Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 02/06/2013 | 95000 | ||
| On february 6, 2013, at around 7am, i was driving south on the taconic state parkway near pleasantville, ny on my way to work . my electrical systems suddenly started to fail, and i heard a crackling noise from the backseat. i looked in my rear-view mirror and i saw flames in the backseat. i pulled over on the right shoulder right before the pleasantville exit. i struggled to exit my car because the seatbelt was stuck as the entire backseat of my car was engulfed with me inside. after it finally released , i exited the burning car in a daze. a good samaritan stopped to help me, whose name and contact information can be provided. she put me in her car and we each called 911. a nys trooper created a police report, which can be provided. as we waited for firemen, the car was engulfed in flames and blew up twice. one of my co-workers stopped to help me and witnessed the car blow up. i have pictures showing the car completely engulfed and the entire car charred and unrecognizable after the fire was extinguished. i am now aware that, after the incident took place, bmw issued its largest recall ever in the u.s. of approximately 504k vehicles, including the same year, make and model as my car. the recall stems from a faulty battery connection. importantly, the battery and the battery connection for bmws are in the trunk, which is where i believe the fire started in my car. as a result of numerous complaints and case studies, bmw had been aware of this battery-related defect on my car since 2010. i'm also aware that bmw has recalled other bmw models for a very similar battery issue that resulted in charring or fires in the bmws. the car is currently being held by traveler's insurance company and is available for your immediate inspection. | |||
| 06/02/2011 | 75000 | ||
| For a few months prior to june, vehicle electronics were flickering and key fobs were not working all the time. thought it might be battery in key fob (replaced) but that didn't work so i replaced car battery. still having issues took car to the dealership and they couldn't find any issues. a few weeks went by and on my way to work, car just shut off on the highway, i had to get over two lanes of traffic with dead car. i had the car towed to dealership. they found burnt power cable and fuse box. $1800 later car was repaired and there has been no electrical issues since. i heard from another dealership that the repair is something that started happening latley. yesterday 19 feb 2013 the recall notice came out on news, i hope i am reimbursed for repairs. cw | |||
| 02/07/2013 | 96000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2007 bmw 328xi. the contact stated that he attempted to open the door but it failed to open since there was no power in the vehicle. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included on any recalls. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 96,000. mah | |||
| 02/07/2013 | 96000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2007 bmw 328xi. the contact stated that he attempted to open the doors but it failed to open since there was no power in the vehicle. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included on any recalls. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 96,000. pm | |||
| 01/27/2013 | 48000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2007 bmw 328 xi. the contact stated that while parked, the remote key fob failed to unlock all of the doors and the key had to be used to manually unlock the doors. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact that the vehicle was not included in any recalls. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was 48,000. kmj | |||
| 01/27/2013 | 48000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2007 bmw 328 xi. the contact stated that while parked, the remote failed to unlock all the doors of the vehicle and the key had to be used. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for a diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated the vehicle was not included in any recalls. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage and current mileage was 48,000. dr | |||
| 01/15/2013 | 61500 | 1 | |
| I was leaving my place of employment when the vehicle cut out with no electrical power and the engine died. it restarted and i went home. the next morning the vehicle had no power and would not start. upon investigation, the battery in the trunk had 12.60 volts and the fuses at the power distribution center/box had only 2.80 volts. with a screw driver i moved the large red battery cable going to the back of the pdc and all the lights came on. i subseqeuntly removed the pdc and inspected the main power lead. the terminal was corroded has a relatively loose fit and just clips to the back of the pdc, even though it is a large gauge wire. *tr | |||
| 01/15/2013 | 61500 | ||
| I was leaving my place of employment when the vehicle cut out with no electrical power and the engine died. it restarted and i went home. the next morning the vehicle had no power and would not start. upon investigation, the battery in the trunk had 12.60 volts and the fuses at the power distribution center/box had only 2.80 volts. with a screw driver i moved the large red battery cable going to the back of the pdc and all the lights came on. i subseqeuntly removed the pdc and inspected the main power lead. the terminal was corroded has a relatively loose fit and just clips to the back of the pdc, even though it is a large gauge wire. | |||
| 11/14/2011 | |||
| My 2007 bmw 328xi completely powered down while i was driving. i was forced to coast into a side lane on a busy road during the first occurrence. since this first incident my car has been having this same exact issue - recently, much more frequently. i feel as if this is an incredibly dangerous issue since this has happened while i have been driving on incredibly busy streets and i could have easily gotten into some form of an accident. | |||
| 10/03/2012 | 105000 | ||
| I own a 07 bmw 328xi, on 10/03/12 i got out of my car and tried locking it and only two doors locked. the doors would not unlock with the fob or the door switch located in the car. in order to get into car i had to climb over the passangers seat and when it was time to get out the same had to happen. i called my local dealer and they told me that it was a actuator problem, so asked if there was anything i could do to get the doors unlocked till my appt. i made. he proceeded to tell me no and upon reading some forums he could have said use the key hidden in the fob to unlock the door or check the #57 fuse which controls the locks. unfortunatly, i pretty dissapointed with my dealer because he could have potently put me in a dangerous situation, he could have told me these things but he choice to say nothing to get me in there. this is a know problem with bmw's and could be a dangerous problem if the car was to run off the road in a body of water and the person has to over seats to get because of the drivers door not being able to open. | |||
| 09/05/2012 | 38000 | 1 | |
| 91 year old person could not get out of the car, fuse 57 failed and all doors were locked and also door handles and key fob were inoperative. bmw should have a mandatory recall for this dangerous safety issue. if an accident occurs, people could be trapped in the car. what a disgrace bmw! *tr | |||
| 09/05/2012 | 38000 | ||
| 91 year old person could not get out of the car, fuse 57 failed and all doors were locked and also door handles and key fob were inoperative. bmw should have a mandatory recall for this dangerous safety issue. if an accident occurs, people could be trapped in the car. what a disgrace bmw | |||
| 11/02/2011 | 85000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2007 bmw 328xi. the contact stated that the vehicle was equipped with a keyless ignition start and the engine would not start. in addition, the battery failed to jump start. after waiting forty eight hours the engine started upon engaging the push button ignition. the failure occurred six times. on a separate occasion when driving the engine stalled without warning and restarted immediately. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis. there was no trouble detected. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 85,000. kmj | |||
| 11/02/2011 | 85000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2007 bmw 328xi. the contact stated the vehicle was equipped with a keyless ignition and the engine would not start. in addition, the battery failed to jump start. after waiting forty eight hours the engine started upon engaging the push button ignition. the failure occurred six times. on a separate occasion when driving the engine stalled without warning and restarted immediately. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis. there was no trouble detected. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 85,000. js | |||
| 03/01/2011 | 31000 | ||
| The recall announced in the new york times today (http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/26/bmw-recalls-nearly-1-3-million-vehicles-worldwide-for-battery-cable-flaw/?nl=automobiles&emc=edit_ws_20120327) announcing a recall of 6-series and 5-series bmws also potentially affected 2007 3-series bmws as well. at about 31000 miles, i began experiencing flickering headlights. the dealer diagnosed as a loose battery connection. the battery had never been changed/removed, so it should not have had a connection issue. just thought you should know so if 3-series complaints are common you open up the investigation to explore the issue in 3-series designs.... i was lucky, caught it before damage/fire occurred. | |||
| 09/19/2011 | |||
| Car locks but then will not unlock, i have to manually unlock the driver door. passenger doors will not unlock at all. this has happened to me twice, the fuse keeps blowing out. i have changed the fuse twice in 3 months. i have looked this problem up online and this seems to be a major problem for the 2007 bmw 328xi. this is obviously a huge safety problem and needs to be addressed. i have two children and the thought of something happening where we are unable to get out of the car frightens me. | |||
| 09/03/2011 | 30122 | ||
| Doors remained in locked position and would not respond to remote on fob or cental door control internally. driver, passenger, and rear doors would not open manuallly once door latch depressed. driver door only opened through window to allow passengers in front and rear seats to exit. obviously, very difficult to exit. after initial incident, no passengers could ride in car until issue was resolved. | |||
| 09/16/2011 | 51000 | ||
| I have a 2007 328xi that currently has 51,000 miles. it is the second time that my locks in the vehicle have failed. the locks previously failed around 30,000 miles and were replaced under warranty, but now out of warranty i will be left to foot the bill myself. in the most recent incident, i was unable to unlock the car using the key fob or the button on the dash. i found myself locked in the vehicle and had to exit through the driver's window. luckily, i was able to unlock the car from the outside using the valet key. the windows and trunk works, but the locks do not. when i press the lock and unlock button on the key fob and dash, i hear an audible sound as the car is trying to lock/unlock but the actuators in the doors do not function. it is a serious safety hazard if passengers cannot exit the vehicle for any reason. please initiate an investigation and recall immediately. bmw engineers must design new locking system components that are not defective and do not fail every 20,000 miles. | |||
| 11/01/2010 | 56000 | ||
| I have a 1999 bmw 328i that i purchased in 2005 for $25,000 i just purchased a 2007 bmw 328xi on may with 54k miles on 11/1/10 it turned out that i bought a $35,000 death trap with the doors not opening or the gas tank to take it to the dealership so now it just sits there in my driveway. my 1999 with still does that same problem but off and on not like this 2007 death trap. i'm never ever buying a bmw again. | |||
| 05/31/2009 | 24000 | 1 | |
| Earlier this year i went on a weekend trip with my family: my wife on the front passenger seat, on the rear seat my sister and my two and a half year old niece on her car seat. when we arrived to our destination none of the passenger doors would open; they were completely shut and they would not open with the internal controls, the remote or in any other way. only the drivers | |||
| 01/10/2008 | 12000 | 1 | |
| Since approximately jan./2008 the service engine soon light on my 2007 bmw 328xi comes on and off periodically at approximately two week intervals. i have had the bmw service dept. look at it five(5) times to no avail. the danger lies in the compulsion to ignore a real problem because of so many false indications, leading to a catastrophic failure on a public road resulting in injuries. internet blogs report possible instructions by parent company bmw for service depts. to ignore the problem deliberately. *tr | |||
| 02/16/2007 | 4000 | 3 | 11/22/2006 |
| The 2007 bmw 328xi coupe's service engine soon light comes on all the time, and the electronic engine oil dipstick (no manual dipstick in this car) often reports an incorrect reading of add engine oil. these problems are dangerous as the engine service light can indicate any of a wealth of dangerous faults, and adding engine oil when the engine is full can create a hazard of splashing and/or burning of the skin. it seems that the engine oil is almost always full despite the warning. nevertheless it is reasonable for an owner to wrongfully add oil and thereby injure himself as the manufacturer's specifications indicate that one quart of oil may need to be added every 750 miles. my conversations with bmw owners in similar positions indicate that this problem is not isolated but rather is an epidemic. when the car is brought into the bmw service department all they do is change the oil and reset the service engine soon light. i have been told by the bmw technician that bmw is aware of these problems in this model, but that the service department is only authorized to take these measures and not make any repairs. the same exact problem(s) reappear in part or in whole a few days later. this recurrence is also not an isolated circumstance, but rather borne by many owners of this particular model. not only does this defect render the vehicle dangerous, it also severely limits the consumer's (myself included) use. *nm | |||