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.
As I came to a stop at a red light the screen showed red saying transmission issues take to nearest repair facility asap I drove thru intersection about 1000 ft made a U-turn to get off road turned car off for safety and car would not restart had to have it towed to nearest dealer where I was informed 4 days later that their diagnostics said it has had at least 2 faults on battery and possibly 3 faults on transmission it will cost $2500. Plus to repair depending on what they find now my issue is that I just purchased this car 84 days prior to this thinking that all I've heard is how great a vehicle these are dependable, sharp, etc. Foolish me since my purchase I had to get a new gas cap no problem replace front brakes and noticed that front passenger door doesn't unlock or lock with auto key trunk doesn't open from inside vehicle just little annoying things the fox report came with no reports of accidents but not the case when replacing brakes showing signs of accident so here I sit with a car parked in my driveway that I'm afraid to drive because I can't afford to fix for possibly 6 months inconvenient perplexed disappointed just todays feelings I don't think I would recommend this brand of vehicle to anyone. Because I was going for a weekend trip with friends plans already set we were forced to rent a car to get thru weekend at a cost of $130. And then it costs me $ 163. For diagnostics and an additional $399. To have it towed back to my residence because I couldn't afford repair work at this time this vehicle only has 83,000 miles to have this many issues just doesn't set right with me. So from BMW's viewpoint how can I get these issues resolved without going bankrupt
I received a postcard in the mail informing me about a recall on my BMW. After following the sets on the postcard, I was directed to contact the dealership and when I called the dealership they did not have a solution for my recall, and didn't know when when they would have a solution ready. Very frustrating.
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328xi. The contact stated that there was a faulty electrical failure that progressed with the vehicle prematurely. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (fields BMW of daytona, 1050 N tomoka farms rd, daytona beach, fl 32124, (386) 274-1200). The power distribution box and wiring were replaced. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was excluded from an electrical recall and provided no solution. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000.
My son's BMW (2011 BMW 328I xdrive) spontaneously combusted on Sep 4 2017 while he was driving back from work at 4 am on sunrise highway NY. Luckily he noticed sparks and smoke and pulled over and got out. The car fully burnt within 30 minutes.
Takata recall: All began from purchase 09/2013 had engine bolt fixed on recall, but since several engine work performed due to loss of power when driving, had replaced coil/tune up done, several gaskets in the engine hasd to be replaced by BMW dealer, and dealer can't fix vehicle for "sputtering/back firing" when sitting at light or stationary it just stutters. Time to time driver window will not roll down when in car. Also, the seat belt light chimes to put seat belt on and no one is in passenger seat. Stereo lights pixels burning out & sound from time to time the speakers has muffled sound or poor quality sound. Brought car with 20,000 miles and now has 57,000 miles and issues with engine is way too much for low mileage.
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 13V044000 (electrical system). The vehicle was repaired by the dealer (little rock BMW in little rock, ar). After the repair, the vehicle began experiencing a loss of power. The contact called the dealer back, but the dealer did not take responsibility for the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact back to the dealer. Additionally, the contact received notification of NHTSA campaign numbers: 14V176000 (engine and engine cooling) and 16V071000 (air bags). The failure mileage was approximately 105,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Footwell module failure caused the turn signals, interior lights, power windows to fail to operate. The failure occurred when a mechanic tried to run diagnostics on the vehicle during routine service.
I had just left my house for work and was a few minutes down the street at a light when I saw white smoke coming from the dash/hood area. I pulled over and turned off the car and got out within seconds the car was up in flames. I could hear the car turning itself on even though it was off and I had the keys. The fire department came. My car literally burnt to the ground. They said it seemed like an electrical problem. If I wasn't at a stop, or if I was on the freeway the car filled so quickly with white smoke that I wouldn't have been able to see and could have crashed or been trapped. BMW did nothing and took no responsibility. They tried to offer me a discount towards a new BMW if I signed an nda. I know see all the news reports and wanted to make sure this was reported. This happened in 11/2016. I have video and photos
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated that the vehicle randomly stalled and failed to start several times without warning. The battery was replaced but the condition progressed. The contact was not notified; however, the VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 13V044000 (electrical system). The manufacturer was notified of the failure to determine if a dealer would schedule a recall repair appointment and diagnose the failure to provide a repair solution. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000. Parts distribution disconnect. Updated 06/23/17
Ac/heat blower motor and final stage unit, vehicle at 5700 miles burned out resistor/harness connections. While in motion, blower suddenly stop and saw smoke come out of the vent with a burning smell due to the electrical shortage. I immediately turned the fan switch off. The resistor burned out and frayed the wires of the blower motor. Researched the issue and this is a common problem to the 2013 and earlier models. Due to this issue, the manufacturer changed their design/ harness but did not perform a recall on any vehicles. This issue is a safety concern due to internal cabin fires and total vehicle loss due to electrical fires. I did have my parts replaced at my own expense due to vehicle out of warranty.
2011 328I with 53,500 miles. Engine cold start hesitation with vibrations while idling stationary. Took vehicle in to dealership to diagnose issue, oil change. Was told that it was the eccentric shaft sensor/gaskets, battery tested low to include vvt sensors and left pad brake sensor due to wire cut. Total cost $2300 dollars. Next day, continued to have the same problem. Went back to dealer and stated they didn't find any further issues. Did research into the issue with other BMW owners which had the vehicles serviced for replacements of vanos, mass air flow sensors, etc. These codes weren't showing up on my vehicle. Decided to take a look at my engine myself and noticed oil leaking from the valve cover gasket area and could see oil that had leak on the bottom of the engine bay, now at 60K miles, took it in early for an oil change and diagnosis again due to possible fire if oil spills on mounting struts. This replacement will cost me another $2K+ for a valve cover gasket and oil pan gasket replacements, yet this wasn't made known when I had gotten my oil changed previously. The safety issue is the possibility of an engine fire and BMW's negligence in taking responsibility for the manufacturing flaws, especially when so many owners are having problems with these issues starting early at 40K miles.
We bought the car late October 2015. In June 2016 I parked it in a locked garage. The next morning I got in it and the visor was melted. Again December 27, 2016 I parked it in a locked garage and when I got in it, it had large burn marks. Approx 14 to 18 inches long and 1 1/2 wide. I took it to BMW and they told me we did it. I told him if I would have put anything that hot in the car the leather seats would have melted and I would have burned my hands. He just brushed us off. We called the dealer and he told me to bring it back and he would make it good. He told us the car had depreciated from $20K to 8 to 9K in a year and wanted to sell us another $22K car. We still owe 14K on it. I showed it to our insurance agent and showed pictures to other car dealers, they all told us it is a fire hazard. After reading about all of the electrical fires and sunroofs exploding in BMW's I do not feel safe.
In models equipped with a heated steering wheel, the steering wheel thermostat very occassionally malfunctions and overheats. It becomes very hot, almost too hot to touch and potentially causing burns. It appears power cycling the switch several times can resolve the issue temporarily. However, it still can take several minutes to cool down to a safe operating temperature. Obviously, this can become very dangerous when operating a vehicle, especially at highway speeds.
This vehicle has stalled numerous time when driven (in motion) at low speed on a city street. It has happened again 2 days ago when I was driving (in motion) and tried to make a right turn. The engine stopped and the steering wheel refused to turn. I would have been dead if another vehicle was coming from the other side of the road. This vehicle was taken to a BMW dealer's service numerous time for the exact same problem when it was under manufacturer warranty but the service and BMW usa always said that none of the other customers have ever reported this issue and they never heard of it from another customer.
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. The contact stated that vehicle started automatically and when running for long periods of time, the battery would fail and caused the vehicle to become inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but the failure was unable to be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle was serviced under an unknown NHTSA campaign related to the lighting of the vehicle however, the failure recurred. It was unknown if the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 84,323.
The contact owns a 2011 BMW 328I. While driving at various speeds and attempting to utilize the defrost to clear the windshield, the defroster failed to work. The contact also noticed an abnormal burning odor in the vehicle. In addition, the front windows would not roll up or down intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing; however the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 35,000.
I remember driving home on the interstate and smelling a burning smell. I had the windows open but it didn't seem like it was coming from outside. Later, the car's HVAC blower fan stopped working. During repair, the blower motor resistor and the harness that plugs into it were found to be badly burned. The harness wires for ground and power were missing insulation (burned away) and the copper was badly corroded. The trim panel directly under the affected area has water staining and scorch marks. BMW na refused to pay to fix due to mileage even though car is only 4 years old and is clearly a water intrusion problem (leading to a short circuit and burning) caused by either a design or manufacturing issue
02/25/15 I left my BMW at the dealer for many of the constant issues my car has had but they have not been able to duplicate. One of the many things was that all doors will close but the front passenger. They always said they could not duplicate. But when I left my car at the dealer it was just not closing at all. On 02/27/15. I received a call from the service department manager and he said to me that he was going to explain about the estimates to fix my car. I asked him why they will charge me for something they never could duplicate when my car was on warranty and now that my car is out of warranty its seem they are able to duplicate the same problems I have been advising them for years. He said that he could not use good will with me anymore because he has used 4 already (if we are dealing with a recurring issue which I have notify you of many times before you do not need to use goodwill, but I am not an expert) I told him that he himself said anything the car has on history they will fix when they can duplicate. Then he said he was going to review my car history (I think to this point he should have done it before calling me to aggravate me) he never did called me or at least apologize.I finally talked to my advisor and she said it was ok they were going to take care of it. Once again my non ending nightmare gives me a hard day and a worst hopeless feeling. I still don't understand their frustration. I should be the angry one. Becausenow they had duplicate something I have said so many times and my car is out of warranty they wanted me to pay for it. To me the word duplicate for them means ?how can we keep on hiding all the issues and keep people believing they are crazy so we can keep on making money".
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- West Melbourne, FL, USA