AI Damage1990 BMW 325I: common problems
Owners of the 1990 BMW 325I filed 5 complaints with NHTSA, most often about vehicle speed control and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 5
- involving a crash
- 1
What fails most often
- 1 Vehicle speed control 60% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 20% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 20% of all complaints
- Vehicle speed control: 3 complaints (60% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 1 complaints (20% of all).
- Electrical system: 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle speed control | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 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.
Consumer put on seatbelt, started the car put in reverse, and car jerked and took off backwards very fast. Went across to yards, and still rmp's were revving very high. Vehicle crashed into a tree on drivers side. Car had to be towed. Mechanic said that throttle was not stuck.
A month ago, resuming the cruise setting on the cruise control resulted in the speed just accelerating to way beyond the cruise speed. Tried to take it out of gear resulting in the engine just revving up. Put it back into gear and it continued racing and accelerating.
Driving the vehicle the check engine light comes on and the engine cuts out for a second as well the the gauges on the right side of the cluster fail. I have had the vehicle to three diffrent mechanics two bmw specialist and one and authorized dealer and none have been able to locate the cause of this problem.
Consumer's cruise control would not disengage, auto was traveling approx. 65-70 mph. Consumer finally slammed on brakes and was able to pull the auto to the shoulder, and after sitting with both feet on brakes while auto was still revving and accelerating.
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
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1990 BMW 325I?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: vehicle speed control, air bags, electrical system. Total complaints: 5. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: jerking, harsh shifts (20%), seat belts (20%), warning lights, check engine (20%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1990 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 1990 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 1990 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.