I own a 2000 BMW 323I and about a month ago I had started to notice a faint squeaking sound from the rear when my car was moving, the squeaking progressively got worse and worse until the sound was so severe that it could be heard even with all the windows up. I took it in to a mechanic who identified that the problem was indeed that sub frame separating from the body. As I further investigated this issue, I found dozens of other people who have reported the same problem. I took it to the sterling BMW newport beach collision center where they told that my frame was separated from the sub frame and that BMW should and most likely would assume responsibility for this substantial safety hazard. They also took me under the lift to visually look at the damage for myself and it appeared that the sheet metal that the sub frame was bolted to had torn, similar to how paper would tear. He advised me that was car was unsafe and wrote a statement of what he had seen so that I could forward it to my attorney and appropriate parties, ??sterling collision put vehicle on the lift and discovered that the floor is cracked on the left side where the rear suspension cross members meet, the floor informed the customer that the vehicle is not safe to drive. I contacted BMW of North America regarding this problem and they denied responsibility for it, they tried to blame the poor structural engineering on how the car was driven and the age of vehicle. I found a fellow BMW owner (steve clemons), well past owner now, who had the same problem with their 2000 BMW 323ci, and he referred me to your organization, additionally he was able to get his car repaired by BMW cost free with a little help from his attorney, as I plan to do myself. He told that BMW denied this defect until legal action was threatened in which they then assumed full responsibility. However this is indeed serious problem and even more a severe safety hazard and should not be present.

- Irvine, CA, USA