There are 7 owner-reported brakes complaints for the 2002 BMW 3 Seriesin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON FEW MONTHS AGO ON MY 2002 BMW 325I. TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP, WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS A "COMMON PROBLEM" WITH THESE CARS, AND THAT THE ABS/DSC MODULE WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED (WITH A RE-MANUFACTURED PART), AT A COST OF $1,700. ALSO I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE ALL 4 WINDOW REGULATORS IN THE LAST FEW YEARS. AGAIN A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THIS CAR THAT HAS 90,000 MILES ON IT, AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN GARAGED AND MAINTAINED PROPERLY. LOOKING AT HOW COMMON THESE PROBLEMS ARE, IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THESE PARTS ARE DEFECTIVE. THEREFOR BMW SHOULD REIMBURSE OWNERS FOR REPLACING THE DEFECTIVE PARTS. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 BMW 325I. THE CONTACT STATED THE THAT ABS FAILURE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AS THE ENGINE WAS STARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THE MODULE FAILED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 67,500 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 68,000.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 BMW 325I. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE SPEEDOMETER STOPPED FUNCTIONING. THE CONTACT TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND RESTARTED IT. AFTER RESTARTING THE VEHICLE, THE LIGHT WAS STILL ILLUMINATED AND THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING HOME. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIP WHERE THE FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT TO REPLACE THE ABS MODULE BUT THE CONTACT REFUSED THAT REPAIR. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 113,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 112,970.
I HAVE CONTACTED BMW 3 TIMES ABOUT NHTSA ID#02V088000 AND THEY WILL NOT CONTACT ME. I WANT TO KNOW IF MY VEHICLE SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED. *TR
BRAKE LIGHT GROUND WIRE HAS BURNED UP AND IS NO LONGER WORKING DUE TO A FACTORY DEFECT. THIS HAS ALSO MELTED THE PLASTIC BRAKE LIGHT BULB HOUSING AND BURNED OUT THE BRAKE LIGHT. THIS HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE FIRES AND/OR WRECKS TO OCCUR. BMW IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT IS NOT WILLING TO FIX THE ISSUE. PLEASE SEE THE LINK TO THE BMW TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN BELOW. HTTP://WWW.BMWTIS.COM/TSB/BULLETINS/BULLETIN_GRAPHIC_TEMP/B630306G.HTM. *TR
BRAKE LIGHT GROUND WIRE HAS BURNED UP AND IS NO LONGER WORKING DUE TO A FACTORY DEFECT. THIS HAS ALSO MELTED THE PLASTIC BRAKE LIGHT BULB HOUSING AND BURNED OUT THE BRAKE LIGHT. THIS HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE FIRES AND/OR WRECKS TO OCCUR. BMW IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT IS NOT WILLING TO FIX THE ISSUE. PLEASE SEE THE LINK TO THE BMW TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN BELOW. HTTP://WWW.BMWTIS.COM/TSB/BULLETINS/BULLETIN_GRAPHIC_TEMP/B630306G.HTM. *TR
STRUCK A VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. THE ABS DID NOT ENGAGE WHEN I TRIED TO STOP IN THE RAIN. THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME DID NOT HAVE ANY DAMAGE BUT MY CAR HAD OVER $5700 WORTH OF DAMAGE. *NM
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026