The 1997 BMW Z3 has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 410,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 66 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the seats. Last updated July 5, 2026.
THE CRUISE CONTROL AND THROTTLE CABLES ARE ATTACHED TO THE SAME THROTTLE VALVE ACTUATING LEVER AT THE THROTTLE HOUSING. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE PLASTIC BUSHING ON EITHER CABLE COULD BREAK DUE TO ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES COUPLED WITH VIBRATION. IF THE BUSHING BREAKS, THE OUTER CABLE HOUSING CAN SEPARATE FROM THE…
Consequence
THIS COULD CAUSE THE THROTTLE VALVE TO REMAIN PARTIALLY OPEN. IT HIS WERE TO OCCUR, THE CAR MIGHT NOT DECELERATE AS EXPECTED INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A SPRING STEEL CLIP ON THE OUTER TUBE OF EACH CABLE IN THE AREA OF THE ADJUSTING SCREW AND PLASTIC BUSHING. THE CLIP IS DESIGNED TO PREVENT THE OUTER TUBE FROM DISLODGING FROM THE BUSHING.
Complaints by component
SEATS
11
AIR BAGS
10
2crashes2injuries
SEAT BELTS
4
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
4
1fires
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
3
1crashes1fires2injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
3
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE
3
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
2
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
2
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER
2
Total complaints66
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The contact owned a 1997 bmw z3 roadster. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 mph, there was a multi-car rear-end accident involving two other vehicles after she fell asleep at the wheel and rear-ended the vehicle in front of her. The contact stated that no other passengers…”
“Vehicle jerks, shutters and pulls to the right. Rear sub frame and differential bushing failure.”
“The seat tracks of both the driver and passenger side of the vehicle allowed the seats to move at least 10mm forward and rearward under braking and acceleration. This movement causes a partial loss of control of the vehicle. *tr”
“Upon starting the car the air bag light came on and stayed on. This is the third time this has happened. The first two time it cost approximately $350 to repair. For this to happen a third time is indicative of a design fault.”
“My 1997 bmw z3 had the airbag light come on 2 years ago. The technician said it was caused by the seatbelt tensioner. He replaced it and all was fine. It's back on again. If this is as common to these models as I've heard why hasn't bmw had a recall to fix the problem. This is getting expensive. *tr”
“I turned the key to start the vehicle. It started normally. I put the car in neutral (5 speed trans.) to allow it to warm-up for about 2 minutes while I checked my voice mail on my phone. As I put the car in gear and looked out the windshield to pull out of my parking space, I saw dense white…”
“Passenger got into front seat and adjusted it down and back with the power seat controls. Airbag light illuminated and has been on ever since. I checked for broken or damaged wiring but found nothing obvious. Bmw is recalling many of their new cars, but it seems their old ones exhibit the same…”
“Seat rails do not lock properly thereby allowing seat(s) to slide forward during braking. Can potentially lead to loss of control of vehicle. *tr”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1997 BMW Z3 as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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