- Vehicles
- 375,000
- Built between
- Jan 1983 – Jan 1993
- Models
- 3
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 4 June 1993
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between January 1983 and January 1993. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1984-1985, 1991-1992 BMW 318Built January 1983 to January 1993
- 1984-1993 BMW 325Built January 1983 to January 1993
- 1988-1991 BMW M3Built January 1983 to January 1993
What the defect is
The malfunction or failure of a coolant system component results in significantly increased coolant temperature and a resulting increase in system pressure.
What could happen
Vehicles operated under this increased cooling systempressure condition can suffer damage or failure of parts of the cooling systemsuch as (1) leakage from a coolant hose, (2) leakage of the radiator orexpansion tank, (3) disconnection of a hose from a pipe or a fitting, and (4)CRACKS in the heater core end piece resulting in coolant leakage. In some cases,boiling coolant can contact the lower right leg of the driver resulting inburns. Also, escaping coolant in the passenger compartment can cause vaporfogging of the interior surface of the windows, reducing driver visibility.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A THERMOSTATIC BYPASS VALVE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT TO CONTROL COOLANT TEMPERATURE IN THE HEATER CORE. ALSO, A NEW DESIGN RADIATOR CAP WILL BE INSTALLED, TO CONTROL PRESSURE AND PROVIDE GREATER COOLANT OVERFLOW IN THE EVENT OF OVERHEATING.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJanuary 1983 to January 1993
- Recall reported to NHTSA1 February 1993
- Owners notified4 June 1993
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 1 February 1993.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE
- Recall initiated by
- ODI
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
System: coolant system.vehicle description: passenger cars.
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.