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.
Door locks failed using key fob or button on dash. Followed service bulletin to replace fuse, but problem keeps reappearing. Passenger door inoperative even after fuse replaced and other doors working.
On Saturday evening, May 15, 2010, the door actuators of my 2007 BMW 335I blew out a fuse. As a result, none of the doors were capable of being opened, except for the driver's side door. The car's key fob could not unlock the doors. The lock button on the dash would not work. It was impossible to open any of the doors manually. There would have been no way a passenger could have exited the car, except by climbing through the driver's side door or by climbing out the windows. This is a serious safety issue and presents particular dangers to disabled passengers. This problem has been well-documented for 2007 3-series vehicles on the web. See www.aboutautomobile.com/complaint/2007/BMW/335I/latch, +lock+and+linkage and www.aboutautomobile.com/complaint/2007/BMW/328I/latch, +lock+and+linkage. This video on youtube represents exactly what happened to my car: www.youtube.com/watch?V=3V04L-isycs. I understand that BMW has a service bulletin for dealers regarding the problem. Dealers fix the problem only by changing the fuse. Staff at BMW san francisco, where I purchased the car (certified used) six weeks ago, told me today (May 19, 2010) that even with a new fuse, the problem could recur. I further understand that BMW has willfully refused to issue a recall. The fuse box is located in the glove compartment inside the car. Were the door actuators to cause a fire and the passenger doors incapable of being opened, passengers could very well suffer serious injuries or even death. The 335I manual indicates that meddling with the car's fuse box could result in a fire.
My vehicle has an issue where apparently a fuse blows and the door locks can not be activated by the fob, interior handles (except the driver door), or the interior door locking switch. [please note that I do not have any child safety locks activated on the rear doors.] the only way you can open the driver door is through the valet key. This has occurred to me twice and is now apparently a service bulletin with BMW. I am writing to you because I feel it is a design hazard if the electrical system were to fail in an accident, then this becomes an extreme hazard if fire or any other issue were involved. I would have thought that there was required an alternative means of unlocking the doors other than electrically (hence the door pull knobs which in my car are even with the trim and unable to grasp).
Door lock malfunctioning. All 4 doors on my 2007 BMW 335I won't open using the key remote nor the central lock system. Even when trying to open the door manually, I was not able to open any of the 4 doors. My family had to climb out from the window. I see a lot of complaints from different forums. How do you expect a passenger to get out the car during emergency situation? one of the passengers was a handicap. Not being able to open all doors it can be a life threatening. Planning to take the car to the dealer next week.
- San Jose, CA, USA
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Central locking failure causing only the drivers side door to be operable. The passenger and rear doors cannot be opened from the inside or outside. In the event of fire passengers could not let themselves out or emergency personnel would not be able to open the 3 doors from the outside.
Can not unlock doors using the key fob! only driver door can be opened manually using the key inside the key fob! no other doors could be opened even manually using the interior door handles! (this is a design flaw that needs to be corrected otherwise it can cause serious issues if problem occurs in an accident that could make exiting the vehicle very difficult to impossible ).
I purchased a new 2007 BMW 335I from BMW of honolulu in Jan 2007. 4 months later the car stalled with my wife and son in the middle of traffic. Car was towed in to BMW and remained there for over a month. BMW could not give me a status as to what was going on, nor did they try to contact me. Eventually, I was told it was the fuel pump, which I would think would be a recall item. They knew of the problem but did not inform their customers until cars were towed in to the dealership. My car is in the shop now for some other issue. It has been towed in 3 times and driven in for other repairs 7 other times in 2 years. This has cost me to miss work and most of all an inconvenience to my family. Usually there is no loaner available, so you have to wait for a shuttle which drives all over the island dropping off everyone else who is there having their 335I worked on. I have complained with BMW of North America and they finally agreed to pay a months car payment and insurance. I have recently submitted another online complaint which I have received no response. Spoke with BMW of honolulu management and they are supposedly in the process of buying back the car and trying to put me in another 335I. Don't know if I want to do that. What kills me is their reluctance to keep me informed of anything. They tell me, I will get this information to you on a certain day and I don't hear from them for days at a time. The online blogs are amazing. Their comments sound exactly like mine. I just retired from the U.S. navy and I work with jags at a joint headquarters command in Hawaii and they have directed me to seek advice from a civilian attorney. I would really like to sue BMW for all they have put me and my family through. Being that they knew of this issue and have not informed the customers I am surprised that no one has been killed yet. I think this is a safety issue and should be looked into.
Door locks permanently locked from inside of car while I was I stopped at a mall parking spot with wife and 9 month old son. I could not unlatch the doors by using the door unlock button and through the key unlock button. (second time this has happened since my ownership began at 14400 miles and third in cars total history according to the ownership record). Car is still under warranty until December 24 2011. Just had this problem fixed on 1/8/2009 at perillo BMW in Chicago il.I had to roll down my window, climb out, and then take the key out of the key fob and unlock the driver door. I had to have my wife climb in back to get son out of seat and pass him forward to the front seat so I could get him out through the drivers door. She climbed back into front and got out drivers door. This took approximately 4-5 minutes. If there was an accident or a car fire, there is now way I could have gotten my family out in a hurry. This problem has been reported on numerous BMW car club sites and there is really no quick fix but to replace door lock actuator or fuses. Even when these parts are replaced, the problem happens time and time again. This is very dangerous.
The contact leased a 2007 BMW 335I. The contact stated that the doors would not open from the passenger compartment nor the exterior of the vehicle. He was finally able to open the driver's side door manually with the physical key. None of the other doors on the vehicle would unlock or open, including the gas tank cover that was powered by a keyless lock sensor. The dealer stated that a fuse blew and caused all the locks to fail on the vehicle. The failure and current mileages were less than 18,000. Updated 10/14/08. Updated 10/16/08.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Ann Arbor, MI, USA