2006 BMW 3 Series

THE AIRBAG INDICATOR LIGHT HAS BEEN ACTIVATED TO WHAT I HAVE READ TO BE DUE TO A CRACK IN THE DETECTION MAT. I HAVE TAKEN MY CAR TO REPAIR SHOPS AND ALL HAVE CONFIRMED THE SAME ISSUE. IN THE CASE THAT THERE IS AN ACCIDENT, NONE OF THE AIRBAGS WILL BE DEPLOYED, OR AIRBAGS MAY BE DEPLOYED WITHOUT REASON. I HAVE GRAVE CONCERNS. I HAVE MADE TWO PHONE CALLS TO BMW WITH MY CONCERN FOR MY SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF MY PASSENGERS. BMW STATES THAT CURRENTLY MY PARTICULAR VIN NUMBER IS NOT LISTED ON THE RECALLS, BUT MAY BE IN THE FUTURE. MY CAR HAS THE EXACT SAME ISSUES AS BEING REPORTED AS THE PREVIOUS TWO RECALLS, BUT SINCE IT WAS MANUFACTURED "JUST BEFORE THE INDICATED RECALL DATES" THAT I WILL NOT BE REIMBURSED. IF BMW CARES ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS' SAFETY, I WOULD NOT THINK WAITING BY THE MAILBOX FOR A LETTER THAT MAY OR MAY NOT ARRIVE TO INFORM ME OF ANOTHER LETTER IN MARCH, IS AT ALL SUFFICIENT. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF I CAN DO ANYTHING ELSE TO EXPEDITE A SOLUTION FOR MY CONCERN. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

BROKEN CYLINDER HEAD BOLTS AT THE FRONT TIMING COVER. SYMPTOM WAS OIL LEAK AT TIMING COVER. UPON INSPECTION, THE HEADS OF 4 BOLTS HAD SHEARED OFF AND 3 BOLT HEADS HAD DROPPED THROUGH THE TIMING CHAIN HOUSING AND ENDED UP IN THE OIL PAN. *TR FIRST, HEAD BOLTS SHOULD NOT FAIL. SECOND, THE SHEARED BOLT HEADS PASS THROUGH THE TIMING CHAIN HOUSING AND COULD INTERFERE WITH THE TIMING CHAIN AND CAUSE IMMEDIATE ENGINE FAILURE.

I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY IN THE LEFT LANE, TRYING TO PASS A CAR IN THE MIDDLE LANE. AFTER GETTING IN FRONT OF THE CAR IN THE MIDDLE LANE, I TRIED TO ACCELERATE SO I COULD RE-ENTER THE MIDDLE LANE, BUT THE CAR ACTED AS IF IT SLIPPED INTO NEUTRAL AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE ENGINE GROWLED AS IF IT WERE IN NEUTRAL. IT KEPT DRIVING, BUT WOULD NOT ACCELERATE, DESPITE ME STEPPING HARDER ON THE GAS. THIS WAS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS AS THERE WAS A CAR IMMEDIATELY BEHIND ME, WHICH COULD HAVE REAR ENDED ME AT OVER 60MPH, AND THE CAR IN THE MIDDLE LANE THAT I WAS TRYING TO PASS COULD HAVE ALSO HIT ME ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF MY CAR. IN RESEARCHING THIS, MANY BMW OWNERS HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS, AND YET BMW HAS NOT ISSUED AN INVESTIGATION OR RECALL: HTTP://WWW.CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM/AUTOMOTIVE/BMW_TRANS.HTML THERE ARE 650 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS PROBLEM AT THE ABOVE LINK. PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE HAVING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS LIKE THIS UNDER 75K MILES. *TR

RECEIVED YELLOW STEERING WHEEL AND LOCK ICON WHEN TRYING TO START THE CAR. ATTEMPTED USING DIFFERENT KEYS, BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT START AND THE STEERING WHEEL REMAINED IMMOBILE. I EXITED THE CAR AND WAITED ABOUT 30 MINUTES TO TRY AGAIN, BUT RECEIVED YELLOW STEERING WHEEL WITH LOCK ICON AGAIN WHEN PUTTING THE KEY FOB INTO THE VEHICLE. WHEN I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP, I WAS QUOTED ABOUT $1200 AS SOON AS I DESCRIBED THE YELLOW STEERING WHEEL AND LOCK, WITHOUT THEM HAVING SEEN THE VEHICLE. THE SA ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE NEWER MODELS DON'T EVEN HAVE THIS FEATURE AT ALL. I WAS ALSO ADVISED THAT IT IS NOT A BMW RESPONSIBILITY OR DEFECT, AND THAT I WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL SHOP REPAIRS AND TIME. DOING RESEARCH ABOUT THIS ISSUE, I FOUND THIS IS A VERY WELL DOCUMENTED AND KNOWN ISSUE. THIS SEEMS TO BE DUE TO POOR DESIGN BY THE AUTO MANUFACTURER, SO MUCH SO THAT THE "FEATURE" ISN'T EVEN INCLUDED ON NEWER MODELS OF THE VEHICLE AT ALL. *TR

I HAVE A 2006 BMW 325I THE VEHICLE IS LEAKING FUEL AND FROM WHAT I THINK IT IS THE BREATHER PIPE. I AM VERY CONCERNED THIS WILL GENERATE A SERIOUS PROBLEM LIKE EXPLODING OR ANY TYPE OF FIRE PROBLEM. THERE IS A PUDDLE OF FUEL EVERY TIME I PARK MY CAR. THE FUEL LEAK IS ON THE LEFT REAR SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE SMELL IS ASCENDING. I STRONGLY BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND A DESIGN FLAW,AND EVEN THOUGH MY WARRANTY IS EXPIRED THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD AND MUST COVER THIS SAFETY CONCERN BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. *TR

SINCE SEPT 2011, WHILE DRIVING WITH OR WITHOUT A PASSENGER, THE AIRBAG WARNING LAMP AND THE PASSENGER AIR BAG ON-OFF LAMP ARE ILLUMINATED. IT GOES OFF ON ITS OWN, BUT RETURNS SPONTANEOUSLY. AT FIRST OUR DEALERSHIP SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG, THEN WHEN IT KEPT HAPPENING THEY SAID WE COULD GET IT REPAIRED. PER SAFER.GOV WEBSITE A RECALL WAS GIVEN IN JULY 2009 WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM. ACCORDING TO MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND THE BMW OF NO AMERICA, OUR CAR WAS NOT AMONG THE CARS RECALLED. YET WE HAVE THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM OCCURRING AS DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL. THEY WANT TO CHARGE US OVER $1100 TO FIX THE PROBLEM, YET THERE WAS A RECALL OUT ON "SOME SERIES 3 MODELS". HOW CAN I BE SURE SOME OTHER 2006 SERIES 3 MODELS ARE NOT OVER LOOKED? THIS MAKES ME FEEL UNSAFE TO DRIVE WITH PASSENGERS AND I DON'T FEEL IF SOME ARE DEFECTIVE, THAT OTHERS WITH THE SAME ISSUE ARE CONSIDERED THE OWNERS RESPONSIBILITY. I THINK THEY SHOULD ALSO BE UNDER THE SAME RECALL GUIDELINES WHEN THE SAME EXACT ISSUE HAS BEEN SITED AND IS HAPPENING IN OTHER CARS. *TR

MY VEHICLE (BMW 330I ? 2006), HAS AN AIRBAG/SEAT BELT LIGHT ELIMINATED ON THE DASH. BMW HAS DIAGNOSED IT AS A FAILED PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR. 2006 330I SPORTS SEATS WERE RECALLED FOR THIS ITEM IN 2008. MY VEHICLE WHICH HAS SPORTS SEATS WAS NEVER CALLED FOR THE RECALL. THEY STATED MY VEHICLE'S VIN 'DOES NOT QUALIFY' FOR THE RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER HAS ALSO EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR 10 YEARS ON ALL 3 SERIES MODELS WITH OUT THE SPORTS SEAT OPTION FOR THIS SENSOR. I HAVE TALKED A DEALER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE AND BMW DIRECTLY. THEY SAID MY ONLY OPTION WOULD BE TO FILE A COMPLAINT AND THAT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD HAVE TO WARRANT A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE AND COMBINATION OF OPTIONS. BMW RECALL ID # 57362 - AIR BAGS: FRONTAL RECALL DATE AUG 05, 2008 RECALL DATE: AUG 05, 2008 MODEL AFFECTED: 2006 BMW 3-SERIES SUMMARY: BMW IS RECALLING 200,000 MY 2006 3 SERIES SPORT SEAT, MY 2004-2006 5 SERIES STANDARD AND SPORT SEAT, AND MY 2004-2006 X3 PASSENGER VEHICLES. DEPENDING ON THE MANNER AND FREQUENCY OF THE FRONT PASSENGER'S ENTRY AND EXIT, SMALL CRACKS HAVE DEVELOPED IN THE MAT. IF THIS OCCURS, THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAGS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE HEAD PROTECTION SYSTEM, WILL BE DEACTIVATED AND THE AIR BAG WARNING LAMP AS WELL AS THE PASSENGER AIR BAG "ON-OFF" LAMP WILL BE ILLUMINATED. CONSEQUENCES: IN THIS SITUATION THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY EVEN IF A SUFFICIENTLY SEVERE ACCIDENT WOULD OCCUR AND OCCUPANT PROTECTION PROVIDED BY THE SYSTEM WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE. REMEDY: DEALERS WILL REWORK THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR MAT SO THAT EXTERNAL FORCE APPLICATION TO THE SEAT DOES NOT CAUSE A CRACK TO THE MAT. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 6, 2008. BMW WILL ALSO EXTEND THE WARRANTY ON THESE VEHICLES TO 10 YEARS FROM FIRST REGISTRATION WITHOUT ANY MILEAGE LIMIT. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-525-7417. POTENTIAL UNITS AFFECTED: 200000 NOTES: BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC. UPDATED 07/30/13*LJ