2007 BMW 328I

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

I WAS DRIVING THE CAR 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 CRANK 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, BUT I WILL HAVE TO VISIT MY LOCAL BMW REPAIR SHOP TOMORROW. I HAVE KNOWN OTHER BMW OWNER'S WHO SAYS THIS HAS HAPPENED TO THEM MORE THAN ONCE AND I FOUND A LOT OF THE SAME PROBLEMS ON THE INTERNET FORUMS. I AM WONDERING IF THIS IS A DEFECT IN THE BMW 328I MODELS BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THE STEERING WHEEL COULD ALSO LOCK IF A PERSON WAS DRIVING, ALSO. I AM FILING THIS COMPLAINT, HOPING THAT ANY SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION BY THE NHTSA WILL REVEAL ANY SAFETY ISSUE WITH THIS KNOWN DEFECT. *TR

A COPY OF AN EMAIL TO BMW: I HAVE BEEN REASONABLY HAPPY WITH MY 2007 328I UNTIL THE ELECTRONIC LOCKS FAILED. I COULD NOT GET IN MY CAR EXCEPT WITH A KEY. I COULDN'T OPEN ANY DOOR EXCEPT THE DRIVER'S DOOR EVEN FROM THE INSIDE! IF I HAD AN EMERGENCY BOTH MY PASSENGERS AND I WOULD HAVE BEEN TRAPPED. WHEN I LOOKED ONLINE, I FOUND THAT MY PROBLEM WAS NOT AT ALL UNIQUE MANY OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUE WITH FAILING ACTUATORS. WHAT TROUBLES ME IS NOT THE FAILURE OF A PART (THOUGH I DO EXPECT BETTER OF BMW), BUT THE FACT THAT MY FAMILY'S SAFETY WAS POTENTIALLY COMPROMISED. MORE IMPORTANTLY, BMW HAS NOT ADDRESSED THIS ISSUE WITH CORRECTIVE PARTS AND PROCEDURES SO, I AM TOLD THAT IF THIS HAPPENS AGAIN, I COULD STILL FIND MYSELF TRAPPED IN MY CAR AFTER AN ACCIDENT. I EXPECTED BETTER WITH THE PURCHASE OF A BMW. I AM PROFOUNDLY DISAPPOINTED THAT BMW DOES NOT THINK ENOUGH OF ITS CUSTOMER'S SAFETY TO APPROPRIATELY ADDRESS AND CORRECT THIS ISSUE SO THAT THERE ARE ALWAYS MECHANICAL OVERRIDES OF THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. PERHAPS YOU HAVE DECIDED, LIKE FORD DID 40 YEARS AGO WITH THE PINTO, THAT THE COSTS OF SETTLING A FEW WRONGFUL DEATH CLAIMS IS CHEAPER THAN CORRECTING A SAFETY DESIGN DEFECT. IN LIEU OF A PROACTIVE ACTION ON YOUR PART, I HAVE FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE NHTSA. *TR

MY VEHICLE DISPLAYED A CODE, "TPM", WHICH MEANS, TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR, WHICH IS TO DETECT TIRE PRESSURE ISSUES FROM THE "RUN FLAT TIRES" THAT ARE STANDARD ON MY VEHICLE. I TOOK THE VEHICLE INTO MY DEALER AND THEY SAID, "THE TEMPERATURE SWING TRIPPED THE WARNING LIGHT". THEY RESET THE SYSTEM AND I CONTINUED TO USE MY VEHICLE AND WITHIN 3 DAYS, THE TPM LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN, AND I IMMEDIATELY DROVE OVER TO THE DEALER AGAIN. ON MY WAY TWO OF MY RUN FLAT TIRES LITERALLY SHREDDED AND I WAS FORCED TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALER. THIS TIME THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY THE NITROGEN THAT IS USED TO INFLATE THE TIRES, HAD ERODED THE INTERIOR LINING (WALLS) OF THE TIRES WHICH IS WHY THEY DID NOT DETECT THIS ISSUE 3 DAYS BEFORE. NOT ONLY DID I HAVE TO SPRING FOR 4 NEW TIRES, THAT HAVE 27K MILES ON THEM, I AM NOW FEARFUL OF THIS HAPPENING AGAIN. IF NITROGEN IS IN FACT DESTROYING THE TIRE FROM THE INSIDE OUT, THAN WHY IS THIS CHEMICAL BEING USED??? *TR

ON AUG 10, 2012, I WAS DRIVING MY 2007 BMW 328I ON MONTAGUE EXPY (COUNTY HIGHWAY G4) DURING THE PEAK TRAFFIC HOUR (6:30PM). OBVIOUSLY, AT THAT TIME, THE ROAD WAS PACKED WITH TRAFFIC, AND SUDDENLY MY CAR ENGINE EXTINGUISHED AND DIED RIGHT THERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE EXPRESSWAY. I HAD TO STAY IN MY CAR FOR MY NEARLY 45 MINUTES, TOO TERRIFIED TO WALK OUT OF MY CAR AND ALSO TERRIFIED TO STAY INSIDE, WHERE I WAS EQUALLY VULNERABLE. THANKFULLY, THE CAR BEHIND ME HAD KEPT A GOOD DISTANCE AWAY AND STOPPED TOO; IF THE DRIVER WASN'T SO CAREFUL, ONE CAN ONLY IMAGINE A FAR WORSE SITUATION OCCURRING, SUCH AS A PILEUP. I HAVE KEPT A VERY GOOD MAINTENANCE RECORD ON THIS BMW 328I AND ALSO PURCHASED THE EXTENSION MAINTENANCE PROGRAM BACK WHEN I BOUGHT IT, AND THEREFORE, THIS MALFUNCTION ISSUE WAS MOST DEFINITELY NOT CAUSED BY OWNER IGNORANCE OR LACK OF CARE. AND YET, DESPITE HAVING TAKEN GOOD CARE OF MY CAR, I ALREADY HAD TO HAVE A MAJOR ENGINE REPAIR ON THE BMW WITHIN ITS FIRST TWO YEARS. AND JUST HALF A YEAR AGO, I HAD TO HAVE ANOTHER MAJOR STARTER REPAIR AS WELL - I COULDN'T EVEN START UP THE CAR ENGINE. AND NOW THERE'S THIS - A CAR STALL FROM A DEFECT WITH THE FUEL PUMP. I FIND THIS RECENT INCIDENT THE MOST AGGRAVATING AND DANGEROUS OF THEM ALL; I HONESTLY COULD HAVE DIED. THUS I AM FILING THIS COMPLAINT TO ALERT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM IN PARTICULAR WITH THE BMW 328I. HOPEFULLY ONCE THIS PROBLEM IS DOCUMENTED AND BMW IS NOTIFIED, WE CAN SEE IF OTHER BMW 328I OWNERS HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING SIMILAR PROBLEMS AS WELL, AND ULTIMATELY PREVENT BMW OWNERS FROM EXPERIENCING AN INCIDENT AS DANGEROUS AS MINE IN THE FUTURE. *TR

A BLOWN FUSE CAUSED THE DOOR UNLOCKING MECHANISM TO FAIL, TRAPPING OCCUPANTS IN THE CAR. THE DOORS COULD NOT BE OPENED BY ANY MEANS, AS THE FAILURE ALSO DISABLED THE NORMAL MECHANISM BY WHICH PULLING ON AN INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE RELEASED THE ASSOCIATED LOCK. THE SOLE EXCEPTION IS THAT THE DRIVER'S DOOR COULD BE OPENED BY ROLLING DOWN THE WINDOW, AND REACHING OUT AWKWARDLY THROUGH THE WINDOW TO THE EXTERIOR DOOR HANDLE WITH THE MECHANICAL AUXILIARY KEY. HOWEVER, THE ONLY EXIT AVAILABLE TO BACKSEAT PASSENGERS WAS THROUGH THE WINDOWS, ASSUMING THE PASSENGERS WERE SMALL ENOUGH TO FIT THROUGH THEM. NEITHER OF THESE MODES OF EGRESS WOULD BE SATISFACTORY IF EXIT NEEDED TO BE QUICK. FORTUNATELY, THIS PARTICULAR FAILURE HAPPENED TO MY FAMILY WHILE THE CAR WAS SAFELY PARKED. IN THE EVENT OF A COLLISION OR FIRE THAT REQUIRED RAPID EVACUATION OF THE VEHICLE, HOWEVER, THIS WOULD BE A POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING SITUATION. IDEALLY, THE LOCKS SHOULD BE MECHANICALLY LINKED TO THE DOOR HANDLES SO THAT AN ELECTRICAL FAILURE WOULD NOT RENDER IT IMPOSSIBLE TO OPEN THE DOORS. ABSENT THAT, AT LEAST HAVING INDIVIDUAL FUSES FOR EACH LOCK ACTUATOR WOULD LEAVE THREE FUNCTIONING DOORS IF ONE FAILED. *TR

VEHICLE WILL NOT START, REPLACED BATTERY AND ICON DISPLAYING ELECTRIC STEERING LOCK (ELV) SHOWS IN THE DASHBOARD. VEHICLE WILL NOT START AS STEERING WHEEL IS LOCKED AND CAN NOT BE RELEASED DEALER SAYS THE STEERING WHEEL COLUMN NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS, DEALER SAID THE SEE ABOUT 3 CARS A WEEK WITH THIS PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 BMW 328I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL SPORADICALLY. THE COOLANT WARNING LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE AFTER THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER BUT WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WERE NO FAILURES FOUND WITHIN THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

RED INDICATOR FOR ELECTRONIC STEERING WHEEL LOCK MALFUNCTION. CAR FAILED TO START UNLESS MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO UNLOCK COLUMN BY INSERTING AND REMOVING KEY. DEALER SAYS THE COLUMN NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, AND THE CAR REPROGRAMMED TO "ACCEPT" THE NEW COLUMN. THE CAR IS COVERED UNDER A CPO WARRANTY, SO THE PARTS WILL BE COVERED, BUT THE "REPROGRAMMING" IS NOT. AN INTERNET SEARCH FOR "BMW ELECTRIC STEERING WHEEL LOCK MALFUNCTION" RETURNS MULTIPLE INSTANCES OF THE FAILURE MODE. IN SOME CASES MULTIPLE TIMES PER VEHICLE. PLEASE HELP US! BMW IS IGNORING THE ISSUE OR KICKING-THE-CAN DOWN THE ROAD UNTIL THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY. *TR