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.
The contact owns a 2007 BMW 328I. While the contact's husband was cleaning the windshield, he noticed the seal around the glass that secured it was peeling and had cracks. The contact stated that a chunk of the black seal was crumbling off. The vehicle was taken to D-patrick BMW showroom (200 N green river rd, evansville, in 47715, (812) 473-6500) where the contact was informed that if they removed the windshield to repair the failure, it could be a 50/50 chance the windshield could break and the contact would need to pay out of pocket. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 53,774. Consumer stated called the manufacturer hotline at 1-888-327-4236 and notified them of the design flaw. Their reply was that the vehicle was no longer under warranty.
The rear view mirror ball and socket joint is loose. The rear view mirror can move out of the set position by its own weight, particularly when warm, or when driving over bumps. This impares the ability to use the mirror when driving.
The contact owns a 2007 BMW 328I. While driving 70 mph, the instrument panel warning indicators illuminated and the windshield wipers started to activate independently. The contact also stated that the ignition had difficulty switching into the on position. The contact also stated that the door locks would also work independently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000.
I was driving home on the highway during a rainstorm when the 4X4, brakes warning came on. The handling immediately was affected. I didn't feel the traction I was used to and braking became dangerous. I wanted to pull over but the brakes made the car stop too abruptly, causing me to skid on the wet road. Had the highway been busier I'm sure I would've been in a serious accident. I consider myself very lucky. I took my car to a local mechanic. I was told that it was the transfer case actuator gear. It's plastic and the intense heat causes it to fail. I was told this problem is very common....so much that the replacements are made of a different composite and more heat resistant. My question is why do I have to pay for a gear that is recognized as faulty. If the replacements are better than the original then obviously BMW recognizes that too. This is becoming way to common for BMW not to react.
The BMW 3 series (mine included) identified by chassis designations E90, E91, E92, and E93 (all us models) have a known defect regarding automatic exterior mirror movement when unlocking the vehicle doors using the key fob. The mirror movement occurs regardless of which key fob is presented to unlock doors. A single keyfob unlock process can trigger innumerable exterior mirror positions. The unsuspecting driver who does not check both his/her driver and passenger side mirrors prior to driving the vehicle will be required to set the proper mirror positions while driving or leave them maladjusted until the next stop, impairing their ability to see vehicles adjacent or oncoming vehicles from the rear, including emergency vehicles. BMW has issued a service bulletin regarding this defect. However, only cars with existing manufacturer warranties are repaired if this issue occurs. Ref BMW si B51 36 08 the problem has been linked to corrosion of mirror motor electrical connectors. It is also plausible that all electrical adjustment of the exterior mirrors would be rendered an impossibility if the problem escalates.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Evansville, IN, USA