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.
Vehicle locks do not respond to unlock or lock command from key fob or from car unlock/lock switch. Hazardous problem, potential life risk for children.
The passenger seat occupancy detection module is faulty in our car. It was officially diagnosed by a BMW dealer on 20 Feb 2012. We are being told that our car's production time falls 1 month out of the previous recall on these same parts (NHTSA action number EA080001). BMW is refusing to fix it.
Door actuator has failed to work. Alarm also being effected. Known problem to manufacturer, BMW. Saftey concern if unable to exit vehicle in case of emergency.
Passenger airbag / seat belt light came on and would not go out. There were multiple NHTSA recalls (PE07-045) and (EA08-001) but my VIN falls outside of the recall because apparently I have sport seats. There are numerous complaints on various sites about this issue. Bmwna stated they won't offer to fix the issue since the vehicle was not included in the recall. Dealers charge $1000+ to fix this defect.
My passengers and I were trying to get back into my parked car, but when I used my key fob to unlock the doors only the passenger doors unlocked while the driver's door didn't. I tried to unlock the driver's door by using the lock/ unlock button located in the car. This did not work, and it locked the passenger doors again. I then tried to unlock the doors simultaneously by trying the key fob and the manual lock/ unlock button inside of the car a few more times, but none of the doors unlocked this time. We all heard the car attempting to lock and unlock, but the locks were not moving. I wasn't able to unlock any of the doors with the key fob or with the door lock/ unlock button inside the car, (the passengers were already in the car) so I used the emergency cut-out key located inside of the key fob to manually open the driver's door to get in. When I stopped to get gas on the same night, I found out that the gas cap was also locked, so we left. When we arrived back at my residence, everyone climbed out of the driver's seat. Finally, this morning after I manually unlocked the car with the emergency key, I noticed that the seat memory was also unresponsive. With less than 1/8 of a tank left, I will have to tow the car to the dealership because it will not make it on the gas left in the tank. This is a serious issue because if we were to have gotten in any type of accident or were in some unforeseen trouble while in the car with only seconds to react and get out of the car, it would have most likely ended up in multiple fatalities because of the inability to get out of the vehicle in a hasty manner. Please investigate and recall this issue before something like this does happen during and/ or after a car accident and people die because they are trapped in a car due to the electrical/ lock malfunction. Thank you.
I drive a 2006 BMW 325I. Parked my car and got out just fine however my 3 passengers were unable to open there doors. The central unlocking button on the car's dash wouldn't unlock the doors and the keyless entry button wouldn't unlock the door either. All the passengers had to climb out the windows. After doing some quick research this appears to be a common problem in the 3 series however it's a problem that BMW refuses to fix unless the car is still under warranty. Having passengers become unexpectedly trapped inside their car due to a common defect is major safety issue and it's a problem BMW should be forced to fix regardless of whether the car is still under warranty.
Central door locking system failed preventing any of the 4 doors and fuel door from opening. Passengers couldn't open their doors and had to crawl up front to exit through the drivers door. There was no other way for them to exit the car, the doors were completely inoperable. Replaced 15A fuse with 20A fuse as recommended by BMW dealer which worked for a couple of weeks. Problem resurfaced so I inspected the fuse previously replaced to discover it was blown again. Now all power door locks work except front passenger. This issue really needs to be investigated soon. When there is a door unlocking failure, which according to many pages of complaints online is a very common occurrence with these cars, there is absolutely no way for passengers to exit - especially if they needed to exit quickly. It's very dangerous.
Doors lock, but only driver door unlocks. Used key only unlocked drivers door, used button on dash only unlocked drivers door, fob only unlocked drivers door. Other three doors not unlocking.
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325xi. The contact stated that there was an electrical issue concerning the vehicle. The dealer replaced the battery but the failure continued. The dealer inspected the vehicle again and stated that the independent battery system core had failed. The vehicle was repaired. The contact was locked in the vehicle until roadside assistance came out to charge the battery. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 82,000 and the current mileage was 94,000.
BMW doors will not open when locked if electrical power is lost. In case of accident, BMW has an explosive device that separates the battery from the electrical system. Once power is lost, the door handles will not operate to open locked doors and the electrical windows will not work trapping passengers inside. I discovered this when a fuse, #52 on a 2006 325I, blew and the door would not open. Luckily one door was unlocked in the back and my daughter had to climb into the back seat to get out. Advise from dealership was to carry a device in the car the break out the window in case of accident.
2006 BMW 330 xi when pressing on the brake the car accelerated with a loud noise, could not steer the car; crashed in trees. 24,323 miles still under new car warranty.
2006 BMW 330xi brake failure, acceleration, no steering. Occurred twice; BMW repaired by dealer new brakes, computer; second occurrence car did not stop until hit trees.
BMW door locks randomly and automatically engaged. This is one week after a service performed at the dealer for an electrical issue. Locks would not disengage except manually with emergency key (from outside). Driver's door is the only door that will open - others are inoperable. Fuel filler cap will also not open. Have researched and found this is a common problem. This should be researched by BMW and remedied at no cost to the consumer - this is definitely an inconvenience and could be dangerous or potentially fatal.
MI NOMBRE ES [XXX]. SOY DE PUERTO RICO Y POSEEO UN BMW 325I 2006. EL MISMO EL DIA DE AYER REPENTINAMENTE COMENZO A SALIR UN HUMO ENTRE EL DASH Y TODA LA PARTE INTERIOR DEL VEHICULO. EN MENOS DE 2 MINUTOS SE ENCENDI EN LLAMAS, ACTIVAMOS AL 911, CUANDO LLEGARON LOS BOMBEROS EN CARRO SE HABIA QUEMADO EN SU TOTALIDAD. ENTRE OTRAS COSAS QUE HIZO MIENTRAS SE ESTABA QUEMANDO. NECESITO QUE ME ORIENTEN AL RESPECTO DE LO QUE DEBO HACER. MI EMAIL ES [XXX]. MY NAME IS [XXX]. I AM FROM PUERTO RICO AND I OWN A 2006 BMW 325I. THE SAME DAY YESTERDAY SUDDENLY A SMOKE BEGAN BETWEEN THE DASH AND THE ENTIRE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE. IN LESS THAN 2 MINUTES IT LIGHTED IN FLAME, WE ACTIVATED 911, WHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENTS ARRIVED BY CAR IT HAD BURNED IN ITS ENTIRETY. AMONG OTHER THINGS HE DID WHILE HE WAS BURNING. I NEED TO BE GUIDED ON WHAT TO DO. MY EMAIL IS [XXX]. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
I was driving about 10 mph in traffic on Friday, Oct. 31, 2008, at 5 P.M., in houston, when my 2006 BMW 325I began smoking in the passenger compartment and burst into flames by the time I got it parked. I first noticed the air conditioner was not functioning properly and then smoke immediately began filling the car. The car was totaled by the time the hfd arrived. The car was in good condition and had no recent service or problems. It had no previous electrical problems. The ac just began blowing warm air, and smoke started pouring into the compartment from above and below the dashboard - not from the ac. The car was running fine until it burst into flames. It had to be a mechanical defect or an electrical short of some kind.
BMW 325xi does not provide a manual door locking override for their cars. This lack of design makes their car a trap for all passengers when electronic system fails. One year after purchasing a car ( new ) BMW 325xi, the doors and window system failed in very dangerous way. With my baby and my wife on the back sit, when I try to exit the car the door system start shutting down, the doors and window system just would not open. The only one that open was the driver side one. After this incident it happened three more time. Once all four doors locked and I had to lean out the window and open the door with the manual key. The latest one was with my 7 month pregnant wife climbing out of the car through the front of the car. Once I pulled up the door knob with a plier, but the door still locked.my complaint is not that I need to fix the car, but the fact that this car does not provide a manual override to open the door in case the electric system fails. Basically all passenger can be trapped in the car and almost impossible to escape in the case of an accident.
Twice in 6 weeks I have lost throttle response of the car at 70+ mph on highways. This is a manual transmission car and I had to shift into neutral to coast to the side of the road both times avoiding catastrophic accidents. The car behaves as if it has run out of gas but there was at least 1/4 of a tank of gas. BMW replace the fuel pump the first time in late March. It is currently in the BMW shop now. This is an extremely dangerous situation that should be investigated.
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325I. The contact stated that the interior door handles were replaced due to the paint peeling. He stated that the driver side door handle needed to be replaced again due to the same failure. Also, the console was replaced because of the peeling paint. In March 2007 the steering wheel sensor failed and was replaced twice. In addition, the sun roof failed to activate and the vehicle failed to start because the steering wheel was locked. The mechanic stated that the steering wheel and sun roof were both caused by electrical failure. The vehicle speed and the weather conditions were not factors. The current mileage is 15,000, and failure mileage was 8,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Houston, TX, USA