The 1999 BMW M3 has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 16,749 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 13 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 6, 2026.
Recall campaigns
AIR BAGS99V0630011999-11-1516,749 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES ARE BUILT WITH A SIDE AIR BAG SYSTEM CONSISTING OF DOOR-MOUNTED THORAX AIR BAGS (REAR DOOR AIR BAGS ARE OPTIONAL), A CENTRAL ELECTRONIC SENSOR AND DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM, LEFT AND RIGHT SATELLITE IMPACT SENSORS, AND ASSOCIATED WIRING. THIS SYSTEM IS UNDULY…
Consequence
THIS COULD CAUSE THE SIDE AIR BAG TO DEPLOY WITHOUT AN ACTUAL SIDE CRASH. IN ADDITION, THE BATTERY SAFETY TERMINAL (BST) COULD ALSO ACTIVATE, DISCONNECTING THE STARTER CABLE FROM THE BATTERY. IN THIS CASE, THE VEHICLE'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM COULD CONTINUE TO OPERATE AND THE ENGINE WOULD CONTINUE TO RUN, BUT AFTER…
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE CENTRAL COMPUTER CONTROL MODULE THAT REGULATES THE PERFORMANCE OF ALL OF THE VEHICLE'S OCCUPANT PROTECTION SYSTEMS.
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS
5
1crashes2injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
1
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
1
1crashes
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
1
1crashes
STEERING
1
STRUCTURE
1
1crashes
TIRES
1
TIRES:TREAD/BELT
1
Total complaints13
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Air bag warning light is on. Diagnosis: passenger air bag electronics are faulty and need to be replaced. Cost to repair is over $500 per dealer. Bmw should have a recall for this but they do not show this with my vin. Please help. Thank you. *tr”
“The material used on the bmw steering wheel melts at the touch of sunlight- doesn't have to be a hot temperature. The melting of the steering wheel restricts me from using the horn and could very well have affected the airbag and/or deployment of the airbag. Also, it's sticky, my fingerprints and…”
“The material used on the bmw steering wheel melts at the touch of sunlight- doesn't have to be a hot temperature. The melting of the steering wheel restricts me from using the horn and could very well have affected the airbag and/or deployment of the airbag. Also, it's sticky, my fingerprints and…”
“Tl * - the contact owns a 1999 bmw m3. The vehicle was purchased on january 21, 2007, with 2 bald rear tires. The dealer has not agreed to replace the tires. Bridgestone, potenza , dot # emh8cka. The contact thought the size was 18. The contact has not experienced any failures at this time.…”
“Dt*: the contact stated while driving, the oil light came on and the engine made a grinding noise. The contact pulled over and checked the oil. The oil was full. The vehicle was taken to the dealership who determined an oil pan nut fell off into the oil pan causing an oil pump failure which burn…”
“1999 bmw m3 convertible. Airbag light come up with no reason; potentially, airbig won't deploy if any accident happen. Vin [xxx]. Updated 07/30/2012 *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)”
“The manual transmission on my bmw m3 has a defect. It involves the transmission sticking in 5th gear, especially when the weather is cold. This is a dangerous situation, because it compromises control of the car when shifting, leaving the operator wtihout full control of the car. This is a very…”
“The distance between the brake pedal and the gas pedal is too close and poses a danger when moving from the gas pedal to the brake. Your foot can become entangled under the brake pedal.”
Defect investigations
InvestigationRQ99018 Opened 1999-09-03 · open
INADVERTANT SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT
ON MARCH 26, 1999, BMW OF NORTH AMERICAN, INC. RECALLED 32,500 1999 323I AND 328I MANUFACTURED UP TO APRIL 1999, FOR INADVERTENT DEPLOYMENT OF THE SIDE AIRBAG SYSTEM IN CERTAIN NON-CRASH IMPACTS SUCH AS CONTACTING LARGE POT HOLES OR CURBS AT SUBSTANTIAL SPEED.AS A REMEDY, BMW WILL RECODE THE AIR BAG CONTROL MODULE OF…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1999 BMW M3 as of
July 6, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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