2007 BMW 328XI

AT APPROXIMATELY 4:15 PM ON 4/18/13 I WAS DRIVING ON A BUSY ROADWAY AT APPROX 35MPH IN MY 2007 BMW 328XI COUPE, 65540 MILES. ALL OF A SUDDEN THE VEHICLES INDICATOR LIGHT FLASHED ORANGE FOR COOLANT TEMPERATURE WARNING. WITHIN 5 SEC THE INDICATOR FLASHED RED AND THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN AS I PROCEEDED THROUGH AN INTERSECTION. THERE WAS NO ACCELERATION AND I WAS LEFT TO COAST OUT OF THE INTERSECTION. LUCKILY THE INTERSECTION WAS SLIGHTLY DOWN HILL SO I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE CURB WITHOUT BEING T-BONED. APPARENTLY THIS ENGINE SHUT DOWN IS A DESIGNED FEATURE IN THIS MODEL BMW (2007 328XI) TO SAVE THE ENGINE IN THE CASE OF OVERHEATING. WHILE THIS FEATURE MEANS WELL IT IS AN EXTREME SAFETY ISSUE AS OTHER BMW CUSTOMERS HAVE REPORTED SIMILAR EVENTS WHILE TRAVELING ON INTERSTATES AND SPEEDS UP TO 80MPH (SEE BIMMERFORUMS AND ABOUTAUTOMOBILE). THIS TYPE OF EVENT IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS COULD ABSOLUTELY LEAD TO LOSS OF PROPERTY AND/OR LIFE. THE AIR TEMP WAS APPROX 85F AND I HAD BEEN DRIVING THE CAR FOR MORE THAN A 30MIN IN PRE-RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC BEFORE THE EVENT. AT THE TIME,TRAFFIC WAS NOT STOP AND GO AND I WAS MOVING AT A FAIRLY CONSISTENT 30MPH. THERE WAS LESS THAN 10-15 SEC BETWEEN THE FIRST COOLANT WARNING FLASHING ORANGE, PROCEEDING TO RED, AND ENGINE SHUT DOWN. THESE WERE THE ONLY INDICATIVE WARNINGS OF A PROBLEM. THE OIL TEMPERATURE WAS AROUND 230F. AFTER LETTING THE CAR COOL FOR SEVERAL HOURS I CHECKED THE COOLANT WHICH WAS IN THE NORMAL RANGE. I WAS THEN ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR THE REMAINING 1.5 MILES TO MY HOME. AT HOME, I WAS ABLE TO REPLICATE THIS OVERHEATING SHUT DOWN EVENT BY TURNING THE AC ON AND REVVING THE ENGINE FROM 2000 TO 3000 RPM AT A STANDSTILL. AFTER ABOUT 5MIN, ONCE AGAIN THE INDICATOR PANEL FLASHED ORANGE, 5 SECONDS LATER RED, LEADING TO ENGINE SHUT DOWN ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. THIS YET AGAIN REPLICATED THE SHORT 10 SEC WARNING BEFORE COMPLETE ENGINE SHUT DOWN. *TR

UPON TRYING TO START CAR, CONTROL MESSAGE CAME ON SAID STEERING WHEEL LOCKED, ENGINE WILL NOT START. TURN WHEEL TO START ENGINE. THIS DID NOT WORK, MANY TRIES!. CAR IS NOT RUNNING. IN CHECKING THE INTERNET, FOR A SOLUTION, I FIND MANY WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT FOR THE SAME MODEL & EVEN YEAR BMW. SOMETHING SOUNDS FISHY. THERE WAS JUST A RECALL ON THE 3 SERIES FOR SOME SHORT INVOLVING FUSE BOX TO BACK OF CAR WRITTEN UP IN MY LOCAL NEWSPAPER. BMW SAID MY CAR IS NOT INVOLVED. COULD THESE TWO ISSUES BE RELATED? I HAVE MAINTAINED MY CAR PER RECOMMENDED SCHEDULE! BMW OF NORTH AMERICA SAID THE WHEEL LOCK PROBLEM IS NOT WARRANTEED NOR IS IT A RECALL ISSUE. SOUNDS LIKE TOO MANY PEOPLE HAVING THIS SAME PROBLEM FOR THIS NOT TO BE A DEFECT THAT SHOULD BE FIXED BY BMW AT NO CHARGE TO THE CUSTOMER. PLEASE INVESTIGATE AND ADVISE! *TR

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.

I WAS DRIVING ON HIGHWAY GEORGIA 400, WHICH IS ONE OF THE MOST TRAVELED HIGHWAY'S IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA. CARS FREQUENTLY TRAVEL 20-30 MPH ABOVE THE SPEED LIMIT AND IF YOU DO NOT GO AT LEAST 75 MPH, THEN YOU ARE OBSTRUCTING THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC. MY 2007 BMW 328XI SEDAN WAS TRAVELING AT ABOUT 80 MPH UNTIL AN ORANGE ENGINE OVERHEAT LIGHT CAME ON, THEN QUICKLY TURNED RED. IMMEDIATELY THE SAFETY MECHANISM KICKED IN WHICH RESTRICTS MY SPEED AND I COULD NO LONGER ACCELERATE. I WAS IN THE FAST LEFT LANE AND TRIED TO PULL OVER ON THE LEFT HAND SHOULDER BUT THERE IS NOT ENOUGH SPACE. I WAS TRYING TO ACCELERATE TO AT LEAST PULL OVER TO THE RIGHT HAND LANE, BUT COULD NOT. LUCKILY THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC WAS NOT IT'S USUAL BUSY NATURE AND CARS BEHIND ME WERE HONKING AS I KEPT TRYING TO GET OVER TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER (AS CARS WERE TRAVELING HIGH SPEEDS). THE ENGINE NOISE WAS GETTING LOUDER AND LOUDER. I LIMPED OVER TO THE RIGHT HAND SHOULDER AND SHUT OFF THE ENGINE AS IT SOUNDED LIKE IT WOULD EXPLODE. I COULD SMELL SMOKE AS WELL. THE WATER PUMP ENDED UP QUITTING ON ME, CAUSING THE ENGINE OVERHEAT. HOWEVER, NO WARNING AT ALL AND NO INDICATION THAT ALLOWED ME TO TAKE PRE-CAUTION BEFORE I TRAVELED IN MY CAR. THIS IS SIMPLY OUTRAGEOUS AND A DESIGN FLAW. THIS IS AN EXTREME SAFETY ISSUE. YOUR ENGINE SUDDENLY QUITTING ON YOU, WITH NO WARNING ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY SYSTEM? CARS IN EVERY LANE TRAVELING AT LEAST 75 MPH OR GREATER WHILE YOU ARE QUICKLY REDUCING IN SPEED TRYING TO PULL OVER? ON TOP OF THAT, THERE IS NO READING IN MY CAR FOR ENGINE TEMPERATURE. BMW NEEDS TO FIX THIS OR SOMEONE WILL DIE BECAUSE OF IT. MANY MAY GET LUCKY THEY ARE ON A SIDE ROAD OR IN A SAFE LOCATION WHEN THEIR WATER PUMP GOES OUT. HOWEVER, MANY ARE ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THIS HAPPENS! THREE PEOPLE WORKED ON MY CAR THE LAST MONTH AND ALL SAY NO WAY TO DETERMINE WHEN YOUR WATER PUMP WILL BLOW. NO EXCUSES FOR THIS! *TR

THE ENGINE STALLED WHILE DRIVING ON FREEWAY AND WOULD NOT START AFTER THAT. DEALER REPLACED FUEL PUMP BUT IT HAPPENED AGAIN AFTER A WEEK. THIS TIME DEALER REPLACED THE FUEL SENSOR. FIRST TIME THE CAR STALLED ON LOCAL STREET BUT 2ND TIME ON THE FREEWAY. HAD TO TOW TO DEALER BOTH THE TIMES. LOSING ENGINE POWER AT HIGHWAY SPEED IS DANGEROUS AND COULD CAUSE FATAL ACCIDENT. AFTER A WEEK THE ENGINE SUDDENLY LOST MOST OF THE POWER AT HIGHWAY SPEED AND NOW DRIVES AT MAX 50MPH OR SO. DEALER IS STILL TRYING TO TROUBLESHOOT THE CAR, ROOT CAUSE UNKNOWN. ALL THIS HAPPENED JUST AFTER 10 DAYS OF CAR GOING OUT OF WARRANTY. *TR

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 DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WHEN I HIT A SMALL BUMP IN THE ROAD WHICH CAUSED MY SCALDING HOT COFFEE TO GET EJECTED FROM THE HOP HOLDER ONTO MY LEG. THE CUP HOLDERS IN THIS CAR ARE DANGEROUS BECAUSE THEY ARE SPRING LOADED FROM UNDERNEATH. WHEN YOU HAVE A DRINK IN THE HOLDER IT (CUP HOLDER) EXERTS UPWARD FORCE ON THE CUP. WHEN THE CUP IS LIGHT ENOUGH OR YOU HIT A BUMP HARD ENOUGH IT WILL EJECT WHATEVER BEVERAGE IN THE HOLDER ONTO THE DRIVER AND / OR PASSENGER. I HAD A CAN OF SODA COME OUT ONE AND LAND ON THE DRIVERS SIDE FLOOR. IT WEDGED UNDER THE BACK OF THE BRAKE PEDAL AND I ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT. THIS PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD AS I HAVE SPOKEN WITH OTHER 3 SERIES OWNERS AND THEY HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

A RED STEERING WHEEL AND LOCK APPEARED ON THE DASH OF MY 2007 328XI WHICH DISPLAYS "STEERING WHEEL LOCK" ALERT AND READS THAT THE CAR SHOULD NOT BE TURNED OFF OR ENGINE MAY FAIL TO START. THIS APPEARS TO BE AN ONGOING ISSUE WITH THIS MODEL WHICH IS QUITE EXPENSIVE TO FIX. THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE TO FIX THIS KNOWN DEFECT AS IT IS QUITE COMMON IN THIS MODEL AND THERE ARE MANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE SAME ISSUE. *TR