AI Damage1987 BMW 325I: common problems
Owners of the 1987 BMW 325I filed 5 complaints with NHTSA, most often about seat belts and engine and cooling. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 5
- involving a crash
- 1
What fails most often
- 1 Seat belts 40% of all complaints
- 2 Engine and cooling 20% of all complaints
- 3 Tires 20% of all complaints
- 4 Visibility 20% of all complaints
- Seat belts: 2 complaints (40% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (20% of all).
- Tires: 1 complaints (20% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Visibility: 1 complaints (20% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 5 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat belts | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
After one tire blewout and the car lost controll the other tire blewout as well.
Recall 93v015000, system component results in significant increase in coolant temperature, which results in increased system pressure. Dealership indicated to the consumer to call nhtsa.
Driver seatbelt appears to latch and makes latching sound and feel, but releases with very little force (about one pound or less). Seatbelt looks new. This is a serious safety issue.
Consumer smelled burning smell, pulled vehicle over to inspect when suddenly rear back window exploded/ broke. This defect could have caused injuries.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 14,282 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 39% most complained about).
On average one model year of the 325I has 66 complaints (21 years in the data). This year has 5, below average.
What to check before buying
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
- Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1987 BMW 325I?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: seat belts, engine and cooling, tires. Total complaints: 5. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (40%), smoke, burning smell, fire (20%), windows, sunroof (20%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1987 BMW 325I?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1987 BMW 325I from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1987 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.