Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | ||||||||||||||||
| 13V044000 | BMW of North America, LLC | from 03/01/2007 to 10/01/2011 | V (Vehicle) | 504545 | MFR | BMW of North America, LLC | 02/07/2013 | 02/12/2013 | ||||||||
| Defect Summary | Bmw is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 1-series coupes and convertibles manufactured december 2007 through july 2011; and 2007-2011 3-series coupes and convertibles manufactured march 2007 through july 2011; 2007-2011 3-series sedans manufactured march 2007 through october 2011; 2007-2011 3-series sports wagons manufactured march 2007 through june 2011; and 2009-2011 z4 vehicles manufactured march 2009 through june 2011. the connector for the positive battery cable connector and the corresponding terminal on the fuse box may degrade over time. over time, the high current flow and heat from electrical resistance may lead to a breakage of the connection, and a loss of electrical power to the vehicle. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | If there is a loss of electrical power to the vehicle, the vehicle may unexpectedly stall, increasing the risk of a crash. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Bmw will notify owners, and dealers will replace the positive battery cable connector and secure it with an improved method, free of charge. the recall is expected to begin in march 2013. owners may call bmw at 1-800-525-7417 or email bmw at customerrelations@bmwusa.com. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov. | |||||||||||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 11/06/2012 | 121000 | 1 | |
| Battery seemed to have drained...when given a jump and power was restored, the car had a the steering locked light up red. the car turned on for a few times and now it doesn't turn on at all. there seems to be power in the car as everything lights up but when attempting to start nothing happens and the only light on the dashboard is the one of the steering locked in red!!!! this has to be a defect!!! *tr | |||
| 10/29/2012 | 38000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2007 bmw 328i. the contact stated that when entering or exiting the vehicle with the use of the key fob or manually, the four power door locks would not unlock however, the front driver's side door would unlock manually with the key. the vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 38,000. kmj | |||
| 10/29/2012 | 38000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2007 bmw 328i. the contact stated the four power door locks would not unlock whenever entering or exiting the vehicle with the use of a key fob or manually. however, the front driver's door would unlock manually with a key. the defect was permanent. the vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 38,000.js | |||
| 09/10/2012 | 97500 | 1 | |
| Electric steering lock light on my 2007 bmw 328i coupe comes up in red and car won't start... initially thought it was the battery but after getting a jump start and the power flickered off and on different features in the car the car never started, the key fob kept being rejected from the ignition box and the car eventually went dead. i had to manually lock and unlock doors and left it sitting over night. the car was jump start again the next day and radio, lights, trunk, door locks, and seat belts, etc. appear to be working fine electronically but the car still would not start... the brakes feel tight and the steering column is tight but clicks when turn left and right (feels semi-engaged if that's possible)... was wondering if the battery is just low and doesn't trigger the steering wheel lock? should we disconnect the battery and reconnect or replace to see if it triggers the electric steering wheel lock? the issue with the battery has happened on several other occasions and the steering wheel lock light came up yellow however the car started in the past after jump starting. this appears to be a known problem and i?m formally complaining if this is the case for i?m trying to avoid any unnecessary costly repairs such as replacing the steering column or reprogramming in any way possible if a known fix is available or faulty product is the cause. i also feel this is definitely a potential safety hazard :-/ *tr | |||
| 09/10/2012 | 97500 | ||
| Electric steering lock light on my 2007 bmw 328i coupe comes up in red and car won't start... initially thought it was the battery but after getting a jump start and the power flickered off and on on different features in the car the car never started, the key fob kept being rejected from the ignition box and the car eventually went dead. i had to manually lock and unlock doors and left it sitting over night. the car was jump start again the next day and radio, lights, trunk, door locks, and seat belts, etc. appear to be working fine electronically but the car still would not start... the brakes feel tight and the steering column is tight but clicks when turn left and right (feels semi-engaged if that's possible)... was wondering if the battery is just low and doesn't trigger the steering wheel lock? should we disconnect the battery and reconnect or replace to see if it triggers the electric steering wheel lock? the issue with the battery has happened on several other occasions and the steering wheel lock light came up yellow however the car started in the past after jump starting. this appears to be a known problem and i | |||
| 08/15/2012 | 44500 | 1 | |
| A copy of an email to bmw: i have been reasonably happy with my 2007 328i until the electronic locks failed. i could not get in my car except with a key. i couldn't open any door except the driver's door even from the inside! if i had an emergency both my passengers and i would have been trapped. when i looked online, i found that my problem was not at all unique many others have experienced the same issue with failing actuators. what troubles me is not the failure of a part (though i do expect better of bmw), but the fact that my family's safety was potentially compromised. more importantly, bmw has not addressed this issue with corrective parts and procedures so, i am told that if this happens again, i could still find myself trapped in my car after an accident. i expected better with the purchase of a bmw. i am profoundly disappointed that bmw does not think enough of its customer's safety to appropriately address and correct this issue so that there are always mechanical overrides of the electrical system. perhaps you have decided, like ford did 40 years ago with the pinto, that the costs of settling a few wrongful death claims is cheaper than correcting a safety design defect. in lieu of a proactive action on your part, i have filed a complaint with the nhtsa. *tr | |||
| 08/15/2012 | 44500 | ||
| A copy of an email to bmw: i have been reasonably happy with my 2007 328i until the electronic locks failed. i could not get in my car except with a key. i couldn't open any door except the driver's door even from the inside! if i had had an emergency both my passengers and i would have been trapped. when i looked online, i found that my problem was not at all unique | |||
| 07/20/2012 | 57000 | 1 | |
| A blown fuse caused the door unlocking mechanism to fail, trapping occupants in the car. the doors could not be opened by any means, as the failure also disabled the normal mechanism by which pulling on an interior door handle released the associated lock. the sole exception is that the driver's door could be opened by rolling down the window, and reaching out awkwardly through the window to the exterior door handle with the mechanical auxiliary key. however, the only exit available to backseat passengers was through the windows, assuming the passengers were small enough to fit through them. neither of these modes of egress would be satisfactory if exit needed to be quick. fortunately, this particular failure happened to my family while the car was safely parked. in the event of a collision or fire that required rapid evacuation of the vehicle, however, this would be a potentially life threatening situation. ideally, the locks should be mechanically linked to the door handles so that an electrical failure would not render it impossible to open the doors. absent that, at least having individual fuses for each lock actuator would leave three functioning doors if one failed. *tr | |||
| 07/20/2012 | 57000 | ||
| A blown fuse caused the door unlocking mechanism to fail, trapping occupants in the car. the doors could not be opened by any means, as the failure also disabled the normal mechanism by which pulling on an interior door handle released the associated lock. the sole exception is that the driver's door could be opened by rolling down the window, and reaching out awkwardly through the window to the exterior door handle with the mechanical auxiliary key. however, the only exit available to backseat passengers was through the windows, assuming the passengers were small enough to fit through them. neither of these modes of egress would be satisfactory if exit needed to be quick. fortunately, this particular failure happened to my family while the car was safely parked. in the event of a collision or fire that required rapid evacuation of the vehicle, however, this would be a potentially life threatening situation. ideally, the locks should be mechanically linked to the door handles so that an electrical failure would not render it impossible to open the doors. absent that, at least having individual fuses for each lock actuator would leave three functioning doors if one failed. | |||
| 06/16/2012 | 73542 | ||
| I drove my car approximately 2 miles then got home and turned my car off. 10 minutes later i look out the window and my car is on fire. the fire dept. stated that the fire started around the passenger side headlight and that it looked like an electrical fire. | |||
| 06/05/2012 | |||
| Suddenly all 3 doors (except one passenger door) fail to unlock and even the inside door knob wouldn't unlock the door. it ssems to be a very well known problem but bmw wouldn't fix the problem before it happens, and my warranty period is over. | |||
| 04/23/2012 | |||
| 2007 328i -- i was driving thru my neigborhood in nyc and the car suddenly shut down completely; no power, no brakes, absolutely nothing at all.. and the thing is no warnings ever showed up.. i hope everyone who's had problems like this reports them to bwm because this is unacceptable and extremely dangerous. i'm lucky i was driving locally and there weren't any cars around because it was the scariest thing i've ever experienced driving a car. hope bmw steps up before something catastrophic happens, like toyota had them. | |||
| 04/11/2012 | |||
| Model: 2007 bmw 328i. the electronic door actuators failed. as a result, it became impossible to open any door of the vehicle from the inside, except the driver's door. when these electronic door actuators fail, passengers are trapped in or out of the vehicle. the service advisor at the dealership (weatherford bmw, berkeley, california) explained that he new exactly what was wrong with my vehicle because they received a bulletin regarding this (meaning this is a known issue to bmw with this model car! my question was if bmw has received major complaints about this particular issue, why wouldnt it be recalled...he advised me that are normally pertained to safety, well what would you consider this situation...safe? $900.00 was my quote to have this fixed! ridiculous!!! we strongly suggest that this defect be investigated, and that the subject vehicles be recalled so that the defect can be corrected before deaths or injuries occur. | |||
| 07/28/2011 | 68000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2007 bmw 328i. the contact stated that the actuator failed on all four doors of the vehicle and none of the doors would open from the exterior or interior. the failure also prevented the door to the fuel tank from being opened. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the actuators were replaced. the failure mileage was 68,000 and the current mileage was 74,000. kmj | |||
| 07/28/2011 | 68000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2007 bmw 328i. the contact stated the actuator failed on all four doors of the vehicle. the contact stated that no doors on the vehicle would open from the outside or inside. the failure also prevented the door to the fuel tank form opening. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and the actuators were replaced. the contact feels this is a safety issue and manufacturers defect. the failure mileage was 68,000 and the current mileage on the vehicle was 74,000.rl | |||
| 08/17/2011 | 28300 | ||
| Door lock actuator failure: front door lock actuators failed disallowing exit from all doors except the driver's side front door. passengers could only exit the vehicle by crawling out of the driver's side front door. the front passenger door and both rear doors could not be opened by using the interior or exterior doorhandles. furthermore, the electrical system disallowed any unlocking of these three doors as well. fortunately, the car was not involved in an accident during this door lock actuator failure. during the time of this incident, two people were in the car. the consequences of not having doors which can open from the inside of the car could prove deadly in an accident. a letter was written to bmw of north america, llc by the owner of this car in this report and their response on october 7th, 2011 was, we have no response. | |||
| 08/16/2011 | 69000 | ||
| There is a defect with the electronic steering wheel lock. the warning light came on, but the car functioned normally despite the owner's manual saying the car would not start. i thought it was a defective light, until i tried to start my car one morning. the electronic steering wheel lock would not disengage, and i had to get the car towed. it appears to be a complex problem as bmw dealer mechanincs can only tell me that the steering column needs to be replaced. they will not tell me why it needs to be replaced or what is causing the problem. estimates for repair have been between $1300 and $1800 depending on the dealer. i understand that cars break down but, after visiting bmw forums on the internet, it is plain to see that this is a known defect that bmw refuses to fix. one posting did indicate that the steering wheel locked up while the car was being driven causing a dangerous situation, but, in my case, the car was parked. this defect does pose to car owners a great inconvenience with possible unsafe consequences depending on the circumstances surrounding the car owner getting stranded. furthermore, once stranded, the owner has little choice but to get it towed most likely to a bmw dealership and pay the large repair bill. (i tried an indy bmw specialist first. he could not fix it or even determine why it was occurring.) i am filing this complaint in the hope that any subsequent investigation by the nhtsa will reveal that bmw has let a known defect persist. once that is discovered, bmw should be required to fix the defect and reimburse owners who have had to pay for a costly repair. | |||
| 08/26/2011 | 42000 | ||
| My door locks failed to unlock (with both the remote entry and the door lock switch located in the car) with the exception of the driver side door using the manual key turn. this was repaired by replacing the door lock actuators, under warranty. | |||
| 09/10/2011 | 38200 | ||
| The doors failed to unlock with the key fob. only way to enter was with the key into the drivers door. the other doors failed to unlock from the inside, both by using the handle and the unlock button on the dash. apparently, the door lock actuators are drawing more current flow and burning the 15a fuse installed. a bmw sb says to replace with a 20a fuse, however, the problem still exists. this creates an unsafe condition, in that no passenger(s) can exit the vehicle, and nobody, such as emergency personnel, can enter from the outside. the fuse isn't the answer, bmw knows about this problem and should deal with it in a manner that promotes safety of passengers, not profits for the dealers. | |||
| 06/21/2011 | 53000 | ||
| My doors have locked and will not unlock without a very expensive repair. i have to use the internal key from the key fob to unlock the driver door but there is no way to unlock any of the other doors. this is extremely dangerous as the other doors will not even unlock from inside the car. also if you plan on having any passengers they all have to get in through the driver door, if in an accident they have to get out of the driver door, this is absolutely ridiculous and was expensive to fix! | |||
| 09/10/2011 | 38200 | ||
| The doors failed to unlock with the key fob. only way to enter was with the key into the drivers door. the other doors failed to unlock from the inside, both by using the handle and the unlock button on the dash. apparently, the door lock actuators are drawing more current flow and burning the 15a fuse installed. a bmw sb says to replace with a 20a fuse, however, the problem still exists. this creates an unsafe condition, in that no passenger(s) can exit the vehicle, and nobody, such as emergency personnel, can enter from the outside. the fuse isn't the answer, bmw knows about this problem and should deal with it in a manner that promotes safety of passengers, not profits for the dealers. | |||
| 06/21/2011 | 53000 | ||
| My doors have locked and will not unlock without a very expensive repair. i have to use the internal key from the key fob to unlock the driver door but there is no way to unlock any of the other doors. this is extremely dangerous as the other doors will not even unlock from inside the car. also if you plan on having any passengers they all have to get in through the driver door, if in an accident they have to get out of the driver door, this is absolutely ridiculous and was expensive to fix! | |||
| 09/10/2011 | 38200 | ||
| The doors failed to unlock with the key fob. only way to enter was with the key into the drivers door. the other doors failed to unlock from the inside, both by using the handle and the unlock button on the dash. apparently, the door lock actuators are drawing more current flow and burning the 15a fuse installed. a bmw sb says to replace with a 20a fuse, however, the problem still exists. this creates an unsafe condition, in that no passenger(s) can exit the vehicle, and nobody, such as emergency personnel, can enter from the outside. the fuse isn't the answer, bmw knows about this problem and should deal with it in a manner that promotes safety of passengers, not profits for the dealers. | |||
| 06/21/2011 | 53000 | ||
| My doors have locked and will not unlock without a very expensive repair. i have to use the internal key from the key fob to unlock the driver door but there is no way to unlock any of the other doors. this is extremely dangerous as the other doors will not even unlock from inside the car. also if you plan on having any passengers they all have to get in through the driver door, if in an accident they have to get out of the driver door, this is absolutely ridiculous and was expensive to fix! | |||
| 07/30/2011 | 69640 | ||
| 2007 bmw 328i key fob no longer locks/unlocks all doors. this is a severe safety hazard. this has happened more than twice already. if there were an accident or if passengers were in the car, they would have to go out of the car through the car windows. only the manual key opens the driver's side door. | |||
| 07/07/2011 | 53000 | ||
| My doors have locked and will not unlock without a very expensive repair. i have to use the internal key from the key fob to unlock the driver door but there is no way to unlock any of the other doors. | |||
| 07/09/2011 | 63000 | ||
| In june of 2011 my bmw328i had intermittent start. i sent the vehicle to a dealer for service in fremont. i was told that the vehicle did not start because of the battery. battery was replaced at this time. two days later, the vehicle did not start again, after testing it was determined by fremont dealer that the problem was a faulty negative battery cable. after cable replacement, today problem occurs again. | |||
| 07/07/2011 | 53000 | ||
| My doors have locked and will not unlock without a very expensive repair. i have to use the internal key from the key fob to unlock the driver door but there is no way to unlock any of the other doors. | |||
| 07/09/2011 | 63000 | ||
| In june of 2011 my bmw328i had intermittent start. i sent the vehicle to a dealer for service in fremont. i was told that the vehicle did not start because of the battery. battery was replaced at this time. two days later, the vehicle did not start again, after testing it was determined by fremont dealer that the problem was a faulty negative battery cable. after cable replacement, today problem occurs again. | |||
| 02/05/2011 | 68259 | ||
| Red steering wheel and padlock warning indicator light is on - steering wheel will not lock. the most common issue with this fault can cause a no start condition. the no start condition can arise and the steering wheel could lock while driving. this is the second failure within 4 years and common in bmw's (see thread: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=316722 *and thread: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=147586) | |||
| 04/01/2008 | 4 | ||
| My 2007 328i has been in the service department a total of 4 times (that i have paperwork on, it might be more). i have had major mechanical problems with the most recent being electrical. my key will not open any of the doors, i have to use the valet key to get inside. once i get inside the button on the dash that opens and locks the doors was unresponsive as well. when this started the drivers side mirror also became unresponsive and would not adjust, i can't adjust it to see the road and have almost been in 2 accidents. the same day the air conditioning, which i had set on 60, turned itself to 84 blowing full blast. that is actually the second time this year that the air conditioning has automatically turned to the heater. short list of other issues: recurrent break squeaking, oil sensor and engine harness wires breaking, and problems accelerating. the computer software malfunctioned as well (another electrical issue which was causing the car to malfunction). after the brake pads & sensors were replaced, the brakes sound the same to this day, horribly squeaky almost grinding. the front driver & passenger windows have a mysterious electrical malfunction. they will cease to go up or down. i hold the window button in the up position, the window will roll up an inch then stop. i will have to do this several more times before the window will go up or down. my car goes in again tomorrow am. this time i even mentioned that if i did have passengers in the vehicle and we had gotten in an accident, or worse yet the car catches on fire, my passengers would be trapped. the service advisor didn't seem to care. i can't drive my friends or family anywhere for fear they will be stuck in the vehicle if an accident occurred. as well, i'm not going to ask my parents, who are in their 50's, to crawl through a window to get in or out of my vehicle. my car has been out of commission for me at least 30 days since i've owned it. *tr | |||
| 07/03/2008 | 12000 | 1 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 bmw 328i. the contact stated that the vehicle has an electronic interior latch assembly that does not allow passengers to manually open the doors. while passengers were occupying the vehicle, there was an experienced an electrical shortage that caused the latch assembly to fail. as a result, the passengers could not exit the vehicle. he took the vehicle to the dealer and a technician repaired the open circuit in the fuse box. he notified the manufacturer and is waiting for a response. the failure and current mileages were 12,000. updated 10/16/08. *lj updated 10/17/08. *jb | |||