investigation into possible defect on BMW 3 series. I know that there is currently a class action lawsuit has been filed with wasserman, comden & casselman, L.L.P regarding manufacturing and/or design defect that severely compromises the safety, durability, and performance of the vehicle. Which alleges that the manufacturing and/or design defect includes a weak or insufficient floor panel in the unibody of the vehicle that causes, among other things, cracking in the floor pan and misalignment, cracking or the complete or partial failure of the rear subframe of the vehicle.

- Harleysville, PA, USA

Rear subframe cracking from mounting point on drivers side. Very unsafe, creaking clunking noises from rear of vehicle due to this.

- Sioux Falls, SD, USA

This car is my daily driving car and that is its sole purpose. The rear subframe mount has begun to rip out of the car on the driver side. Nothing has been done to correct the failure, but BMW has been contacted and I am awaiting their reply.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

I was driving my car normally and started to realize a squeaking noise. Soon the noise got really loud and constant so I jack up the car and realized my rear subframe was detaching from the body. BMW says they will not take responsibility for it.

- Chino Hills, CA, USA

My 2000 328ci BMW 5 spd. The subframe began to tear in 2004. There were no accidents but I've noticed various complaints on the internet that this is a defect and could lead to serious problems while driving.

- Saddle Brook, NJ, USA

Subframe damage for no apparent reason at 68,000 miles, can lead to loss of control of vehicle during operation. No correction has been completed, still working with bmwna to stop with the "run around" story.

- Jersey City, NJ, USA

At about 112K miles I noticed a creaking noise coming from the rear suspension. Upon inspection, the drivers side rear differential mount had multiple stress fractures and separations at the point where the mount was welded to the unibody. This vehicle has had all required maintenance inspections at normal intervals. This car is driven on the highway 90% of the time and the rest in residential streets. It is a family car and has had no modifications period. The car was purchased with a BMW na cpo warranty that has since expired. The dealership refuses to cover any repair costs ( estimated at >3000 dollars) BMW na has ignored repeated requests from owners to fix this dangerous condition. In fact, BMW germany has known about this problem and covers the cost of repairs, they even have a method of repair. This situation is very dangerous and requires immediate attention. The suspension should never separate from the body because of torsion forces from the trans/diff. It is clear that this is a design flaw. I personally have a list of over 100 names with documented subframe cracking/failure of the E46 body years 1999-2000. The overwhelming majority of these have subframe damage at the same rear drivers side diff mount, in other words, out of four possible failure points, the rear drivers side is nearly always the failure point !! I implore the NHTSA to address this issue immediately before someone dies !!

- Fenton, MI, USA

The rear subframe mount in my 2000 328ci has a significant fatigue crack at the subframe mount within the rear axle support. This part, BMW #41117000246, fails due to fatigue cracks forming in the sheet metal at the periphery of the spot welds of the subframe mount to the body of the car. The crack was observed during a regular inspection of the vehicle. This is a serious and more common failure than the numbers reported to NHTSA. One enthusiasts site has a list with 120 1999 and 2000 E46 cars with this failure. The crack in my car was observed because I knew to look for it. Others have no idea that this will happen. There was no prior accident or event that would make one suspect such a failure. I only knew because a fellow BMW car club member warned me to look. The consequences is that the rear drivetrain and suspension are separating from the body of the car. After the first subframe mounting point fails (virtually always on the drivers side rear) then the passenger side rear fails. If someone fails to feel the wobbly feel to the drivetrain and suspension the front two mounts (4 total in the back) will proceed to rip out. Next the upper shock mounts fail. At this point the connection between the car and suspension/drivetrain is very dangerous. There are fixes for this but they involve removing the entire rear axle support which is a very involved process and costs > $4000. BMW changed this design in 2001, but has done nothing to address the E46 cars produced before then. This is dangerous and could be addressed for significantly less money if done before cracking starts. Bmwag repaired or reinforced all E46 cars produced prior to February 2000, but bmwna refuses to. Please look into this as this is not right.

- West Chseter, PA, USA

I bought this vehicle in mid April, 2006. A month after my purchase I began to notice creaking sounds coming from the rear of the car under normal acceleration, primarily in 1st gear. Upon further inspection I found the rear subframe to be tearing from the unibody on the driver's side. This is a major safety issue and must be addressed before someone gets seriously injured. Too many people ignore tell tale signs coming from their vehicles, if BMW is unwilling to do anything for the repair, the least they could do is send a notice to recommend an inspection to any 3-series owner. Repairing this costs money, not life and limb. Please BMW and the NHTSA, lets keep it that way.

- Franklin, WI, USA

: the contact stated a vibration was heard and felt while driving on normal road conditions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who determined that the front control arm needed to be replaced. The vehicle was serviced but continued to have similar problems. A loud clunking sound was heard while making a turn at 10mph. The noise was continuous. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who determined that the rear sub frame had fractured and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and determined the same solution as the dealer.

- Bridgeport, CT, USA

At approximate 73,000 miles I noticed a squeaking noise coming from my car, I took it to my mechanic and he found cracks in the subframe around the left rear bushing. I have researched this and it is a common occurrence with this car and model. I have taken it to the dealership and they so far are saying it is not covered under warranty.

- Foster City, CA, USA

I experienced a typical problem with my 2000 BMW 323ci, as the subframe began to tear after only 57000 miles of use. After some complaining, I was able to get BMW to "goodwill" the repairs. But as soon as I picked up the car after the repairs were completed, the emergency brake parking light began to malfunction. It would come on when the brake was released etc. A couple weeks later the traction control light began to do the same thing. I didn't think too much of it, but now about 9 months later I have experienced severe electrical problems. First all the power stopped working, the headlights blinked, A/C and windows stopped working, power locks no longer worked. Then it somehow fixed itself. But a couple weeks after, something else happened and now I cannot even start my car. Again, it appears to be some sort of power problem, perhaps something draining the battery.

- Palo Alto, CA, USA

Torn subframe where rear end is secure to chassis subframe.

- Coral Spring, FL, USA

Experienced tearing in the sheet metal located above the rear differential carrier. The sheet metal had been fatigued from carriers movement under load (acceleration/deceleration). The service manager (on behalf of BMW na) states that the damage was a result of "hitting a large pothole". it should be noted that no other suspension components were damaged and everything on the car is factory original. No modifications whatsoever and no repairs until that point. The car has been repaired and the area in question has been reinforced to prevent future subframe failures. This is not acceptable for a car manufacturer to pass blame for a design defect onto their customers. Obviously, they have lost any future sales from me.

- Commack, NY, USA

Rear subframe damage (2000 328I, 80,000 miles).

- San Gabriel, CA, USA

Have you noticed that there are over forty (40) complaints about the BMW 3-series rear subframes? they are scattered among the various 3-series model numbers (I.e. 3-series, 323, 323ci, 328, 328ci.325, 325ci, etc.) this is all basically the same car. A technician told me that the rear axle carrier of these models were manufactured with an inherent defect. That is, one of the mounting points is too weak to absorb the normal, everyday vibration from the torque of the manual transmission. As a result, they manufactured a replacement part that is now stronger and reinforced. The fact that this problem does not happen with any type of frequency on any other BMW car, except for the 3-series that was introduced in 1999, is enough to force BMW to issue a recall. In addition, the fact that the replacement part is reinforced is the equivalent of BMW "admitting" that the original rear axle carrier had a design defect. BMW has refused to acknowledge its responsibility for this glaring defect in the car's structure despite this defects never having occurred in any other BMW -- or any other car for that matter however, it is my understanding that BMW issued a recall for this exact same problem in europe. Please explain why the transportation authorities here in the U.S. have not forced BMW to issue a recall. How can BMW justify not having a recall in the U.S. when they've issued a recall in europe for the exact same thing" please let me know if you can do anything or if a class action lawsuit is my only resort. In one of the complaints listed below, the consumer reported that BMW paid for the entire repair. Yet in all other complaints, BMW managed to avoid having to pay anything, even for cars still under warranty. How is it that american car manufacturers have to issue numerous recalls for mundane defects, but BMW manages to skate by without having to acknowledge a defect that threatens the safety of consumers"

- A, CA, USA