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.
in the trunk in the spare tire well. Water could be there, flooding some electronics. The wiring got wet causing my car to just turn off in the expressway due to the comments getting wet that are harnessed in this area. I tried to get it repaired when the class action lawsuit took place but the dealership I had my car at for 3 months never performed the repair. Then the next dealership refused to perform the repairs due to time constraints. Now every time it rains I am worried my car will short or just shut off. I have had to replace the part 2 times and now I just leave it unattached. the BMW agrees to settle vehicle water damage suit for up to $478 million. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - German automaker BMW AG has agreed to pay up to $477.7 million to settle a class-action lawsuit covering about 318,000 U.S. luxury car owners who may have suffered water damage harming electrical components in vehicle trunks.
The front Xenon Headlight Wiring protective plastic coating has degraded and prematurely failed on both headlight assemblies. This caused headlight bulb shorting and poses a potential fire hazard in the front engine compartment of the vehicle. The wiring used in the headlight assemblies was not up to proper standards and failed. The wiring used in other areas of the engine bay seems to be okay. The internal headlight wiring appears to be supplied by the OEM Headlight Manufacturer (HELLA) and does not seem to be up to proper standards to prevent the plastic protective coating from failing over time. This should not be considered a "wear item" as electrical wiring is used throughout millions of much older vehicles without incident.
BMW Headlight wiring on the 530 series is defective. Wire Insulation throughout the headlight assembly crumbles. The design and wire specification were not fit for use. Heat may be an issue but has nothing to do with climate. The vehicle has spent most of its life in Michigan where the problem was first noted when the age of the vehicle was approximately 8 years. High heat within the headlight assembly also caused deterioration of the covering on fiber optic cable. This problem is well known to BMW owners. The bare wires within the headlight housing pose a risk of electrical shorts and potentially fires.
My car was in my driveway. My complaint is I just bought the car from a friend of our family and everything was. About a month later when I start the car I get this error" fault in passenger restraint system effecting airbag-belt tensioner or belt for delimiter. So I call bmwusa to see if this was recalled. The man I spoke with said yes it was but I let me have your VIN# oh no I'm sorry not for your VIN " I was shocked to think it would be a recall on one but not another. If it is effecting my air bag U would think. It would be a safety issue for all cars that get that error. Or was that car built knowing it was eventually going to go out and we the customers are going to have to pay for it. I would rather not have that at all. It makes no sense. Especially if your ok to fix some cars and not all of them after all why would we want something in the car if we know one its just going to go out and we have to pay for it. And for the safety part. It even sounds more crazy that something like that could malfunction and I not even sure if anybody should ride in my passenger seat. Well it's [xxx] at [xxx] if you have any questions thank you for your time and have a wonderful day. Good bless information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
My car automatically shut off and I smelled a burning plastic odor coming from the engine. I took my car to the BMW licensed mechanic that I normally see who repaired the issue that was deemed to be the PCV valve heater. This happened at the end of May. Then at the end of June, I received a lower from BMW announcing recall # 17V-683: PCV valve heater. BMW told me today that they can not refund me for the repairs that I had done because these repairs had to be performed at a BMW dealership. I have all my receipts. Total repairs cost $2626.91 + rental car expenses of $204.16 and $76.71. * (recall related incident)
I was driving in town with my newborn baby in the back seat when the ac/heat system caught on fire and smoke came billowing into the cabin through the air vents. It immediately smelled like burning plastic/electrical fire. I pulled the car over because I was worried about a fire and got my child out of the vehicle. After doing some research, I have since noticed that this is a known problem by BMW and that they have an active recall for this precise issue, but it does not cover my specific model. The recall currently out for this issue is # 17V-676, which covers a number of 3-series models, but not my 530xi. I just got word from my mechanic that it will cost $1800 to replace the fried system, and he also warned me that it could have caught the entire car on fire. I had him put this in writing for me so I can have record of it. Please help me with this! BMW needs to widen the scope of this recall to cover other affected vehicles! thank you
Recently there was a class action lawsuit settlement (www.E6061ingresssettlement.com). the settlement states that the car should have less than 120K miles. My car has the exact same issue and I have a service record from 2015 when the car had less than 100K miles. By the time the lawsuit was settled and the dealers were accepting cars, I crossed 120K miles and now they are saying I'm not eligible for the repairs.
Headlights internal wiring geta so hot it melts and cracks and deteriorates and causes short circuit eventually leading to both or single high beam malfunction.
Last year I could hear a sound of water through my sunroof and would have water thrown at me through my ac. My stereo and dash stopped working and suddenly started working after a couple of months. I took it to 2 different locations and they would tell me there was no short in a fuse. Yesterday my car would not start it was stationed in front of my home. I went to a mechanic and found that my battery was sitting in water. The car will not start even after water was drained and the battery was replaced. I called BMW but they want to charge me $385 just for a diagnostic. I have changed my battery like 4 time in the last 2 years which is just a headache in itself. My vehicle wont start.
The left front parking bulb was no working, took the vehicle to BMW dealership in columbia, S.C. to have bulb replaced. Upon picking up the vehicle, the warning indicator for the same bulb and the left front high beam warning both lights were not functioning correctly appeared. I returned to the service department to inquire why the warning was on, which they stated it was probably left loose. The service adviser returned to bring me into the shop to show me the wiring for the light assembly was cracking and falling off, exposing bare wire causing the short and blowing the bulbs. The service department at BMW stated a new assembly would be required which would be about $1500 each for the parts. After replacement of the bulb while in the service department, there was another electrical short causing the bulbs to blow immediately. I have read the wiring was coated with a soy based product, which is why the wiring coating is prematurely cracking and exposing bare copper wire, creating an electrical and fire hazard. Due to the inadequate material utilized by the manufacturer, it should be rectified by the manufacturer prior to serious injury or death.
Replacing the daytime running light bulb that failed, I removed the headlight assembly from the vehicle to have easier access to the bulb recessed deep inside the headlight housing. Upon opening the access panel, I discovered the wiring insulation of most of the inner wiring harness of headlight brittle and flaking off, exposing the bare wires. The short circuit probability is high with the exposed wires in close proximity.
My problem started 2 years ago. After two days of very heavy rain I started my vehicle and my navigation screen started to flicker then eventually burned out over a two week time also my radio stopped working at the same time. I didn't have the 2,000 dollars to get it fixed. A few months later after several days of heavy rain I've noticed the drivers floor soaked then the car was hesitant to start. The car over another few months my wipers would cut on by themselves and I couldn't cut them off. It got to the point that I turned the car off and the wipers were still working with no key in the car... the car had to be towed to the mechanics.. now my window work intermittently sometimes they work and sometimes they don't...at this time I also smell the odor of a burning electrical from time to time.
I was driving and opened the sunroof. The night before there was a massive rain storm. Shortly after opening the sunroof the car's electrical system started severely malfunctioning. A warning sign came on that said that the entire electrical system was having a massive malfunction and that I should pull over immediately. The water from the storm drained into the electrical system and shorted it. This is a design flaw in the car and BMW is aware of it. The electrical system is stored near the drains in the lower rear of the car.
Car was parked outside of our home and shut off. About 25 minutes later the car exploded into fire and burned down to the ground leaving the seats and trunk with all interior metal parts on our driveway. Our home was also damaged as a result of this car going on fire. The car was well maintained and no one can advise us as to why this happened.
I am contacting you in an attempt to obtain assistance / remedy in the repair of a burned outer tail lamp socket in my 2007 530xit. I am the original owner of this vehicle. On 12/31/2014 I received a right tail lamp malfunction warning via I-drive and when I arrived home I inspected the right tail lamp assy and found the outer tail lamp bulb socket contacts to be melted and no longer making contact with the bulb holder. The stock and original bulb tested faulty. Unfortunately, due to the damaged and melted contact on the socket assy, the BMW replacement bulb will not function either. I have a photo of the socket assy should it be needed for investigation. As is the case with the 2008-2010 E60 & E61 models, there have been substantial failures in the rear lighting system resulting in a recall. I feel that this failure reduces the vehicles ability to warn other motorists of the driver's intentions, increasing the risk of a crash and should be investigated for a potential recall on pre lci E61 models.
All active xenon headlight wiring protective coating is/has flaked off exposing wires, making it vulnerable to electrical short, lose of driving lights and potential fire hazard.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Shorewood , WI, USA