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 had car heating system on and felt some thing very hot under my thigh. I got down to inspect and found a hole in the car seat. I put off the heating system to reach home safely. I have sent pictures and my complaint to BMW ag and BMW usa.
While driving last night, I started to feel something hot in the seat, and within a few moments there was a burning smell. I leaned forward and looked back at the seat, and it had a flame coming out of a hole melted in the leather. (left side of the driver's seat) luckily, I was wearing a coat and driving in an area that I could pull over quickly. After I hopped out & turned off the heated seats, it continued to spark as my son and I waited outside in the cold for someone to come pick us up. Could have been a lot worse, but I'm starting to hear that this is not that uncommon of a an occurrence. Thanks!
Turned on heated seat on driver's side. After approximately 2 minutes, felt burning on left side of seat. Turned off the heated seat, turned on the light and the seat was smoking substantially. A small hole was burned through the leather seat (about the size of a dime) and through my pants. I have a small red mark on the top of the back of my leg. The vehicle smells like smoke. Luckily, I was in the driveway when this happened or an accident might have occurred. Very concerning and will likely be a costly repair. Have noted several other similar incidents repoted on-line.
I was driving to work early in the morning and since it was a bit chilly, turned on the seat warmer. Within seconds I felt a painful burning in my left rear "cheek" and smelled smoke and something burning. I immediately turned off the seat warmer and the smoke and smell cleared. When I was finally able to stop and assess the damage, there is a burned spot on my leather seat and I have a burn on my backside. I took the car in to my mechanic and he states that I was lucky it didn't start a fire because the damage to the heating element/wiring is so extensive. I was advised not to use it until it could be repaired. I bought this vehicle used and I did purchase a warranty with it, but it doesn't look like this item is covered. However, BMW needs to step up and fix this. I almost got into an accident because of the pain and I actually thought the car was on fire. I was very lucky that turning off the seat warmer stopped any further damage. I've already noted 7 other seat warmer issues for the 2007 X3 model, I've read numerous other complaints on various other internet blogs (which would definitely increase the number of complaints if those individuals knew where & how to file a complaint like this), and I also know that there have been other BMW models with similar issues where there has been a recall (04V575000 recall date : Nov 24, 2004 ). what are you waiting for" for someone to get seriously hurt or worse, die" this is a serious safety issue that needs to be addressed by an immediate recall. This issue nearly caused a fire while I was driving on the freeway and could have caused an accident!!!
My cars is bought in usa from www.selectautoimports.com/ and exported to belarus via lithuania (port of klaipeda). Let me report the following case and ask your assistance. A hole of almost 1 cm was discovered after the driver seat heating had been switched on a BMW X3 E83 2007 (a driver coat was also damaged). The car is no longer covered by warranty. The hole is located in the left waist support cushion. It can be noticed that the heater is glowing, sparkling and overheating in this particular place. As I know, such manufacturing defect is rather a common case and is dealt with by local BMW dealers independently of where the car was purchased. Please help me solving the above issue which is more annoying as we are in the middle of a severe winter and one does not feel like getting burned or set the car on fire. Pictures is here https://picasaweb.google.com/101022534625221094019/X3?authkey=gv1srgclullsubjnl3pg# thank you very much for your attention on this matter please contact with me by E-mail.
- Alexandria, VA, USA
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Driving through residential area I fell a little pain on my buttocks, pull over and there is a hole the size of a pea on the seat and similar hole on my pants. Got a mild burn too since I am heavy and was sitting heavily on the affected burn area of the seat.
The contact owns a 2007 BMW X3. The contact was driving approximately 25 mph when a burning smell was exhibited from the inside of the vehicle and smoke was seen coming from the driver's side seat. The contact's coat caught on fire but the contact was able to exit the vehicle without any injuries. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they advised that the electric heater failed and the entire seat needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000. The VIN was unavailable.
The contact owns a 2007 BMW X3. The contact stated that the driver side seat warmer overheated and burned a hole in the seat. The manufacturer and dealer were contacted, but denied any assistance with repairs to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 66,500 and the current mileage was 66,655.
Driver's side seat heater has malfunctioned and has burnt the leather and caused discomfort while driving. Heavy burnt smell in the cabin resulted from using the seat heater.
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- Cromwell, CT, USA