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 335I. When the vehicle was started, the instrument panel would not illuminate. The failure recurred each time the vehicle was started. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the instrument panel was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000.
The contact owns a 2007 BMW 335I. While driving at approximately 5 mph, the fault in the passenger restraint warning message displayed causing the air bag seat belt tension system to activate. The failure occurred multiple occasions. The vehicle was driven to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician stated that the senor under the mat of the front passenger side needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.
Battery died. Jumpstarted, drove for a bit. Turned off, turned back on drove home. Parked the car. Tried to restart and the red electronic steering wheel lock indicator was on. Plenty of juice in the battery, car will not even attempt to turn over. Can not get into neutral to tow out. Car is dead where it sits because of the electronic steering lock. Thank goodness we weren't in the middle of nowhere.
When parked listening to music, my brother plugged in the usb adapter and it electrocuted him ever since he's scared to be in the vehicle. Well right after the incident the cigar igniters to plug in the adapters wouldn't work anymore. I had just got this car from a dealer as a trade in 3 months ago and I noticed really strong smells of gas from the back seat and my siblings sit back there and that really concerns me. Along with the smell of gas, my coolant reservoir starting spilling out brownish fluid like if a gasket was blown and oil got into the coolant ! I am very irritated I'm being charged thousands that I don't have and only have had the car for a few months. My warranty would not fix any damages, and dealership is not helping me out. I need to go to work and school and I have no transportation at the moment.
First occurrence drivers side door will not open, door handle does not disengage lock mechanism to allow egress. Unlocking vehicile renders nothing as the door lock is interment and will not allow door to unlock either inside or outside of vehicle. Second occurrence roughly one year later, front passenger and drivers side rear door will not unlock displaying same chacteristics as first occurrence with drivers side door.
- Las Vegas, NV, USA
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I was driving to work and the steering lock malfunction lite up out of nowhere. The car can not move. This is an electrical problem that's dangerous and expensive to fix. Very common problem expressed by many owners with the same model and year as my car. They should've conducted a recall on this!!
2007 BMW E92 335I - just took off from my home (car was not turned on since the day before atleast not after 8pm) 10 minutes into the road I turned on my A/C blower on max. On about 2 or 3 minutes, suddenly it slowed down and stopped working followed by plastic burning smell. As I tried to pull over as soon as possible, smoke started coming out the dashboard and just like that the car caught fire on the glove compartment and so on... I stranger from an tire shop ran up and used an extinguisher to stop the fire. Sadly there was severe damage to glove compartment, dashboard, electrical components like fuse box, passenger door, front and top interior.plus some money I had stored in the (was my way to the bank to make a deposit and pickup my fiancee) im still waiting for my insurance decision. Im very worried since I've search around in forums and I've read about some other people having same problems and other electrical fires with no response/resolution from BMW. I've owned a MINIcooper and 2 bmws. My cousins, aunt, granpa (E30) have bmws. Any suggestions?
Apparently, the electronic key is defective, leading to an engine shutdown. Fortunately, I was able to steer off the highway without power and restart the engine. Prior to the incident, the car would intermittently fail to start. I notified BMW customer relations after the incident. I was told that these keys have a non-replaceable rechargeable battery, that may "wear out", and therefore not hold a charge! they informed me that as my vehicle was out of warranty, they would not provide me with a replacement key unless I purchased a new one ($250), I pointed out that nowhere in the owner's manual is it stated that keys need replacement, nor the hazard of driving with a "worn out" key. The representative ([xxx], emp.#[xxx]) stated "there is nothing BMW can do in this case." Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
The contact owns a 2007 BMW 335I. While driving approximately 10 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to recharge the battery and drive the vehicle home, but the failure recurred. The contact was able to enter the vehicle by using the emergency key on the driver side door; however, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 13V044000 (electrical system). The failure mileage was 85,000.
I parked the car at work at 7:30 am. At noon a co-worker notified me that my car was filled with smoke in the cabin. I went outside and saw this and immediately called the fire department. I waited for them to show, and opened the door as smoke poured out from the cabin. The fire department said there was an active fire in the glovebox. It looks like it started around the blower motor for the ac and the fuse box. My insurance company declared the car a total loss.
The left passenger door lock has ceased to operate on my 2007 BMW 328I. It does not unlock with either the key fob or the main unlock switch. This is very dangerous if there were any kind of emergency involving this door needing to be opened.
The contact owns a 2007 BMW 335I. The contact stated while traveling various speeds, the vehicle suddenly stalled and all of the electrical components failed. The contact mentioned that the failure occurred when the vehicle was driven more than ten minutes and it also had to be jump started. The manufacturer was notified and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number 13V044000 (electrical system). The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 87,000. Updated 08/18/2014
Left headlight control module unit for xenon bulb stopped working on 2007 BMW 335I which caused the low beam xenon headlight bulb to go out at night. Many other BMW owners are reporting the same problem on the same side (left). Type in BMW 335I headlight control module and someone posting that their left side went out, is the first hit on google and many other posts I have seen also state the left side control module failed and their left headlight went out. It is a safety issue and a consumer protection issue as the cost to replace is $1100+.
The contact leased a 2007 BMW 335I. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, there was a sudden loss of electrical power without warning. The contact mentioned that the positive battery cable was discolored indicating that it was overheating. As a result, there was a connection failure. The vehicle was towed to a private mechanic where the failure was unable to be replicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 13V044000 (electrical system). The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 80,000.
Driving normally, about to make a turn onto a street my power steering fails and I get a light on the dashboard about battery charging malfunction. Upon further investigation it turns out my accessory belt that drives the ac compressor, power steering pump and alternator was completely shredded and not on the pulleys. I have damage to multiple pulleys in my car. My power steering pulley is missing big chunks because of impact with the sub-frame. This is a known service bulletin ( sib 11 09 08 ) the power steering pulley impacts the sub-frame because of motor movement when hitting bumps etc.. this caused my belt to be ripped into shreds and break off big chunks of my power steering pulley.
My car keys cannot unlock all the doors. I had to remove the key from the remote and use the key to manually open the driver side door. The front passenger door and both doors at the rear passenger seats cannot be opened. There is no way the doors can be opened from the inside once it is locked. This is a serious safety issue especially in the event of an emergency from a car fire, people in the car (passenger side cannot unlock the door to get out and the doors cannot be opened from the outside. I see this a potential liability and I am surprised why no authorities have stepped up and initiate an investigation. Does that mean when only there is a fatal incident that people will start investigation? I brought my car to the dealership and their appointment time is fully booked till next week. They don't seem to even think this could result in potentially dangerous and safety issue. If this website is dedicated to what is profess to do, then I hope to see action. This has been a known problem with BMW but I am sure other makes also have this safety concern.
My wife was attempting to exit car when she noticed that she was not able to open any of car doors - all the locks would not operate ! also, the door handles would not open the doors from the inside the vehicle. This issue is safety issue that needs to be looked at asap. I was able to see on line that number of like and kind complaints with the 2007 328 xi models...
Reference NHTSA campaign: 13V044000 my vehicle has been experiencing issues as exactly outlined in this recall notice such as the starting rough, not starting, battery indicator lamp lit, and other electrical issues. I have experienced a loss of power & degraded performance while driving although it has not resulted in a crash because I was able to safely pull my car over. I spoke with BMW customer relations and they said my VIN was not specified by this recall and to file a complaint with the NHTSA to get this resolved. I have researched many other 2007 3-series owners having similar issues and would expect this to be covered by the recall.
Arrived destination, exited car, locked doors via key fob. Returned four hours later, unable to unlock doors. Lights went on, so I knew key fob was working. Had to use valet key to open driver's door, no locks on other doors. Once in car tried to use door open button on dash, would not work, tried to unlock door from inside, could not unlock any of the doors. My wife had to crawl through open window on passenger side, and my two guests had to go through windows to sit in back seat. Once reaching our next destination attempted to used the door release again, nothing, then tried the door handles (front and back) would not work, back seat passengers had to exit through windows, and once we reached home my wife had to slide over console go out the drivers door, the only door that could be opened from the inside. Fyi both my wife and I are senior citizens, and not very happy with this current event. As a result all passengers were trapped inside car as all door locks, except drivers fail and no way to open car, this could have result into a serious problem if we were in an accident of fire with 3 of the 4 doors not being able to open from the inside. Brought to BMW dealer next day, they wanted between $800 and $1,000. To repair door lock actuators, unable to pay this now, car is sitting home in garage. BMW never offered to pay this under the current conditions of so many complaints, this should be a recall. It is a safety hazard.
Doors will not unlock using the key fob or central locking button. Locked doors will not open from interior of vehicle, no way to unlock the rear doors and front passenger door when they are locked. Only way to exit vehicle is through driver's door if manually unlocked with key. Passenger doors will not open and gas door will not open.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Alpheretta, GA, USA