2006 Bmw 3 SERIES - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2006 BMW 3 Series has received a mixed safety rating based on the available data. While the front crash driver and passenger side ratings are both decent at 4 out of 5, the side crash ratings for both the driver and passenger sides are excellent at 5 out of 5. The car is equipped with standard electronic stability control, which is a valuable safety feature. However, it does not have forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems.

In terms of complaints and recalls, the vehicle has a high number of complaints totaling 1224 and a significant number of recalls standing at 14. It is important for owners of this model to stay informed about any potential safety issues and to address recalls promptly to ensure the safety of the vehicle.

auto generated summary, may be inaccurate.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

1,224

Recall Count

14

Investigation Count

4

Safety Rating

Not Rated

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Safety Features

2006 BMW 3 Series 4-DR. w/SAB Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2006 BMW 3 Series 4-DR. w/SAB

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2006 BMW 3 Series 4-DR. w/SAB Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2006 BMW 3 Series 4-DR. w/SAB Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2005 Score 2006 Score 2022 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5
Front Crash Driver Side Rating Not Rated 4 5
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating Not Rated 4 5

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2005 Score 2006 Score 2022 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating Not Rated 5 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating Not Rated 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated Not Rated 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated Not Rated 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2005 Score 2006 Score 2022 Score
Rollover Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5

Complaints for the 2006 Bmw 3 SERIES

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"takata airbag safety recall vin:[xxx] i live in commonwealth of pennsylvania which according to bmw and nhtsa is zone b. my vehicle has a built date of 10/19/2005 330xi e90 model. the time in which the degradation to the propellant poses an unreasonable risk to safety is stated as a 10-15 year time frame. my car is almost 18 years old but bmw has not prioritized my vehicle's airbag. my vin number might not have made the list for zone a but its in zone b. i should have to wait until someone gets killed or injured. my name is [xxx] and can be reached at [xxx] my bmw dealer is otto's bmw west chester, pa 610399-8067 please demand that bmw comply with the recall information listed on clearly on your nhtsa site and bmw of america's site. (site last updated 01/14/2019) thank you. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2023-01-02
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2006 bmw 325i. the contact stated that the dealer had previously replaced the passenger's side front seat air bag sensor and steering wheel air bag sensor; however, the failure recurred while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, with the air bag warning light being illuminated. the dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 130,000."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2022-02-09
Complaint:
"component failed: passenger seat occupancy sensor (bmw error code: 0x93c3) implication: passenger airbag will not deploy in case of accident if the occupancy sensor is defective. similar problems: similar recalls were issued by bmw for the same model and year but with only sports seat; regular seats were not recalled. previous inspections: this issue has not been previously inspected, but personal inspection leads to faulty seat occupancy sensor. prior warnings: dashboard shows seatbelt and airbag lights; roof indicator lamp shows passenger airbag off."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2022-08-08
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2006 bmw 325i. the contact stated that the front air bag and seat belt passenger sensor functionality were defective. no warning lights were illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and no cause for the failure was determined. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 13v564000 (air bags). the approximate failure mileage was 150,000."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2023-08-05
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2006 bmw 330xi. the contact stated that the air bags warning and seat belts warning lights illuminated intermittently. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the failure was related to nhtsa campaign number: 17v428000 (air bags) however, the vin was not included. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 123,100."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2022-05-03
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2006 bmw 325i. the contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the front passenger’s side air bag warning light would remain illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the seat mat sensor was faulty and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 180,000."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2020-06-12
Complaint:
"we took our recently purchased bmw 2006 330xi in for recalls and a few fixes. however, the bmw service center wasn't able to fix one of the issues through the recall process since it doesn't show up for our vehicle. however, everything that i read suggests that it was a recall for this make and model. we are not sure if it was supposedly addressed before we purchased the vehicle and it is now a reoccurring issue or it is a first-time issue. the airbag/seatbelt warning light is present for passenger seat occupancy detector faults. the bmw service center said it was the sensor in the front passenger seat and offered to fix it for $1000 plus. we opted to not fix it until we checked further into the situation. the light for the passenger airbag saying that it is off is currently lit, and the airbag/seatbelt light remains on at this time. looking for more information on this issue."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2022-09-03
Complaint:
"the passenger seat mat sensor stopped working and that disabled the airbag. i called bmw and they told me this part has already been replaced once in 2016 on my car during a recall, which happened before i purchased the car. i asked them to replace it again since this is a safety issue and they told me bmw would only replace this part for cars with less than 15 years, which in my case expired on january 2021. this is a very costly repair and in my view is caused by a poorly designed part, considering that there has already been 3 recalls on it and it keeps breaking after a some use. so for now, until this case is settled, i will be driving a car with the passenger airbag deactivated by the board computer, what is a very serious safety issue."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2023-05-08
Complaint:
"passénger seat occupancy seat mat has failed and passenger air bag system does not work. diagnosed recently- repair scheduled soon for cost of $1588.35 it looks like there may have been a recall in 2017 but i don’t have any record of being notified or having it fixed."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2020-06-01
Complaint:
"the vehicle has an unexplained and unrepairable defect related to the main airbag control unit module, bmw part number 65779184432 (current version); believe part 65770394017 applied to my vehicle as-built. the control module generates internal control unit fault code 93d7. both the airbag warning light and seatbelt light are continuously illuminated. according to dealer technician, the code is locked in and cannot be cleared. advice provided was that the unit can be replaced and then recoded at estimated cost of approximately $2,000. if a repair can be effectuated with an updated part, then it appears that my car and perhaps all other similarly aged vehicles have a defective main airbag control unit module. a faulty airbag module would be a defect in a critical defect in a safety system's performance that unreasonably increases risk of death or serious injury in an accident. the fault thus poses a risk to motor vehicle safety. further, based on openly available information, it appears that numerous other vehicles have similar, potentially defective, main airbag control modules. finally, it appears that bmw updated this part approximately 15 times in a 6-year period, which is about double the update frequency for comparable vehicle--noting that this is based only on my limited review. regardless, that data suggest that bmw has had some awareness that the airbag control module had performance difficulties. thank you."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2021-03-05

Recalls for the 2006 Bmw 3 SERIES

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"bmw is recalling 200,000 my 2006 3 series sport seat, my 2004-2006 5 series standard and sport seat, and my 2004-2006 x3 passenger vehicles. depending on the manner and frequency of the front passenger's entry and exit, small cracks have developed in the mat. if this occurs, the front passenger air bags, with the exception of the head protection system, will be deactivated and the air bag warning lamp as well as the passenger air bag "on-off" lamp will be illuminated."
Consequence:
IN THIS SITUATION THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY EVEN IF A SUFFICIENTLY SEVERE ACCIDENT WOULD OCCUR AND OCCUPANT PROTECTION PROVIDED BY THE SYSTEM WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE.
Remedy:

DEALERS WILL REWORK THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR MAT SO THAT EXTERNAL FORCE APPLICATION TO THE SEAT DOES NOT CAUSE A CRACK TO THE MAT. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 6, 2008. BMW WILL ALSO EXTEND THE WARRANTY ON THESE VEHICLES TO 10 YEARS FROM FIRST REGISTRATION WITHOUT ANY MILEAGE LIMIT. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-525-7417.

Component(s) Involved: AIR BAGS > FRONTAL
Date of incident: 2008-08-05

BMW Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

BMW ranks 12 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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