Model year record
1999 BMW M Coupe recalls & problems
The 1999 BMW M Coupe has no safety recalls on file with NHTSA, and 12 owner complaints. The most-reported problem area is structure (8 complaints).
Safety recalls
No safety recalls have been filed for the 1999 BMW M Coupe.
Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.
Fuel economy
M Coupe
| City / highway | 17 / 24 mpg |
|---|---|
| Fuel | Regular Gasoline |
3.2 L · 6 cyl · Manual 5-spd · Rear-Wheel Drive · about $3,350/year to fuel
EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.
What owners report
| Problem area | Complaints | Typical mileage* |
|---|---|---|
| StructureFrame and members; Frame and members › Underbody shields | 8 | 76,000 mi |
| Seats | 2 | — |
| Power trainDriveline › Differential unit | 2 | — |
| Latches/locks/linkagesDoors › Latch | 1 | — |
| Air bags | 1 | — |
| Equipment | 1 | — |
| Suspension | 1 | — |
*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.
Recent owner complaints
- Structure › Body
REAR SUBFRAME IS BEGINNING TO SEPARATE FROM THE BODY OF THE VEHICLE, POSSIBLY CONTRIBUTOR TO UNSAFE AND UNSTABLE HANDLING. FIRST NOTICED AFTER HAVING SERVICE 2 INTERVAL DONE IN 2009, BUT UPON MORE RESEARCH ONLINE MANY Z3 OWNERS ARE HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE REGARDLESS OF MODEL OR HOW IT'S DRIVEN. BROKEN SPOT WELD UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. TRYING TO CATCH IT EARLY ON BEFORE IT GETS WORSE. *TR
- Structure › Frame and members
SUBFRAME TEAR, SEPARATING OF TRUNK FLOOR FROM RAILS. *TR
- Structure › Frame and members
THE 1999 BMW M COUPE I OWN IS SUFFERING FROM A REAR SUBFRAME FAILURE. THE DIFFERENTIAL MOUNT AND REAR SUBFRAME ARE BECOMING DISCONNECTED FROM THE FRAME. VISUAL INSPECTIONS HAVE SHOWN THE SEPARATION. THIS WILL LEAD TO THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL BECOMING TOTALLY DISCONNECTED FROM THE CAR, LEADING TO A POSSIBLE ACCIDENT. THIS ISSUE IS CURRENTLY UNRESOLVED AS THE FIX WILL BE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. THERE ARE NUMEROUS DOCUMENTED CASES OF SUBFRAME FAILURES ON BMW Z3, M ROADSTER AND M COUPE MODELS. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A MANUFACTURER DEFECT THAT HAS NO BEEN ADDRESSES BY THE MANUFACTURER. THIS PRESENTS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. *NM
- Structure › Frame and members
THERE IS A CRASH RISK AS THE CAR'S SUBFRAME IS RAPIDLY TEARING AND THIS DESIGN FLAW COULD EVENTUALLY LEAD TO A LOSS OF CONTROL LEADING TOWARDS A CRASH. THE CAR INVOLVED IS A BMW M COUPE 1999. *NM
- Structure › Frame and members › Underbody shields
REAR SUBFRAME WELDS ARE FAILING. AS A RESULT, THE FLOOR IS TEARING FROM THE SUBFRAME. THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE CONTAINS DESCRIPTIONS AND PHOTOS OF MANY EXAMPLES OF THIS VERY ISSUE. HTTP://WWW.THELARGEGLASS.COM/BMW/SUBFRAME/. *JB
- Power train › Driveline › Differential unit
DIFFERENTIAL BRACKET AND SUBFLOOR ARE CRACKING AND TEARING APART AT THE WELD SEAMS AND SPOT WELDS. COULD LEAD TO UNPREDICTABLE HANDLING, ESPECIALLY DURING REGULAR DRIVING TURNS/HIGHWAY SPEEDS (INSTABILITY, ROUGH SHAKING, LOOSE CHASSIS KNOCKING). *AK
- Structure › Frame and members
SEPARATION OF FLOOR PAN WELDS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM IN AN UNCOMMON VEHICLE. I'M UNABLE TO PROVIDE A CAUSE, SINCE I AM THE THIRD OWNER, AND HAVE NEVER DRIVEN THE CAR AT IT'S INTENDED LIMITS. TO MY KNOWLEDGE, IT HAS NEVER BEEN RACED. SO FAR, I HAVE NOT REPAIRED THE PROBLEM.*AK
- Structure › Frame and members
SERIOUS CRACKING ALONG MULTIPLE BODY SEAMS IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT IN STRUT TOWER AREA AND IN THE REAR IN THE LOWER SUBFRAME AREA. *AK
Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.