2007 BMW 328I

MY WIFE AND I HAVE A 2007 BMW 328I. IN 2010, WE GOT IN THE VEHICLE AND THERE WAS A STEERING WHEEL LOCK WARNING ON THE DASH. WE TOOK IT TO GET LOOKED AT AND THEY STATED IT WAS A "FAULT CODE". WE HAD THE EXACT SAME EXPERIENCE IN 2012 AND 2014 WITH THE SAME RESULT, "FAULT CODE". WE NOW HAVE THIS ICON WARNING AGAIN. THIS TIME WE ARE TOLD THAT THE WHOLE STEERING COLUMN WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED ($1200). ACCORDING TO MANY REFERENCES, THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND BMW IS AWARE OF IT. ALSO, ACCORDING TO SEVERAL REFERENCES, THERE IS NO WARNING OR PREDICTION WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK WILL FAIL IN THE LOCKED POSITION. IF YOU ARE FIRST GETTING INTO THE VEHICLE AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK HAS FAILED IN THE LOCKED POSITION, IT WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO START THE ENGINE. THE QUESTION THAT I HAVE IS WHETHER THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK CAN FAIL IN THE LOCKED POSITION WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN. APPARENTLY, THIS QUESTION HAS BEEN RAISED BY NUMEROUS PEOPLE. I HAVE ASKED THIS QUESTION TO THE DEALERSHIP AS WELL AS SEVERAL BMW WEBSITES. THE RESULTS ARE, THEY DON'T KNOW OR THE ANSWERS HAVE BEEN INCONSISTENT AND OFTEN CONTRADICTORY. ASIDE FROM THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM BEING FAR TOO FREQUENT TO IGNORE BY BMW, THIS APPEARS TO BE A VERY REAL SAFETY CONCERN. BMW CONTINUES TO IGNORE THIS PROBLEM. *TR

EVERYTHING WAS FINE. I HADN'T NOTICED ANY CHANGES EXCEPT THE CRUISE CONTROL WOULD SHUT OFF BY ITSELF. THEN I NEEDED A JUMP AND IT TOOK RIGHT AWAY. THE NEXT TIME I NEEDED A JUMP IT WOULDN'T TAKE. TOOK THE BATTERY TO AUTOZONE AND HAD IT CHECKED AND IT WAS FINE. SO REALIZED IT WASN'T THE BATTERY. ID TRY TO START THE CAR BUT NOTHING HAPPENS NOT EVEN A CLICKING NOISE NOTHING. BUT THE LIGHTS STILL CAME ON WINDOWS STILL ROLLED DOWN RADIO EVEN WORKED IT JUST WOULDN'T START. *TR

STEERING WHEEL LOCK SIGN KEEPS APPEARING AND LOCKING ME OUT OF THE CAR. THIS HAS HAPPENED 4 TIMES IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS AND HAS LEFT ME STRANDED EVERY TIME AND 3 OF THE TIMES A TOW TRUCK WAS UNABLE TO REACH MY CAR TO TOW IT. I HAVE HAD IT AT THE DEALER FOR A WEEK NOW AND THE SIGN HAS NOT POPPED UP FOR THEM SO THEY SAY THEY CAN NOT DO ANYTHING. WHEN I DROPPED OFF THE CAR TO THEM AFTER BEING STUCK FOR 45 MIN, AS SOON AS I PARKED IT AT BMW THE SERVICE WOMAN TRIED TO GO INTO IT AND START IT AND IT SHOWED THE SIGN. THE SERVICE TEAM HAS BEEN UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. SO I AM PICK UP THE CAR TODAY WITH NOTHING THAT HAS BEEN DONE TO IT AND IT WILL MOST LIKELY HAPPEN AGAIN IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS SINCE IT WILL BE DRIVEN NORMALLY. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY 328I WITH 48K MILES AND THE ELECTRONIC STEERING WHEEL LOCK ICON CAME UP ON THE DASH PANEL. IT KEPT GIVING THE WARNING THAT THE STEERING WHEEL WILL LOCK AND IF I TURN THE CAR OFF AND I WON'T BE ABLE TO START IT. I DROVE IT HOME AND WHEN I TURNED THE CAR OFF, I WAS ABLE TO CRANK IT BACK UP AND HAD NO PROBLEM WITH STEERING IN TEST DRIVE. DEALER TOLD ME THAT I NEED TO REPLACE THE COLUMN BECAUSE IT COULD ACTUALLY LOCK. THIS WOULD BE DISASTROUS ON A FREEWAY IN SOUTHERN CAL WHERE I LIVE. THIS IS A DEFECT IN THE BMW 328I MODELS BECAUSE I AM READING OTHER ONLINE POSTS STATING THE STEERING DID LOCK. I AM FILING THIS COMPLAINT, HOPING THAT ANY SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION BY THE NHTSA WILL SEE THIS IS A REAL SAFETY ISSUE AND BMW KNOWS THERE IS A PROBLEM THAT COULD RESULT IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT YET THEY WON'T ISSUE A RECALL. *TR

STEERING WHEEL LOCKED WILE DRIVING - VERY SIMILAR TO NHTSA CASE # 10194169. MY DAUGHTER WAS TURNING RIGHT INTO A PARKING LOT WHEN SHE NOTICED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL CAME TO A HARD STOP. WHEN SHE REALIZED THAT SHE WOULD NOT MAKE THE TURN, SHE TRIED TO TURN IT BACK TO THE LEFT BUT IT IMMEDIATELY LOCKED HARD IN PLACE. SHE PULLED FORWARD IN THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL AND WAS ABLE TO STOP IN THE GRASS ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. AFTER SHE STOPPED SHE NOTICED THAT THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" WARNING MESSAGE WAS ILLUMINATED. SHE THEN TURNED THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON AND EVERYTHING WORKED NORMALLY AND SHE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR ABOUT A MILE TO THE HOUSE. WE HAD IT TOWED TO THE LOCAL BMW DEALER - THE DEALER KEPT THE CAR FOR 3 DAYS WHERE THEY REVIEWED FAULT CODES (FOUND NONE), TRIED TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM (COULD NOT DUPLICATE), AND TOOK THE STEERING COLUMN APART (BUT FOUND NO PROBLEM). THE DEALER DID IMPLEMENT NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 13V044000, BUT SAID THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF A PROBLEM WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. NEEDLESS TO SAY I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT MY DAUGHTER DRIVING THIS VEHICLE, BUT HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE AT THE TIME. CAN THE NHTSA PROVIDE ANY FURTHER ASSISTANCE WITH THIS SITUATION. *TR

BATTERY SEEMED TO HAVE DRAINED...WHEN GIVEN A JUMP AND POWER WAS RESTORED, THE CAR HAD A THE STEERING LOCKED LIGHT UP RED. THE CAR TURNED ON FOR A FEW TIMES AND NOW IT DOESN'T TURN ON AT ALL. THERE SEEMS TO BE POWER IN THE CAR AS EVERYTHING LIGHTS UP BUT WHEN ATTEMPTING TO START NOTHING HAPPENS AND THE ONLY LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD IS THE ONE OF THE STEERING LOCKED IN RED!!!! THIS HAS TO BE A DEFECT!!! *TR

ELECTRIC STEERING LOCK LIGHT ON MY 2007 BMW 328I COUPE COMES UP IN RED AND CAR WON'T START... INITIALLY THOUGHT IT WAS THE BATTERY BUT AFTER GETTING A JUMP START AND THE POWER FLICKERED OFF AND ON DIFFERENT FEATURES IN THE CAR THE CAR NEVER STARTED, THE KEY FOB KEPT BEING REJECTED FROM THE IGNITION BOX AND THE CAR EVENTUALLY WENT DEAD. I HAD TO MANUALLY LOCK AND UNLOCK DOORS AND LEFT IT SITTING OVER NIGHT. THE CAR WAS JUMP START AGAIN THE NEXT DAY AND RADIO, LIGHTS, TRUNK, DOOR LOCKS, AND SEAT BELTS, ETC. APPEAR TO BE WORKING FINE ELECTRONICALLY BUT THE CAR STILL WOULD NOT START... THE BRAKES FEEL TIGHT AND THE STEERING COLUMN IS TIGHT BUT CLICKS WHEN TURN LEFT AND RIGHT (FEELS SEMI-ENGAGED IF THAT'S POSSIBLE)... WAS WONDERING IF THE BATTERY IS JUST LOW AND DOESN'T TRIGGER THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK? SHOULD WE DISCONNECT THE BATTERY AND RECONNECT OR REPLACE TO SEE IF IT TRIGGERS THE ELECTRIC STEERING WHEEL LOCK? THE ISSUE WITH THE BATTERY HAS HAPPENED ON SEVERAL OTHER OCCASIONS AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK LIGHT CAME UP YELLOW HOWEVER THE CAR STARTED IN THE PAST AFTER JUMP STARTING. THIS APPEARS TO BE A KNOWN PROBLEM AND I?M FORMALLY COMPLAINING IF THIS IS THE CASE FOR I?M TRYING TO AVOID ANY UNNECESSARY COSTLY REPAIRS SUCH AS REPLACING THE STEERING COLUMN OR REPROGRAMMING IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE IF A KNOWN FIX IS AVAILABLE OR FAULTY PRODUCT IS THE CAUSE. I ALSO FEEL THIS IS DEFINITELY A POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD :-/ *TR