1999 BMW 323I

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 BMW 323I. APPROXIMATELY FOUR HOURS AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, FLAMES APPEARED INSIDE THE VEHICLE NEAR THE DRIVER'S SIDE DASHBOARD. THE FLAMES WERE EXTINGUISHED BY THE CONTACT BEFORE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT THAT WAS CALLED TO THE SCENE. A FIRE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED AS OF YET BUT THE CONTACT BELIEVED THAT THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO A DEFECTIVE LIGHT CONTROL MODULE. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 182,000.

MY CENTRAL DOOR LOCKING SYSTEM DOES NOT WORK, RESULTING IN NONE OF THE PASSENGER DOORS WILL NOT OPEN WHEN LOCKED. SO ALL PASSENGERS ARE TRAPPED IN THE BACK SEAT AND FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. THE DRIVER DOOR CAN BE OPENED FROM THE INSIDE AND WITH A KEY FROM THE OUTSIDE. I HAVE REACHED OUT TO BMW AND THEY WROTE A REPORT BUT SAID THE 1999 YEAR MODEL WOULD PROBABLY NOT BE COVERED. IN NO WAY SHOULD PASSENGERS NOT BE ABLE TO EXIT AN AUTOMOBILE DURING AN EMERGENCY. I CAN NOT DRIVE THE CAR WITH PASSENGERS. TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM IS ESTIMATED AT $550.00. THIS HAPPENS WHEN IT IS PARKED AND MOTOR ON OR OFF

I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 1999 BMW 323I, PURCHASED NEW AND WHICH TODAY HAS A LITTLE MORE THAN 72,000 MILES ON IT. 1. NO SPECIFIC EVENT(S) OTHER THAN NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS SEEM TO LEAD UP TO THE FAILURE; 2. THE FAILURE IS THAT THE RIGHT REAR TAIL LIGHT BULB REPEATEDLY BURNS OUT, REQUIRING REPLACEMENT, A FAILURE THAT HAS OCCURRED AT LEAST TWICE EACH YEAR OVER THE LAST 11 YEARS. THE CONSEQUENCES ARE THAT I HAVE BEEN RECEIVED WARNINGS AND/OR CITATIONS, SOME COSTLY, WHEN I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO HAVE THE BULB IMMEDIATELY REPLACED. OTHER CONSEQUENCES OF A FINANCIAL NATURE INCLUDE PAYING MUCH MORE THAN I SHOULD HAVE OVER THE YEARS TO REPEATEDLY HAVE THE BULB REPLACED. IN ADDITION, I HAVE ACTUALLY PURCHASED THIS SPECIFIC TYPE OF BULB, WHICH I KEEP IN MY CAR IN THE EVENT A REPAIR SHOP DOESN'T HAVE ONE ON HAND; AND, 3. WHAT WAS DONE TO, TEMPORARILY (SINCE, FOR THE PAST 3 DAYS, THE BULB IS BURNED OUT AGAIN), CORRECT THE FAILURE: THE TAIL LIGHT BULB HAS BEEN REPLACED COUNTLESS TIMES OVER THE YEARS, AT LEAST TWICE A YEAR, BY DIFFERENT MECHANICS INCLUDING THOSE AT THE BMW DEALERSHIP. I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT IN THE LAST 11 YEARS, NOT ONE OF THE OTHER BULBS HAS EVER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, AND THAT WHERE ASKED FOR "APPROXIMATE INCIDENT DATE", I AM LISTING THIS YEAR'S DATE RATHER THAN THE FIRST YEAR I OWNED THE CAR SINCE THIS IS THE TIME OF THE REPORT. *TR

I OWN A 1999 BMW 323I. RECENTLY, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON ALONG WITH THE SIGN FOR THE TRANSMISSION (THE EXCLAMATION IN THE CIRCLE). THEN THE POWER WAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED WHICH DIDN'T ALLOW ME TO DRIVE OVER 40 MPH. I TOOK IT TO THE BMW DEALER NEAR MY HOME AND AFTER THEY RAN THE EXPENSIVE DIAGNOSTIC TEST THEY STILL WEREN'T SURE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. HOWEVER, THEY SAID THEY RECEIVED A BULLETIN FROM BMW TELLING THEM THAT RESETTING THE COMPUTER FOR THE TORQUE AND TRANSMISSION WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THIS WAS ONLY A TEMPORARY FIX, AS IT ONLY LASTED FOR ONE WEEK. THE LIGHT STILL CAME ON AND THEY STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. THIS FRUSTRATES ME THAT THE BMW DEALER DOESN'T KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. I KNOW OF SEVERAL OTHER BMW OWNERS AND THEY HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. THEY ALL HAVE TRADED THEIR CARS IN FOR A HONDA OR SOME OTHER JAPANESE MADE CAR, WHICH I AM CONSIDERING TOO! HOWEVER, I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO RESORT TO THIS, AS I HAVE SPENT A LOT OF MONEY FOR THIS LUXURY CAR AND WOULD LIKE TO KEEP IT. NEVERTHELESS, I BELIEVE THIS IS A MANUFACTURING PROBLEM, AS MANY ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS AMONG OTHERS HAVE BEEN REPORTED BY BMW OWNERS AND DEALERS. A CO-WORKER'S HAD A '98 325 AND HAD ONLY ABOUT 70K MILES ON IT AND SHE HAD MAJOR ENGINE PROBLEMS AND SPENT ABOUT $3500 DOLLARS AND THE PROBLEM STILL WASN'T FIXED. SO, SHE TRADE HERS IN FOR A HONDA. I SPENT ABOUT $400.00 AND MY PROBLEM IS STILL NOT FIXED. I AM HESITANT TO POUR ANY MORE MONEY INTO FIXING MY CAR ESPECIALLY, AFTER MY FRIEND SPENT MUCH MORE AND HERS WASN'T FIXED, AND WHEN THE MECHANICS AREN'T SURE WHAT THE FIX IS. I BELIEVE THIS IS AN ACROSS THE BOARD TYPE OF PROBLEM WITH MANY IF NOT ALL BMW'S AND THE MANUFACTURER DOESN'T WANT TO ADMIT IT. JUST GO TO BMWCOMPLAINTS.COM TO SEE FOR YOURSELF. I WOULD LIKE AN INVESTIGATION INTO THIS PROBLEM AND A RECALL TO FIX THESE SERIOUS PROBLEMS. *JB

I BELIEVE THAT CARMAX SOLD ME A LEMON. IT IS A 1999 BMW 323CI, WAS PURCHASED USED AT THE INDEPENDENCE BOULEVARD STORE ON NOV 28, 2003, WITH 57,097 MILES. THE PURCHASE PRICE WAS $21,420 INCLUDING A $1,699 EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR 3YRS/36000. AUTOMOBILE WARRANTY AGREEMENT NUMBER: 7106508410. *AK SINCE SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASE, THERE HAVE BEEN EXCESSIVE AND EXPENSIVE DEFECTS, INCLUDING SAFETY ITEMS. THE CAR HAS BROKEN DOWN, FAILED TO START, REQUIRED TOWING, AND THE CONTROL PANEL FLASHES SPURIOUS WARNINGS. DESPITE THE WARRANTY, AND DESPITE MY REQUESTS TO CARMAX, CRITICAL REPAIRS HAVE NOT BEEN PERFORMED. SAFETY DEFECTS STILL OCCUR AND ARE NOT BEING REPAIRED BY CARMAX (I.E. CURRENT CONTROL PANEL WARNING FOR LIGHTS). MAJOR MECHANICAL ITEMS ARE NOT BEING PERFORMED UNDER WARRANTY (E.G. TRANSMISSION). THIS HAS ALL OCCURRED IN LESS THAN A YEAR, AND WITH LESS THAN 5,000 MILES OF MY DRIVING. SUMMARY OF REPAIRS SINCE PURCHASE: 12/17/0357,561MI.AIR BAG LIGHT FAULT, SEAT BELT, ELECTRICAL & CONTROL PANEL 12/23/0457,694REAR DEFROSTER, ELECTRICAL, WINDOW REPLACED, WORN BRAKES 06/04/0459,565HORN REPLACED, FUSES & ELECTRICAL 9/10/0461,230CLUTCH REPLACED, WARNING LIGHTS, CONTROL PANEL FAILURE LIGHT INTERMITTENTLY COMES ON (HAS NOT BEEN FIXED) THE CAR IS CURRENTLY UNSAFE TO DRIVE...REFERENCE THE CONTROL PANEL WARNING INDICATOR THAT CARMAX CANNOT ANALYZE NOR REPAIR. THE HISTORY OF SAFETY PROBLEMS INCLUDE FUSES, AIR BAG, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, AND HORN. SUMMARY: I WAS SOLD A "LEMON" AND HAVE AN UNSAFE AUTOMOBILE. I REQUIRE A SAFE CAR TO DRIVE, AND I WANT TO STOP PAYING FOR REPEATED DEFECTS AND BREAKDOWNS. RECOMMEMDED SOLUTION: I SUGGEST THAT EITHER: (A) THE CAR BE RETURNED FOR A FULL REFUND, INCLUDING REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE COST OF ALL DEFECTS, OR; (B) I BE REIMBURSED FOR ALL DEFECTS AND THAT THE TERMS OF THE 30 DAY WARRANTY BE EXTENDED TO NOVEMBER 29, 2006.

I HAVE HAD A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH MY 1999 323I SINCE 4/30/2003 THAT THE BMW SERVICE TECHNICIANS CANNOT RESOLVE AT TWO SEPARATE BMW DEALERS IN MARYLAND, TISCHER BMW (WHERE I BOUGHT THE CAR), AND TOWSON BMW. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE CHECK ENGINE, EML AND DSC (TRACTION) LIGHTS ALL COME ON AT THE SAME TIME, AND THE CAR LOSES POWER NOT ABLE TO GO ABOVE 40 MPH (APPARENTLY GOES INTO A FAIL SAFE MODE). THE LIGHTS THEN GO OUT ONE BY ONE AFTER TURNING THE CAR ON AND OFF ABOUT FOUR TIMES, AND POWER IS RESTORED TO THE CAR. ALL IS WELL SEEMINGLY UNTIL IT STARTS ALL OVER AGAIN! NOTE: I HAVE NOTICED THAT IT OCCURS WHEN GOING DOWN A STEEP DECLINE SECTION OF ROAD, COASTING AT ABOUT 40 MPH.I CAN REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM AT WILL, AND USUALLY WHEN YOU CAN REPRODUCE A PROBLEM, IT IS FIXABLE. THEY CHARGED ME OVER $500.00 AND DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM (THEY PUT A NEW IDLE SENSOR ON). THEY HAVE SINCE REIMBURSED ME FOR THIS TWO MONTHS LATER THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM HAPPENED AGAIN. THIS TIME I TOOK IT TO BMW OF KENILWORTH TOWSON, THEY HAVE HAD IT ON FIVE SEPARATE OCCASIONS. THE FIRST TIME THEY RESET SOME DEFAULT SETTINGS AND CHARGED ME $90.00, NOT CERTAIN IF THIS WOULD FIX IT OR NOT. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT IT MAY BE A SOFTWARE PROGRAMMING ISSUE, AND A RECALL MAY BE IN THE WORKS. TWO DAYS LATER THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM HAPPENED AGAIN. THEY PUT A NEW MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR ON AND CHARGED ME ANOTHER $400.00 (THEY SAID THAT THEY WERE 99% CERTAIN THAT THIS WOULD FIX IT) IT DID NOT! THE VERY NEXT MORNING WHILE RIDING TO WORK, THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM HAPPENED AGAIN! TOWSON BMW ALSO SUPPOSEDLY SENT THE DME MODULE UP TO HOME OFFICE TO HAVE IT REPROGRAMMED.THIS DID NOT HELP EITHER. TOWSON BMW FINALLY REIMBURSED ME AS WELL FOR THE PART THAT THEY PUT ON WHICH DID NOT REPAIR IT. MANAGER AT TOWSON BMW, HAVE TOLD ME THAT THEY ARE BAFFLED AND CANNOT FIX MY CAR! *LA

ON THE MORNING OF MARCH 22 MY BMW MODEL 323I CAUGHT FIRE IMMEDIATLY AFTER TURNING ON THE HIGH BEAMS. BLACK SMOKE STARTED COMING INTO THE CABIN THROUGH THE DASH AND THE AIR CONDITIONER. IMMEDIATELY AFTER FIRE STARTED COMING IN THROUGH THE FRONT PART OF THE DASH, GIVING ME HARDLY ENOUGH TIME TO COME OUT OF THE CAR. FORTUNATELY THE CAR WAS NOT RUNNING AT THE TIME. MY LIFE WAS PUT IN DANGER AND IT HAS BEEN 5 WEEKS AND I HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY WRITTEN INFORMATION REGARDING WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE. *AK