Recall Register

1978 BMW 320I: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 1978 BMW 320I. The newest campaign is 80V076000. NHTSA received the report on 19 Jun 1980. The NHTSA record gives the component Vehicle Speed Control / Springs. NHTSA has 2 complaints on file for this model year. 1 NHTSA investigation names this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 80V076000, in the NHTSA record

Dealer will replace the throttle return damper sleeves with new sleeves of high temperature-resistant plastic material.
NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.

NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on . Complaint file through . Recall file through .

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

4 campaigns, newest first. 132,600 units in total.

  • 80V076000Vehicle Speed Control / Springs
  • 78V074000Electrical System / Wiring / Front Underhood
  • 78V061000Fuel System, Gasoline / Fuel Injection System
  • 78V056000Tires

  1. 80V076000Received . 66,600 units.

    Vehicle Speed Control / Springs

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    When subjected to the extremely high temperatures that can occur in the engine compartment, the damper sleeves which cover the return springs of the accelerator control system can deform and prevent their returning the throttle to idle position after release of the accelerator pedal.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Dealer will replace the throttle return damper sleeves with new sleeves of high temperature-resistant plastic material.

    Report filed by BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  2. 78V074000Received . 28,819 units.

    Electrical System / Wiring / Front Underhood

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    The hex head bolt that connects the main wiring harness to terminal #30 may not have been tightened to the proper torque.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    The dealer will remove the fuse panel and retighten the 5-mm hex head bolt in the main power terminal underneath the fuse panel, without charge to owner.

    Report filed by BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  3. 78V061000Received . 32,500 units.

    Fuel System, Gasoline / Fuel Injection System

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Due to the high fuel flow rate in the fuel system, conditions of extreme altitude, temperatures, or fuel contamination, may lead to the formation of fuel vapor bubbles.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    The dealer will install an additional fuel pump in the right side of the fuel tank at no charge to owner.

    Report filed by BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  4. 78V056000Received . 4,681 units.

    Tires

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Due to a material stuctural defect, the rubber seal between the metal valve stem and rim allows slow seepage of air around the valve base.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    The dealer will replace defective metal tire valve stems and rubber seals with new ones, at no cost to the customer.

    Report filed by BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

2 complaints, 3 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. This model year has fewer than 50 component mentions, so the table shows the number of mentions only.

1978 BMW 320I: component mentions in complaints
ComponentMentions
Visibility2
Seat Belts1
Complaints that report a crash
0
Complaints that report a fire
0
Injuries in the complaints
2
Deaths in the complaints
0
Date of the newest complaint
2 Dec 2003

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 1978 BMW 320I, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 1999, with 1 complaint.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1978 BMW 320I
NumberTypeSubjectComponentOpenedClosedCampaign
DP78034Defect petitionSPARK PLUG FOULINGElectrical System2 May 197824 Jul 1978

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

  1. 19774
  2. 19784
  3. 19791
  4. 19800
  5. 19820
  6. 20001
  7. 20011
  8. 20021
  9. 20031
  10. 20041
  11. 20051
  12. 20123
  13. 20133
  14. 20147
  15. 20153
  16. 20160
  17. 20170
  18. 20180

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

Official channels

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1978 BMW 320I: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/bmw/320i/1978/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through .

Sources

Source
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence
US government work, public domain
Recall file through
30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through
30 Sep 2026
First complaint in the file
1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file
BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1978 BMW 320I?
132,600 units in 4 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the BMW 320I have for all model years?
NHTSA lists 13 recall campaigns for the BMW 320I, model years 1977 to 2018. 4 of them name the 1978 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1978 BMW 320I name most often?
Visibility: 2 of 3 component mentions.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1978 BMW 320I open?
No. The 1 investigation that names this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.