2007 BMW 328XI

ON FEBRUARY 6, 2013, AT AROUND 7AM, I WAS DRIVING SOUTH ON THE TACONIC STATE PARKWAY NEAR PLEASANTVILLE, NY ON MY WAY TO WORK . MY ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS SUDDENLY STARTED TO FAIL, AND I HEARD A CRACKLING NOISE FROM THE BACKSEAT. I LOOKED IN MY REAR-VIEW MIRROR AND I SAW FLAMES IN THE BACKSEAT. I PULLED OVER ON THE RIGHT SHOULDER RIGHT BEFORE THE PLEASANTVILLE EXIT. I STRUGGLED TO EXIT MY CAR BECAUSE THE SEATBELT WAS STUCK AS THE ENTIRE BACKSEAT OF MY CAR WAS ENGULFED WITH ME INSIDE. AFTER IT FINALLY RELEASED , I EXITED THE BURNING CAR IN A DAZE. A GOOD SAMARITAN STOPPED TO HELP ME, WHOSE NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION CAN BE PROVIDED. SHE PUT ME IN HER CAR AND WE EACH CALLED 911. A NYS TROOPER CREATED A POLICE REPORT, WHICH CAN BE PROVIDED. AS WE WAITED FOR FIREMEN, THE CAR WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES AND BLEW UP TWICE. ONE OF MY CO-WORKERS STOPPED TO HELP ME AND WITNESSED THE CAR BLOW UP. I HAVE PICTURES SHOWING THE CAR COMPLETELY ENGULFED AND THE ENTIRE CAR CHARRED AND UNRECOGNIZABLE AFTER THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED. I AM NOW AWARE THAT, AFTER THE INCIDENT TOOK PLACE, BMW ISSUED ITS LARGEST RECALL EVER IN THE U.S. OF APPROXIMATELY 504K VEHICLES, INCLUDING THE SAME YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL AS MY CAR. THE RECALL STEMS FROM A FAULTY BATTERY CONNECTION. IMPORTANTLY, THE BATTERY AND THE BATTERY CONNECTION FOR BMWS ARE IN THE TRUNK, WHICH IS WHERE I BELIEVE THE FIRE STARTED IN MY CAR. AS A RESULT OF NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS AND CASE STUDIES, BMW HAD BEEN AWARE OF THIS BATTERY-RELATED DEFECT ON MY CAR SINCE 2010. I'M ALSO AWARE THAT BMW HAS RECALLED OTHER BMW MODELS FOR A VERY SIMILAR BATTERY ISSUE THAT RESULTED IN CHARRING OR FIRES IN THE BMWS. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY BEING HELD BY TRAVELER'S INSURANCE COMPANY AND IS AVAILABLE FOR YOUR IMMEDIATE INSPECTION.

FOR A FEW MONTHS PRIOR TO JUNE, VEHICLE ELECTRONICS WERE FLICKERING AND KEY FOBS WERE NOT WORKING ALL THE TIME. THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE BATTERY IN KEY FOB (REPLACED) BUT THAT DIDN'T WORK SO I REPLACED CAR BATTERY. STILL HAVING ISSUES TOOK CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY COULDN'T FIND ANY ISSUES. A FEW WEEKS WENT BY AND ON MY WAY TO WORK, CAR JUST SHUT OFF ON THE HIGHWAY, I HAD TO GET OVER TWO LANES OF TRAFFIC WITH DEAD CAR. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. THEY FOUND BURNT POWER CABLE AND FUSE BOX. $1800 LATER CAR WAS REPAIRED AND THERE HAS BEEN NO ELECTRICAL ISSUES SINCE. I HEARD FROM ANOTHER DEALERSHIP THAT THE REPAIR IS SOMETHING THAT STARTED HAPPENING LATELY. YESTERDAY 19 FEB 2013 THE RECALL NOTICE CAME OUT ON NEWS, I HOPE I AM REIMBURSED FOR REPAIRS. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 BMW 328XI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE ATTEMPTED TO OPEN THE DOOR BUT IT FAILED TO OPEN SINCE THERE WAS NO POWER IN THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE BUT DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED ON ANY RECALLS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 96,000.

I WAS LEAVING MY PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT WHEN THE VEHICLE CUT OUT WITH NO ELECTRICAL POWER AND THE ENGINE DIED. IT RESTARTED AND I WENT HOME. THE NEXT MORNING THE VEHICLE HAD NO POWER AND WOULD NOT START. UPON INVESTIGATION, THE BATTERY IN THE TRUNK HAD 12.60 VOLTS AND THE FUSES AT THE POWER DISTRIBUTION CENTER/BOX HAD ONLY 2.80 VOLTS. WITH A SCREW DRIVER I MOVED THE LARGE RED BATTERY CABLE GOING TO THE BACK OF THE PDC AND ALL THE LIGHTS CAME ON. I SUBSEQEUNTLY REMOVED THE PDC AND INSPECTED THE MAIN POWER LEAD. THE TERMINAL WAS CORRODED HAS A RELATIVELY LOOSE FIT AND JUST CLIPS TO THE BACK OF THE PDC, EVEN THOUGH IT IS A LARGE GAUGE WIRE. *TR

MY 2007 BMW 328XI COMPLETELY POWERED DOWN WHILE I WAS DRIVING. I WAS FORCED TO "COAST" INTO A SIDE LANE ON A BUSY ROAD DURING THE FIRST OCCURRENCE. SINCE THIS FIRST INCIDENT MY CAR HAS BEEN HAVING THIS SAME EXACT ISSUE - RECENTLY, MUCH MORE FREQUENTLY. I FEEL AS IF THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS ISSUE SINCE THIS HAS HAPPENED WHILE I HAVE BEEN DRIVING ON INCREDIBLY BUSY STREETS AND I COULD HAVE EASILY GOTTEN INTO SOME FORM OF AN ACCIDENT. *TR

I OWN A 07 BMW 328XI, ON 10/03/12 I GOT OUT OF MY CAR AND TRIED LOCKING IT AND ONLY TWO DOORS LOCKED. THE DOORS WOULD NOT UNLOCK WITH THE FOB OR THE DOOR SWITCH LOCATED IN THE CAR. IN ORDER TO GET INTO CAR I HAD TO CLIMB OVER THE PASSENGERS SEAT AND WHEN IT WAS TIME TO GET OUT THE SAME HAD TO HAPPEN. I CALLED MY LOCAL DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS A ACTUATOR PROBLEM, SO ASKED IF THERE WAS ANYTHING I COULD DO TO GET THE DOORS UNLOCKED TILL MY APPT. I MADE. HE PROCEEDED TO TELL ME NO AND UPON READING SOME FORUMS HE COULD HAVE SAID USE THE KEY HIDDEN IN THE FOB TO UNLOCK THE DOOR OR CHECK THE #57 FUSE WHICH CONTROLS THE LOCKS. UNFORTUNATELY, I PRETTY DISAPPOINTED WITH MY DEALER BECAUSE HE COULD HAVE POTENTLY PUT ME IN A DANGEROUS SITUATION, HE COULD HAVE TOLD ME THESE THINGS BUT HE CHOICE TO SAY NOTHING TO GET ME IN THERE. THIS IS A KNOW PROBLEM WITH BMW'S AND COULD BE A DANGEROUS PROBLEM IF THE CAR WAS TO RUN OFF THE ROAD IN A BODY OF WATER AND THE PERSON HAS TO OVER SEATS TO GET BECAUSE OF THE DRIVERS DOOR NOT BEING ABLE TO OPEN. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 BMW 328XI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS EQUIPPED WITH A KEYLESS IGNITION START AND THE ENGINE WOULD NOT START. IN ADDITION, THE BATTERY FAILED TO JUMP START. AFTER WAITING FORTY EIGHT HOURS THE ENGINE STARTED UPON ENGAGING THE PUSH BUTTON IGNITION. THE FAILURE OCCURRED SIX TIMES. ON A SEPARATE OCCASION WHEN DRIVING THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING AND RESTARTED IMMEDIATELY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THERE WAS NO TROUBLE DETECTED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000.