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.
I was driving my 2007 BMW 525I on a city street and when I attempted to stop at a stop sign the brakes were non existent. The brake pedal lost all of its pressure and went all the way down without stopping the vehicle. I could not stop at the stop sign and the only way to stop was using the emergency brake which barely stopped the vehicle. The brakes would not work so I was unable to drive the vehicle. After further inspection under my hood, I found a broken brake vacuum hose which broke apart and this was the cause of the brake system failure. I was very lucky not to be injured.
When I realized a lightbulb in my headlights went out I bought the bulb online ready to replace it. I realized when replacing that the wires connecting to the headlights are completely flaked off. So I wanted money on a new bulb because it won't light up regardless. Now this not only causes the bulb to not work but it messes with the lights in the whole side of the headlight. My entire left headlight tweaks. Sometimes jus one parking light is out, then it's the high beam that doesn't work, then it's the low beam. Sometimes when I have low beams on the left headlight has its high beams on by itself. All this happened because I tried to change a bulb and the wirings jus flaked off as soon as they moved or bended a bit. This is very dangerous because my headlight won't work sometimes and that makes me not so visible at night. Also I end up unintentionally having my high beams on with no way for me to turn it off besides completely turning off my headlights. Pretty sure it's an electrical or fire hazard too to have a bunch of naked wires side by side. Fault number 2 is the brakes. When coming to complete stop my car jerks. There's nothing wrong with the brake system. I talked to a couple people with the same model car as me and they all had the same problem. It just happens once the car gets to a high number of miles. Something should be done about this because a functional car shouldn't be jerking when coming to a stop. Especially if the brakes are in perfect condition.
The contact owns a 2007 BMW 5 series. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the brake pedal was depressed and traveled to the floorboard. The vehicle came to a stop after applying the brake pedal numerous times. The failure recurred several times. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 13V045000 (service brakes, service brakes, hydraulic). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate mileage was 126,000.
I was traveling approximately 40 mph on a city causeway. I went to apply the brakes for a red light and had none. The pedal was very stiff and had no hydraulic assist. I pushed the pedal as hard as I could and downshifted, finally stopping about 8 feet into the intersection. The car acted fine all morning up to that point. I had no warning light or anything to alert me to the failure. I have since found out that BMW issued a recall for this very issue on the V8 engine but not for the I6 engine which I have.
The contact owns a 2007 525 BMW. The contact stated that without warning, the brake pedal would become stiff. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the technician diagnosed that the vacuum booster had malfunctioned due to contamination. No repairs were made to the vehicle and the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 120,000.
- Dixon, CA, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
The contact owns a 2007 BMW 525I. While driving approximately 45 mph the contact depressed the brake pedal but the brakes were hesitant to respond. The contact had to apply excessive pressure to the brake pedal for the vehicle to stop. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic. The mechanic stated the brake booster and vacuum pump would have to be replaced because the vacuum pump was leaking oil and contaminated the brake booster. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 57,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Pinecrest, FL, USA