2006 Bmw 330xi problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (40) · Electrical System (10) · Seat Belts (9)
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
81 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (6)
Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module 2024-07-03 · campaign 24V513000 · 394,029 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2006-2011 3 Series Sedan (324i, 325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 330i, 330xi, 335i, 335xi), 2006-2012 3 Series Sportswagon (325xi, 328i, 328xi), and 2009-2011 3 Series Sedan (335d) vehicles. The original steering wheel may have been replaced with a sport or M-sport steering wheel equipped with an inflator that can explode during deployment.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the driver's air bag module as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 30, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module 2020-01-15 · campaign 20V017000 · 59,965 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2008-2013 128i and 135i Convertibles, 128i, 135i, and M Coupes, 2007-2010 X3 30si and X3 xDrive30i, 2013-2015 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i and X1 xDrive35i, 2007-2013 328i, 328i xDrive, 335i, 335is, 335i xDrive and M3 Coupes, 2006-2011 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 325i, 325xi, 330i, 330xi, 335i, 335xi, 335i xDrive and M3, 2009-2011 335D, 2006-2012 325xi, 328i, 328xi and 328i xDrive, 2010-2011 X6 ActiveHybrid, 2007-2013 328i, 335i, 335is, M3 Coupes
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver air bag. On X5 and X6 vehicles, only the inflator will be replaced. All repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 11, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:emission Control:crankcase (Pcv) 2019-04-04 · campaign 19V273000 · 184,505 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2006 525i, 525xi, 530i, 530xi, 530xi Sports Wagon, 325i, 325xi, 325xi Sports Wagon, 330i, 330xi, Z4 3.0i and Z4 3.0si vehicles. The heater for the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve may short circuit.
Risk: An electrical short can cause the parts within the PCV valve to melt, increasing the risk of a fire, even when the vehicle is not in use.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the PCV valve heater, free of charge. The recall began May 30, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Note: This recall is an expansion to recall 17V-683.
Electrical System:wiring 2017-10-25 · campaign 17V676000 · 702,965 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2006-2011 323i, 325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 330i, 330xi, 335i, 335xi and M3, 2007-2011 328i xDrive, 335i xDrive and 335is and 2009-2011 335d vehicles. The wiring and electrical connectors for the system that controls air flow for the heating and air conditioning system may overheat.
Risk: Wiring that overheats could cause the electrical connectors to melt, and increase the risk of a fire, even when the vehicle is unattended.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the wiring and electrical connectors, free of charge. Interim letters were mailed on November 27, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when the remedy becomes available. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification 2017-07-06 · campaign 17V428000 · 2,158 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America, Inc. (BMW) is recalling certain 2006 325i, 325xi, 330i, 330xi, 525i, 525xi, 530i, 530xi, and 550i vehicles equipped with the Sport Seat option and certain 2006 525i, 525xi, 530i, 530xi, 550i vehicles with standard seats. The front passenger seat occupant detection mat that determines if, and how, the passenger frontal air bag should deploy in a crash may fatigue and develop cracks which could lead to a system failure.
Risk: Should the system fail, in the event of a crash, the front passenger air bag would be deactivated, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will repair the occupant detection mat to eliminate the possibility that it may crack, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began September 1, 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification 2013-11-12 · campaign 13V564000 · 76,565 vehicles
Defect: BMW of North America LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2006 325i, 325xi, 330i, 330xi sedans and 325xi sports wagons, model year 2007 328i, 328xi, 335i, 335xi sedans and 328i and 328xi sports wagons, model year 2006-2007 525i, 525xi, 530i, 530xi, 550i sedans and 530xi sports wagons, model year 2006 760i sedans, model year 2006-2007 750i, 750Li, and 760Li sedans, and model year 2006 X5 sports activity vehicles, equipped with certain seat types. The front passenger seat occupant detection
Risk: Should the system fail, in the event of a crash, the front passenger air bag would be deactivated, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Fix: BMW will notify owners with an interim notification letter in January 2014 since parts are not currently available. When parts are available, BMW sent a second letter in August and dealers will repair the occupant detection mat to eliminate the possibility that it may crack, free of charge. Additionally, owners of model year 2006-2007 3 Series with standard seats, 5 Series with comfort seats, and Z4 models, will receive an extended warranty on their front passenger seat occupant detection mat.
Service bulletins (108)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Visibility:power Window Devices And Controls 2024-01-16 · B510819 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.
Electrical System 2024-01-11 · B611305 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the electrical system of bmw vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. this has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. this document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle ã¢ââdischarged batteryã¢ââ complaints.
Structure 2022-06-01 · SIB510822 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
whistling noise is heard coming from the front bumper while driving at highway speeds.
Steering: Steering Wheel/Handle Bar 2021-04-01 · B340414 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
diagnosis of compound brake system complaints in m vehicles: 1. visible cracks are caused by high thermal stresses during rapid heating and cooling of the brake discs. braking from high speed with cold brake components (less than 212 degrees f) increases the likelihood of cracks to form.
Equipment Adaptive/Mobility 2020-10-01 · B611305 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
discharged battery energy diagnosis must be performed: the electrical system of bmw vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. this has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. this document covers important information for the dealer on how to
Engine And Engine Cooling 2020-09-01 · B110208 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
power reduction, fc2a82 intake vanos and/or fc2a87 exhaust vanos camshaft fault: the ?service engine soon? (mil) lamp is illuminated and engine power reduction is perceived. this situation can occur after driving for some time with the engine at full operating temperature. if theignition is cycled,
Showing the 6 most recent of 108 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-12-05 · Unknown Or Other · 🔥 fire““the pcv valve heater (positive crankcase ventilation heater) on my 2006 bmw 330xi failed and caused an engine bay electrical fire. this component is under an active bmw safety recall for fire risk. the failure happened suddenly while driving, with no prior warning lights or symptoms. smoke began coming from the engine area, followed by visible fla…”
2023-02-09 · Air Bags“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 …”
2022-12-14 · Engine And Engine Cooling“the contact owns a 2006 bmw 330xi. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 22v119000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the con…”
2022-07-05 · Air Bags · 123,100 mi“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 manufac…”
2022-07-05 · Engine And Engine Cooling“the contact owns a 2006 bmw 330xi. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 22v119000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the conta…”
2022-06-02 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 75,000 mi“the contact's brother owns a 2006 bmw 330xi. the contact stated while his mother was driving approximately 30-40 mph, she smelled a burning plastic odor and the vehicle started to overheat. there was no warning light illuminated. the contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. the coolant temperature warning light illuminate…”
2022-05-05 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 300,000 mi“the contact owns a 2006 bmw 330xi. the contact stated while driving 40 mph, the vehicle began to overheat. the check engine warning light, the coolant temperature warning light, and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. the contact veered to the side of the road and waited. the contact then continued driving. the contact stated that the fa…”
2021-11-26 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger“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 …”
2021-04-03 · Exterior Lighting · 160,640 mi“going through my newly purchased, used 2006 330xi, i found several warnings for front headlight malfunctions. further investigation showed adaptive functions were disabled and the left low beam was stuck pointing left. while the bulbs themselves were still functioning, the light was pointed directly at oncoming traffic and did not illuminate the ro…”
2020-12-08 · Engine“i didn't get any pictures. my sister has a 330 xi drive to denver at one point of the drive hurdle a pop in the car. where driving fast no pot holes hit. after further investigation with a mechanic friend of mine. we got under the car the car and noticed the passenger side axel was resting on the frame of the car. there where 3 motor mount bolts…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.