This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I was driving on a surface street at approximately 30 mph when I suddenly heard a metal scraping noise. I pulled over to the side of the road and discovered fuel tank strap was dragging on the ground on the passenger side and the fuel tank was hanging within inches of the road. The car was towed to the dealer.
While traveling approximately 65 mph, I suddenly heard a dragging, scraping noise that appeared to be coming from the trunk. My initial thought was that something within the spare tire well had become loose. After driving approximately 10 miles further with no abatement of the noise, I was able to locate a service station with a mechanic. After checking the trunk, the car was elevated and a welding failure of the passenger side fuel strap bracket was noted. The sound came from the tank strap being dragged along the highway. It was also noted that the fuel tank had dropped from what the mechanic stated was its original "seat." The mechanic secured the cable and tank with steel twine, gave me the failed bracket, and informed me that I needed to take the car to the dealership asap. I took the car and the bracket to dealership on 07/03/14. Received confirmation that the strap bracket had indeed failed.
The welds on the front (passenger side) fuel tank support strap fitting (welded to the under side of the body) broke away allowing the support strap to fall, contact, bend backward and scrape along the road surface causing sparks. The tank was full of fuel, and the weight of the tank caused it to sag downward toward the road surface. Fortunately it did not break or contact the road surface before I was able to pull over and seek assistance. This is a dangerous design/manufacturing flaw that could cause serious injury if not corrected. I am reporting it because after this event I learned that there have been numerous reports of this failure in this model BMW.
1) car would not start, fuse blown on fuel pump. (no. 1 original) towed to mechanic. 2) mechanic replaces fuel pump. (no.2) 3) return car to driveway where it sits over night. Car won't start. Towed it to mechanic. Replaced fuel pump, and he allows it to sit in his garage over night. (no.3) 4) car won't start. He thoroughly checks the car for problems, replaces the fuel pump, emptying fuel tank, replacing with new gasoline. (no.4) mechanic cut opened the original fuel pump and found that the impeller had swollen. This suggested to him that the high ethanol content fuel was swelling the impeller. He tried using both BMW parts and after market parts. This isn't not an issue with the age of the car. He saved the fuel pump and a gasoline sample.
While driving approximately 30 mph on a residential street I begin hearing a noise that sounded like something dragging from the rear passenger side of the vehicle. I pulled the car over and observed that the strap that holds the gas tank up, was hanging down from one end. I then drove approximately 1/2 mile to an automotive repair shop and upon further inspection, it was determined that the weld on the front bracket of the gas tank strap had broken and detached from the frame. This caused the gas tank to sag to within about 4 inches from the ground. I am the original owner of this vehicle and have maintained it well. I have read numerous BMW owners have experienced this exact problem.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Sacramento, CA, USA