2007 BMW 3 Series

I HAVE A 2007 BMW 335I COUPE WITH 30000 MILES ON IT. IT WAS REVEALED IN A NORMAL SERVICE APPOINTMENT THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THAT PARTICULAR MODELS MOTOR ( N54 ). THE TOLERANCES OF THE PULLEY WHEEL THAT SUPPORTS ALL THE CARS SYSTEMS INCLUDING THE POWER STEERING IS DANGEROUSLY CLOSE AND CAN RUB ON THE SUBFRAME OF THE CAR CAUSING THE SERPENTINE BELT TO FAIL CAUSING ALL OF THE CARS SYSTEMS TO STOP WORKING. THIS CAN BE PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS IF YOUR IN A TRAFFIC SITUATION TO HAVE ALL SYSTEMS FAIL. BMW RECOGNIZES THE ISSUE AND PRODUCED A SIB 11 09 08. THE LOCAL BMW SHOP GLOBAL IMPORTS AND MY EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE REFUSE TO FIX THE DANGEROUS SITUATION. THE PROBLEM IS COMPOUNDED THAT IF THE PULLEY CONTINUES TO RUB ON THE SUBFRAME IT CAN ACTUALLY CAUSE THE MOTOR TO DROP FROM THE CAR CHASIS. AN EVEN MORE DANGEROUS SITUATION. GLOBAL IMPORTS WILL FIX THEIR KNOW ISSUE FOR CLOSE TO $4000. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED BY MANY OF THAT MODELS OWNERS. HTTP://WWW.N54TECH.COM/FORUMS/SEARCH.PHP?SEARCHID=722576 THERE IS A WEBSITE THIS ISSUE SHOULD INVOLVE A RECALL OR REPAIR. *TR

DOORS WILL NOT UNLOCK OR OPEN. I WAS LITERALLY TRAPPED INSIDE MY CAR IN A PARKING LOT. DROVE VEHICLE HOME, HAD TO PUT DOWN WINDOW AND HAVE SOMEONE USE VALET KEY AT MY HOUSE TO OPEN THE DRIVER DOOR. NONE OF THE OTHER THREE PASSENGER DOORS CAN BE UNLOCKED. LUCKILY NO PASSENGERS IN MY VEHICLE. WAS TOLD THERE IS A TSB RELATED TO THIS, HOWEVER IT IS NOT RECOGNIZED AS A SAFETY ISSUE. CANNOT UNDERSTAND HOW THIS IS CONSIDERED "SAFE" WHEN IF MY VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE AND I HAD MY CHILDREN IN THEIR CAR SEATS IN THE BACK SEAT, THERE WOULD BE NO WAY TO OPEN THE DOORS TO GET THEM OUT. BMW IS AWARE THAT THE ACTUATORS ARE PULLING TOO MUCH CURRENT THROUGH THE FUSES AND THAT THE ACTUATORS NEED REPLACED. THEY ARE MAKING TONS OF MONEY OFF OF CHARGING PEOPLE TO REPAIR THIS KNOWN PROBLEM AS THIS IS NOT SOMETHING YOU CAN AVOID HAVING REPAIRED UNLESS YOU ARE WILLING TO GAMBLE ON YOUR OWN LIFE OR THOSE OF FAMILY/FRIENDS WHO MAY BE IN YOUR VEHICLE WHEN THIS OCCURS. THERE REALLY NEEDS TO BE A SAFETY RECALL ON THIS ISSUE BEFORE SOMEONE LOSES THEIR LIFE AS A RESULT. I FIND IT QUITE ABSURD THAT THE NHTSA DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THIS. DOES SOMEONE NEED TO DIE FOR THIS TO BE REMEDIED? JUST BECAUSE I DRIVE A USED BMW DOES NOT MEAN I HAVE THE MONEY TO HAVE THIS REPAIRED, YET I'VE GOT TWO VERY YOUNG CHILDREN WHO RIDE IN THE BACKSEAT OF THIS CAR ON A DAILY BASIS. LOOKING AT THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN FILED, OBVIOUSLY IT APPEARS THAT NEITHER BMW NOR THE NHTSA SEEM TO CARE ABOUT MY SAFETY, MY FAMILY'S SAFETY OR THAT OF ANY OF THE OTHER THOUSANDS OF BMW OWNERS WHO ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. *TR

FIRST OCCURRENCE OF PROBLEM HAPPENED BACK IN MAY 2012. ME AND MY FIANCEE WERE EXITING THE VEHICLE BUT ONLY MY DRIVER DOOR WOULD OPEN. MY FIANCEE WAS FORCED TO CLIMB OVER THE MIDDLE CONSOLE OF THE VEHICLE AND EXIT THROUGH MY DOOR, WITH A SHORT DRESS ON. I LATER LOOKED ONLINE ON A BMW FORUM TO FIND THE CULPRIT TO BE THE LOCK ACTUATORS BLOWING FUSE 56. I REPLACED FUSE 56 WITH THE APPROPRIATE FUSE, INCREASING THE 15 AMP TO A 20 AMP AT THAT TIME. ON 30 JUNE 2012 I EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE WHILE ON VACATION IN OGUNQUIT, ME. ONCE AGAIN MY PASSENGERS WERE ALL LOCKED IN THE VEHICLE. THERE IS NO MANUAL OVERRIDE FOR THE 335I'S DOORS ONCE THE FUSE BLOWS. ALL THREE PASSENGERS WERE FORCED TO CLIMB THROUGH THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR, CREATING A DANGEROUS AND UNCOMFORTABLE SITUATION. THIS TIME I REPLACED FUSE 57 AND IT SEEMED TO WORK JUST FINE AFTERWARDS. LASTLY, IT HAPPENED TWO DAYS AGO WITH JUST ME IN THE VEHICLE. I BROUGHT IT TO THE BMW DEALERSHIP (IN RHODE ISLAND) AND THEY TOLD ME ALL DOOR LOCK ACTUATORS WERE DEFECTIVE/FAULTY. THEY SAID I WOULD NEED TO REPLACE EVERY SINGLE DOOR ACTUATOR ON THE CAR, TOTALING A COST OF $1600. I CALLED BMW OF NA AND THEY SAID THEY WERE UNABLE TO HELP ME, DESPITE THE OBVIOUS SAFETY HAZARDS OF A BLOWN FUSE IN THIS VEHICLE. I DESPAIR WHEN I THINK OF THE PROBLEMS THIS COULD CAUSE DURING AN ACCIDENT. THE ABSENCE OF A MANUAL OVERRIDE WOULD CAUSE PASSENGERS TO BREAK OPEN WINDOWS IN ORDER TO ESCAPE DURING AN ACCIDENT OR FIRE. *TR

MY 2007 BMW 335I BECAME VERY HARD TO STEER DURING A DRIVE DOWN A STEEP GRADE. A BATTERY NOT CHARGING ERROR WOULD APPEAR ON DASH SHORTLY AFTER... HERE IS WHAT HAPPENED. WHILE DRIVING DOWN A STEEP HILL AND NEEDING TO BREAK HARD ON A TURN TO AVOID HITTING A DEAD ANIMAL ON THE ROAD I SMELLED BURNING RUBBER AND THEN HEARD A NOISE THIS NOISE I DISCOVERED LATER IN THE DAY WAS MY POWER STEERING BELT BREAKING. I LOST ALL POWER STEERING WENT OFF THE ROAD OUT OFF CONTROL DUE TO LOSE OF POWER STEERING AND ALMOST HIT A BIKE RIDER AND CAME VERY CLOSE TO GOING OFF THE SIDE OF ROAD. LATER THAT DAY I DECIDED TO GOOGLE MY PROBLEM AND SEE IF THERE WOULD BE AN EASY FIX TO THIS PROBLEM. I DISCOVERED THERE IS NOT AN EASY FIX FOR A BROKEN BELT ON MY MODAL OF CAR. I DISCOVERED THIS IS COMMON ON MANY BMW MODELS AND BMW IS AWARE OF IT SEE SIB 11-09-08. I QUICKLY DISCOVERED THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY OWNER OUT THERE WITH THIS PROBLEM. THERE ARE MANY OTHERS. BMW KNOWS OF THE PROBLEM AND HAS NOT RECALLED ANY CARS. THERE DOCUMENTATION OF THE PROBLEM IS UNDER SIB 11-09-08. I WILL BE BRINGING MY CAR BACK TO DEALER TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM RESOLVE AND HOPE THEY FOLLOW THE SIB 11-09-08 WHICH NOTES NEW STYLE SUB FRAME REPLACEMENT WILL BE REQUIRED. I BELIEVE AN INVESTIGATION NEEDS TO BE MADE REGARDING POWER STEERING BELTS BREAKING. THESE BELTS SHOULD NOT BE BREAKING UNDER THE CONDITION I WAS DRIVING AND SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. I HOPE TO SEE THIS RESOLVED SOON BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED. AT THIS TIME I DON'T FEEL THE CAR WILL BE SAFE TO DRIVE. *TR

A WARNING LIGHT CAME ON IN MY CAR (STEERING WHEEL WITH PAD LOCK). I CONTACTED THE DEALER AND THEY ASKED ME IF I HAD CALLED EARLIER WHICH I HAD NOT. I WAS SOMEWHAT ALARMED THAT THIS SOUND LIKE A COMMON ISSUE ALTHOUGH IN ALL OF THE CARS I HAVE OWNED IN THE PAST, I HAVE NEVER HAD TO REPLACE A STEERING WHEEL COLUMN. I BELIEVE THIS IS A DEFECT AND THIS IS WHY I AM FILING THIS CONCERN. I WAS INFORMED THAT NORMALLY THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKS UP AND YOU ARE UNABLE TO DRIVE. *TR

I BOUGHT MY BRAND NEW BMW X3 IN 2007. THERE WERE SMALL ISSUES IN THE PAST BUT WITHING MY MANUFACTURER WARRENTY PERIOD. I HAD MY REAR BRAKE PADS REPLACED ON JAN 23, 2012. ON JAN 30, 2012, WHEN I DROVE MY X3 OUT MY SUBDIVISON TO GO TO WORK, THE BRAKE LIGHT, ABS LIGHT, AND 4/4 LIGHT ALL ON, PLUS LOAD CLUNK TYPE NOISE FROM REAR, IT WAS DIFFICAULT TO MAKE A U-TURN, MANAGED BACK TO HOME, CALLED BMW UNITEDBMW DEALER AND TOWED MY VEHICLE TO DEALER. THEY FIRST TOLD ME THAT IS SOFTWARE FAILURE, THEY WOULD TRY REPROGRAM TO FIX, THEN CALLED TO TELL THE RE-PROGRAM DID NOT WORK, IT WAS MECHANICAL TRANSFER CASE ACTUATOR BROKEN, A NEW ONE MUST BE INSTALLED. THE TOTAL CHARGE FOR REPAIR (PART + LABOR - DISCOUNT) IS $2354.97. IT WAS IN THE DEALER FOR ONE WEEK. THE DEALER INSISTED THAT IT WAS MY BAD LUCK, NOT CAR'S OWN ISSUE EVEN THOUGH THE MILAGE IS LESS THAN 40K. I DID SOME RESEARCH ONLINE, FOUND THAT THERE ARE PLENTY OF SIMILAR CASES AND CLASS-ACTION LAWSUITS. LOOKS LIKE BMW (2007 AND 2008) MODELS HAVE LUBRICANT PROBLEM, LATER BMW SWITCHED WITH DIFFERENT LUBRICANT. INTERNET ESTIMATION SAYS THAT ~30% OF THE VEHICHLES (2007 & 2008) DEMONSTRATED THIS ISSUE. AS A CONSUMER, I AM TRYING TO URGE ANY CAR MAKER TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR PRODUCTS. BUT I NEVER GET ANY NOTICE OR RECALL FROM BMW DEALERS OR MAKER IN THE PAST AND WHEN THE PROBLEM SURFACED. *TR

I WAS DRIVING AND A RED LIGHT WITH A STEERING WHEEL AND PAD LOCK CAME ON. I CONTACTED SOMEONE REGARDING THIS LIGHT AND THEY INDICATED THAT THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE ON AND THAT IT COULD POTENTIALLY LOCK UP ON ME. I CONTACTED IRVINE BMW TO INQUIRE ON THE COST AND SOMEONE ANSWERED ASKING ME IF I HAD SPOKE TO HIM EARLIER ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, I RESPONDED NO IT WAS MY FIRST TIME CALLING. I BELIEVE THIS IS POTENTIALLY A PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE AND AM REQUESTING THAT SOMEONE LOOK INTO THE MATTER. I'M HAVING TO REPLACE MY STEERING COLUMN WHICH COST $1460 AND MY EXTENDED WARRANTY JUST ENDED AND MY VEHICLE JUST CAME ON ITS 5TH YEAR. *TR

AFTER BEING SERVICE BY DEALER FOR 4 DAYS WHICH INCLUDED THE REPLACEMENT OF RIGHT HEADLIGHT AND ABS AND BRAKE SYSTEM THE CAR CAUGHT FIRE WHICH SEEM TO BE RELATED TO ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. WHILE DRIVING THE CAR HEAVY TOXIC SMOKE STARTED COMING OUT OF VENTILATOR OF AC SYSTEM. I IMMEDIATELY STEP OUT OF THE CAR AND IN A FEW MINUTES SMOKE AND FLAMES LOCATED IN THE ENGINE IN FRONT OF PASSENGER SEAT BURN THE CAR. FLAMES AND BLACK PLASTIC WERE COMING ALSO UNDER THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT RIGHT IN FRONT OF PASSENGER SEAT. DEALER QUOTED $25000 FOR REPAIR AND INSURANCE COMPANY DECLARED IT TOTAL LOSS. CAR WAS DELIVERED TO DEALER WHO HAS KEPT IT FOR A MONTH, ENGINEER FROM BMW NORTH AMERICA CAME AND INSPECTED BUT NO REPORT HAS BEEN ISSUED BY THEM OR DEALER. THIS COMPANY HAS NO CONCERN FOR SAFETY OF CONSUMERS AND SHOULD BE PENALIZE. AFTER HAVING OWNED SIX BMW'S I FEEL THESE AUTOS ARE NOT SAFE. *TR