Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DIFFERENTIAL UNIT | |||||
| 260102 | 11/01/2002 | 10000606 | Whine noise from differential. *tt | 03/25/2003 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | ||||||
| EA12002 | BMW of North America, LLC | 04/10/2012 | 01/24/2013 | Vehicle Rollaway | 12V502000 | |
| In a letter dated october 16, 2012, bmw of north america, llc (bmw) submitted a defect information report (dir), nhtsa recall no. 12v-502 to nhtsa identifying a safety defect involving the possibility of unattended vehicle rollaway in my 2005 through 2008 bmw 7-series (approximately 45,000) vehicles equipped with the comfort access option.the comfort access option allows the driver to start and stop the engine (by pressing the engine start / stop button) without inserting the key fob into the vehicles key slot in the instrument panel.subject vehicles not equipped with the comfort access option require the key fob be inserted the key slot to start the engine.upon removal of the key from the key slot the vehicle will automatically shift to park if the driver has not done so using the gearshift lever.sunject vehicles equipped with the comfort access option are designed such that when the vehicle is stopped with the service brakes applied and the transmission in drive or reverse, the driver can push the engine start/stop button one time, stopping the engine and automatically shifting the transmission to park.in its dir, bmw identified a condition such that if the driver depressed the start-stop button multiple times in rapid succession, the transmission could shift to neutral instead of park.with the transmission in neutral, depending on the slope of the road, the vehicle could rollaway if unattended.in review of data submitted to the office of defects investigation (odi) and of reports submitted to bmw, odi identified 20 reports alleging vehicle rollaway involving vehicles equipped with comfort access.the vehicles identified in these reports are all subject to recall 12v-502.ten of these reports were identified as likely related to the defect described in recall 12v-502.two of the reports are likely related to other mechanical failures.the remaining 8 allegations of vehicle rollaway could not be associated with a specific cause.there are 32 reports alleging vehicle rollaway in the subject vehicles not equipped with the comfort access option.a vehicle based safety defect trend was not identified in these reports.subject vehicles not equipped the comfort access option will automatically shift to park once the key fob is removed from the key slot.in this regard these vehicles behave similarly to those with traditional mechanical keys where the key cannot be removed from the ignition unless the vehicle is shifted to park.the difference between these vehicles and the subject vehicles with the comfort access option is that in the comfort access equipped vehicles, the engine can be started and stopped without the key fob in the key slot.odi reports 10429922 and 10419177 noted in the ea opening resume were determined to be vehicles not equipped with the comfort access option and odi did not identify a vehicle based safety defect associated with these incidents.this investigation is closed.the odi report cited above can be reviewed at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/complaints under the following identification (odi) numbers:10185770 | ||||||
| PE11025 | BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC | 08/05/2011 | 04/23/2012 | Vehicle Rollaway | ||
| In response to the office of defects investigation's (odi) information request (ir) for pe11-025, bmw provided odi with 1 complaint and 46 field reports relating to either incidents of unattended vehicle rollaway or vehicle movement after the driver expected the vehicle gearshift to automatically shift to park. odi's analysis of the data provided by bmw identified 14 crashes and 5 alleged injuries. odi has also identified 3 additional reports in its database alleging vehicle rollaway incidents of which 2 resulted in crashes.the subject vehicles are all equipped with push-buttons (start/stop button) to control starting/stopping the engine and shift-by-wire gearshift systems controlled by a column mounted selector lever behind the steering wheel. the start/stop button also controls switching the ignition and the radio ready state on and off. shift-by-wire systems replace the traditional mechanical connection (e.g., cable or linkage) between the gearshift and automatic transmission with an electronic connection controlled by a computer module. when parking the vehicle, the driver has the capability to manually shift the vehicle to park by pressing the park button on the end of the electronic gearshift lever. however, the instructions for engine shutoff provided in the owner's manual state that pressing the start/stop button serves the dual function of switching off the engine and automatically shifting the transmission to park.in response to odi's information request for pe11-025, bmw described several circumstances where the subject vehicles may shift to neutral when the driver may expect it to automatically shift to park. first, for comfort access system (cas) vehicles, if the transmission is in neutral when the key fob is in the ignition slot and the start/stop button is pressed to shut-off the engine, the transmission will remain in neutral. this is referred to as the carwash mode and is a normal operating feature of the vehicles that is described in the owner's manual. bmw also described two circumstances that are not normal operating features and are not described in the owners' manual: (1) with the transmission in drive or reverse and the engine running, if the start/stop button is pushed 2 or 3 times within a 0.3 second to 0.5 second interval, the engine will stop and the transmission will shift to neutral; and 2) if the park button on the gearshift lever is pressed at the same time that the gearshift lever is actuated (i.e., toggled up or down) to select drive, reverse or neutral; the transmission will shift to neutral or remain in neutral.beginning in model year (my) 2005, bmw introduced cas as an optional feature package for the subject vehicles.the key for cas equipped vehicles is an electronic code that is sent to the engine control module by a remote transmitter (key fob). an optional docking port (key slot) is provided for driver convenience or to put the vehicle into car wash mode, which allows for engine shutoff in neutral. bmw sold approximately 45,000 subject vehicles with cas and approximately 94 percent of the cas equipped vehicles were produced from my 2006 through 2008. non-cas subject vehicles were produced from my 2002 through 2008 and require the remote control to be in the ignition slot located next to the start/stop button to start the engine.the 50 incidents identified by odi's analysis of complaints and field reports include 18 involving cas vehicles (39.6 incidents per 100,000 vehicles) and 32 involving non-cas vehicles (42.0 incidents per 100,000 vehicles). because the incidents are considered random events, the failure rates were also adjusted for vehicle exposure, resulting in rates of 7.9 and 5.5 incidents per 100,000 vehicle-years for the cas and non-cas vehicles, respectively.this investigation is being upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea12-002) to further assess the potential safety consequences of the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. | ||||||
| EA12002 | BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC | 04/10/2012 | Vehicle Rollaway | |||
| In response to the office of defects investigation's (odi) information request (ir) for pe11-025, bmw provided odi with 1 complaint and 46 field reports relating to either incidents of unattended vehicle rollaway or vehicle movement after the driver expected the vehicle gearshift to automatically shift to park.odi's analysis of the data provided by bmw identified 14 crashes and 5 alleged injuries.odi has also identified 3 additional reports in its database alleging vehicle rollaway incidents of which 2 resulted in crashes. the subject vehicles are all equipped with push-buttons (start/stop button) to control starting/stopping the engine and shift-by-wire gearshift systems controlled by a column mounted selector lever behind the steering wheel.the start/stop button also controls switching the ignition and the radio ready state on and off.shift-by-wire systems replace the traditional mechanical connection(e.g., cable or linkage) between the gearshift and automatic transmission with an electronic connection controlled by a computer module.when parking the vehicle, the driver has the capability to manually shift the vehicle to park by pressing the park button on the end of the electronic gearshift lever.however, the instructions for engine shutoff provided in the owner's manual state that pressing the start/stop button serves the dual function of switching off the engine and automatically shifting the transmission to park.in response to odi's information request for pe11-025, bmw described several circumstances where the subject vehicles may shift to neutral when the driver may expect it to automatically shift to park.first, for comfort access system (cas) vehicles, if the transmission is in neutral when the key fob is in the ignition slot and the start/stop button is pressed to shut-off the engine, the transmission will remain in neutral.this is referred to as the carwash mode and is a normal operating feature of the vehicles that is described in the owner | ||||||
| PE11025 | BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC | 08/05/2011 | Vehicle Rollaway Allegations | |||
| The office of defects investigation has received a complaint from a consumer alleging a rollaway incident with a model year (my) 2006 bmw 7-series vehicle after parking and exiting the vehicle.the complaint vehicle was equipped with bmw's comfort access electronic access and ignition system and an electronic transmission shifter with the gear selector mounted on the steering column.the shifter is designed to automatically shift the vehicle to park under a variety of conditions, including after the driver has pressed the ignition button to turn the engine off. early warning reporting data submitted to odi by bmw include field reports describing additional rollaway incidents in similarly equipped my 2002 through 2008 bmw 7-series vehicles.thus far, no cause has been identified for any of the rollaway incidents. a preliminary evaluation has been opened to assess the scope, frequency and causes of rollaway incidents in the subject vehicles. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 12/21/2012 | 122000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2002 bmw 745i. the contact stated that after parking and exiting the vehicle, the vehicle rolled away in reverse and crashed into another vehicle. no police report was filed and no injuries were reported. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in any recalls. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 122,000 and the current mileage was 123,000. kmj | |||
| 12/21/2012 | 122000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2002 bmw 745i. the contact stated that after parking and exiting the vehicle, it rolled backwards and crash into another vehicle. no police report was filed and no injuries were reported. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the technician was unable to diagnosed the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in any recalls. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 122,000 and the current mileage was 123,000. pm | |||
| 02/15/2013 | 140000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2002 bmw 745i. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the transmission skipped and jerked and failed to shift out of first gear. the dealer was notified who stated the transmission needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified who stated there was no recall. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 140,000. mah | |||
| 02/15/2013 | 140000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2002 bmw 745i. the contact stated while driving 30 mph the transmission skips and jerks and would not come out of first gear. the vehicle was taken to a mechanic shop who stated the transmission was slipping and needed to be replaced. the dealer was also notified who stated the transmission needed to be replaced at the cost of the contact. the manufacturer was notified who stated there was no recall and offered no assistance on the failure. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 140,000. mw | |||
| 06/01/2010 | 66000 | ||
| My bmw 745i 2002 with drive by wire six gear automatic transmission developed a rough shift, clunk in the lower gear ranges. in the lower gears, the vehicle sometimes down shifts unexpectedly resulting in a sudden drop in speed. this could cause an accident if someone was following to close behind, | |||
| 07/10/2010 | 102000 | ||
| After having my car serviced approximately three months prior to the incident and then complaining to the dealership after i picked it up from being seviced that my car was idling rough, i was advised by the service technician to change to texaco gas. i was going on vacation to virginia and was on i95 driving at approximately 60 miles per hour, when my car started shutting down in the fast lane as cars were traveling behind me at a high rate of speed. i was able to maneuver myself over to the side of the beltway before my car shut down completely and went into driver failsafe mode, which i had no idea what that meant. i was later told by a bmw dealership that the mechatronic unit went bad and they would have to replace the transmission to the tune of $9,000 with a remanufactured transmission, which i felt was obsured. i have done extensive research and they had numerous problems with that years model and especially with the transmissions that were built by gm. gm recalled other 2002 vehicles with those transmisisons in them, but bmw will not own up to the ultimate driving machines transmission failure. i feel that as a consumer who has invested a great deal of money for this luxury vechicle and who has also have maintained the service and upkeep, that my life and potentially the lives of others should not be jeopardized by the arrogance of a company to not own up to this major problem. the incident could have ended in tragedy and it should not have to take that to hold a company accountable for poor quality and workmanship. if you look into it, you will find that the transmission was changed in 2003 due to the issues that found with the 2002 model. i want them to be responsible for the replacement of the faulty transmission in my car and others. so my ultimate driving machine sits covered. i tried reaching out to bmw of north america, but to no avail. | |||
| 04/14/2003 | 1 | ||
| When decelerating vehicle makes a sudden acceleration into traffic throwing passengers against the seats. mr *ts | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 05/12/2011 | 91000 | ||
| While parked, the vehicle will come out of p (park mode) and foll away unattended. the vehicle was put into park automatically by pushing the start/stop button, and after leaving the vehicle, it was seen rolling across the street as if it was in neutral hitting the curb across the street. | |||
| 05/18/2011 | 109084 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2002 bmw 745i. while having regular maintenance performed on vehicle, the mechanic advised that the transmission was leaking, stating that the oil pan and gasket would need to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who advised that the vehicle was not included in any recalls and provided no further assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 109,084 and the current mileage was 109,347. | |||
| 05/18/2011 | 109084 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2002 bmw 745i. the contact stated that while having the regular maintenance done on vehicle, the mechanic made him aware that the transmission was leaking. he advised that the oil pan and gasket need to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who stated that the vehicle was not included on any recalls and referred him to nhtsa. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 109,084 and current mileage was 109,347. pm | |||
| 06/08/2010 | 85000 | ||
| Subject: transmission failsafe issue on bmw 745 i've been having electronic transmission failsafe errors on my vehicle for the past 2 years. bmw of manhattan couldn't replicate the problem twice within a 2 year period. no one wants to do anything about it but my vehicle stalls, loses gears and doesn't start. these faults occur every week right now. this is a very common issue on these cars and bmw doesn't want to do anything about it! when i had the warranty on the vehicle they didn't do anything and now that the warranty has expired they don't want to do anything either. this is dangerous and hazardous for driving and needs to be looked at before someone will get seriously hurt. please contact me for more details if needed at 212-203-6027. regards alex | |||
| 01/15/2010 | 90000 | 1 | |
| Vehicle: 2002 bmw 745i 7 series 2002 bmw 745i was the first release of this new model and the manufacturer (bmw) is aware of the serious problems and have acknowledged and fixed them in the later models on 2/2/10, i took my car in to weatherford bmw for service due to a transmission failsafe failure check engine problem and informed that this is one of the known 2002/2003 7 series bmw problems. on 2/4/10, i was told that the car is fixed and test driven. i drove the car for a total of 10-15 miles when the same problem with the failsafe failure and check engine light recurred. i called bmw of northern america and a representative on 2/9/2010. she took my complaint and informed me that bmw is aware of the problems with the 2002 and 2003 7 series model and did extend warranty for all owners for 6 months to help fix such problem. i informed her that i was not aware of the known problems and of the warranty extension. she checked the car history and informed me that the ownership record was never changed to my name, and she then changed it. a representative further informed me that a committee is setup by bmw that decides when and who to grant a onetime assistance at no cost. she then asked if i have benefited from bmw assistance in the past, to which i answered no. a representative then said in a case such as mine, the decision making committee can only extend this offer once. i further that bmw warranty precludes owners of the 7 series from tampering with the transmission as it is sealed. since bmw warranty cover up to 100,000 miles and my car is only 90,000 miles. a representative called me on 2/18/2010 that bmw has declined any assistance to me without reason. bmw acknowledges known safety problems with the 2002 and 2003 745i models that required extension of warranty to some owners. i cannot afford to fix the car and need assistance or an extension of the warranty offered to other owners. *tr | |||
| 11/20/2009 | 114000 | 1 | |
| The vehicle jams into 1st gear when coming to a stop. occurs just about every time the vehicle is stopped after high speeds. the vehicle's mechetronic module, transmission computer, was replaced at over 3,000 dollars. *tr | |||
| 06/20/2009 | 102000 | 1 | |
| I took my car to bmw service dept. in march and april to get my car serviced for scheduled service and for the check engine soon light displayed. immediately following the service i experienced my car hesitating to start and also sounded rough and idled. i called the next morning and spoke with a service advisor about my car and he said to bring it in. i stopped there on my way to work the next morning and they started my car and asked me what type of gas i was using and i said exxon. i was told that i probably got a hold of some bad gas and when i asked what should i do, i was told that i should wait until about 7-8 fill ups to allow the gas to burn out and if i still experienced the problem to bring it back. the service advisor informed me that bmw recommends using texaco gas with techron. recently, i was traveling out of town with my two nephews in my car in the fast lane on route 95 south when i heard a sound that resembled a car back firing and then felt my car lose power which was one of the most frightening situations that i've ever experienced. i drifted to the side and noticed on my display my car read transmission failsafe mode and would not engage in drive even though it was still running and the check engine soon light was displayed. i had my car towed home because the service department was not open. the following week i had my car towed to the bmw to perform a diagnostic test and told them to notify my husband of the results. my husband was told that the diagnostic codes were due to a bad mechatronic unit, but there were recommending replacing the transmission to the tune of $12,000 (remanufactured) due to being changed in 2004. i was infuriated by the fact that the service manual says that the transmission should be serviced at 1000,000 miles, and there was no indication nor was i notified by bmw that needed to take place. to be placed in a dangerous and potential fatal situation at my cost is unacceptable. *tr | |||
| 05/01/2003 | 04/02/2002 | ||
| Vehicle has had multiple failure of the transmission, fuel delivery related malfunctions including failed and rupture fuel lines, multiple problems with various controls in dash, it has been at dealer over ten times during the first year and it still malfunctions. *nlm | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE | |||
| 05/15/2003 | 10 | 06/15/2002 | |
| While decelerating at a red light or stop sign, vehicle suddenly accelerates, throwing passengers against the seats and dashboard, back and forth. this is an unsafe situation to both the driver and passengers !. *jb | |||