What breaks most · 1998 to 2008 model years
BMW M Roadster problems by year
Owners have filed 66 safety complaints with NHTSA about the BMW M Roadster across model years 1998 to 2008. Three years stand out: 1998 for body and structure complaints, 2000 for body and structure complaints and 1999 for body and structure complaints. The quietest years are 2001.
- Years to check closely: 1998, 2000, 1999
- Fewest complaints: 2001
- Complaints on file
- 661998 to 2008, all trims
- Worst year
- 199819 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 41 fires · 0 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 70kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 0Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 1 | 0 | Body and structure (16) | |
| 18 | 0 | 0 | Body and structure (9) | |
| 19 | 1 | 0 | Body and structure (15) | |
| 4 | 2 | 0 | Engine and cooling (3) | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (2) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Engine (1) |
What fails on the 1998 BMW M Roadster
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 84% |
16 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 16% |
3 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Air bags | 11% |
2 | 1 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 5% |
1 | 0 | Shop all suspension parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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My bmw m roadster has sustained a massive chassis and subframe failure making the car unsafe to drive and inoperable.
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Separation of rear subframe making car unsafe to drive and resulting in $12,000 of repairs. Although evidently a well known and uderstood failure, it never resulted in a recall, and i was never advised of the issue by bmw, until th subframe was already separating, making the car unsafe to drive.
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While driving the car, the rear end fail and began to drag. After getting the car towed to the shop, it was noted the rear end subframe welds came lose. After contacting the insurance company they totaled the car out. I bought the car back and made repairs to the car that cost me $4000.00.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which BMW M Roadster years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1998, 2000, 1999 carry the most filings on the BMW M Roadster. The 1998 alone has 19 complaints, led by body and structure.
What is the most common BMW M Roadster problem?
On the 1998 model year, the most-reported component is body and structure with 16 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do BMW M Roadster problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all BMW M Roadster complaints that include mileage is about 70,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.