2008 BMW 335XI

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW 335XI. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH; PROCEEDING TO A TRAFFIC SIGNAL. THE TRANSMISSION EXHIBITED A JERKING MOTION. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED IN OPERATION. IN ADDITION, THE FUEL PUMP FAILED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE TURBO CHARGER AND BANOS SYSTEM FAILED TO OPERATE PROPERLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER THE SERVICE WARRANTY. THE DRIVER OBSERVED AFTER THE VEHICLE SERVICE REPAIR; SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE TAIL PIPE AND OIL WAS LEAKING. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 34,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

I BELIEVE YOU HAVE RECEIVED MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS. THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP ON THE N54 ENGINE IN MY 2008 335XI HAS GONE BAD TWICE IN THE PAST MONTH. I AM VERY TIRED OF THIS PROBLEM AND I HAVE NOT SEEN ANY EVIDENCE OF BMW DOING ANYTHING TO FIX THIS HAZARD TO THE OWNERS OF THESE CARS. THERE WILL BE LONG CRANKS STARTING THE CAR AND AFTER A FEW DAYS/WEEKS THE FUEL PUMP WILL FAIL. IT FAILS PRETTY OFTEN IT SEEMS. MY FIRST ONE FAILED AROUND 27,500 MILES AND MY SECOND ONE FAILED TODAY AT JUST UNDER 29,200 MILES A MONTH AFTER I REPLACED THE FIRST PUMP. I HAVE THE OLD PART IN MY GARAGE AND I'LL HAVE A SECOND ONE AS SOON AS I RECEIVE AND INSTALL MY NEXT PUMP. *TR

I FEEL THIS SITUATION WARRANTS YOUR IMMEDIATE REVIEW FOR A POSSIBLE FORCED RECALL. MY 2008 BMW 335XI BEGAN HAVING SPORADIC PROBLEMS IN SEPTEMBER 2009. BECAUSE OF MY DISTANCE TO A DEALERSHIP AND LONG TIME BETWEEN PROBLEMS I DID NOT TAKE THE CAR TO A DEALERSHIP IMMEDIATELY. BY DECEMBER THE PROBLEMS BECAME MORE SEVERE AND FREQUENT. THE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT WOULD BECOME ILLUMINATED, THE ENGINE WOULD HAVE SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER POWER AND THE CAR WOULD STALL WITHOUT WARNING. I HAD FIRST TAKEN THE CAR TO A BMW DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR ON JAN 2, 2009 AND THEN AGAIN TO A BMW SERVICE CENTER 3 MORE TIMES. IN ALL 4 CASES THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT CLAIMED TO HAVE MADE A SOFTWARE ADJUSTMENT AND SAID THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED. IN ALL 4 CASES THE PROBLEM WAS NOT FIXED. IT WAS NOT UNTIL THE 5TH TIME TAKEN TO A DEALER AND MY CALLING THE REGIONAL MANAGER AND THREATENING TO RETURN THE CAR THAT THE FUEL PUMP WAS FINALLY REPLACED. BASED ON COMMENTS MADE BY TECHNICIANS I SUSPECT THAT BMW REALIZES IT HAS A SYSTEMIC PROBLEM WITH THE FUEL PUMP AND THEY HAVE IMPLEMENTED A STALL POLICY ON REPLACING THE UNITS TO SPREAD OUT THE FINANCIAL IMPACT AND/OR HOPE THE PROBLEM EXTENDS BEYOND THE WARRANTY PERIOD. THE DANGER WITH THIS ACTION IS THAT IT PLACES THE DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS AT RISK AS THE CAR CAN STALL WITHOUT OUT WARNING SUCH AS IN AN INTERSECTION AS HAS HAPPENED TO ME ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON A THOROUGHFARE AND SUDDENLY THE WARNING LIGHT WENT OFF IN MY CAR AND THE POWER DECREASED. THE WARNING SAID "ENGINE MALFUNCTION--REDUCED POWER." THE CAR BASICALLY LOST POWER AND I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH NOT TO GET KILLED AS I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITH CARS CAREENING AROUND ME AND ALMOST REAR ENDING ME. IT WAS TERRIFYING. I LOOKED UP THIS PROBLEM ONLINE AND FOUND THAT IT IS COMMON FOR THE 330 SERIES OF BMWS OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS. THIS PROBLEM IS DUE TO A SUCCESSION OF HIGH POWER FUEL PUMPS IN THE TWIN ENGINES. WHY HASN'T THIS PROBLEM BEEN ADDRESSED? DOES SOMEONE NEED TO DIE? I AM A WRECK AND DON'T THINK I CAN TRUST BMW. THEY KEEP PUTTING IN DIFFERENT PUMPS IN OTHER PEOPLES CARS FROM THE BOARDS, AND THEY STILL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

ON SUNDAY MAY 10, 2009, I WAS DRIVING MY BMW 335 WHEN I EXPERIENCED THE CAR SHAKING AND BREAKING DOWN. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE BMW DEALERSHIP TO BE NOTIFIED THAT THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP FAILED AND IT WAS BECAUSE I USED 15% ETHANOL GAS. THIS IS ABSURD AS I HAVE BEEN USING THE GAS RECOMMENDED BY BMW AND I HAVE ALL THE RECEIPTS TO PROVE IT, ALL GAS IN NEW YORK STATE CONTAINS THE LEGAL 10% ETHANOL SO I DON'T SEE HOW ANY CONSUMER COULD KNOW IF THE ETHANOL PERCENTAGE IS HIGHER THAN WHAT THEY ARE PUTTING IN. THE HPFP IS A HUGE PROBLEM IN MANY 335 MODELS AND BMW HAS EVEN ISSUED A RECALL OVER IT IN THE PAST, THE PROBLEM IS STILL NOT FIXED. THIS IS A FAULT IN THE FUEL PUMP AND BMW IS ATTEMPTING TO PIN IT ON BAD GAS AND TRYING TO DENY WARRANTY COVERAGE. *TR

I OWN A BMW 2008 335 XI AND HAVE HAD THREE FUEL PUMPS AND PISTONS CHANGED ON IT. THE TIME BEFORE TODAY, THE FUEL PUMP MALFUNCTIONED AND PISTONS NEEDED TO BE CHANGED BECAUSE GAS WAS BURNING AND SMOKE WAS COMING OUT OF THE RIGHT TAIL PIPE. TODAY IT WAS TOWED FOR THE FOURTH FUEL PUMP REPLACEMENT AND BURNING GAS SMOKE WAS SHOOTING OUT OF THE RIGHT TAIL PIPE WHILE DRIVING IN THE CITY. IN EVERY INSTANCE THE CAR WAS IN MOTION AND WILL STOP IMMEDIATELY. I HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE THAT THIS HAS OCCURRED IN THE CITY BECAUSE I FREQUENT THE NJ TURNPIKE AND AM FEARFUL IT WILL HAPPEN WHILE ON THE TURNPIKE. THERE ARE NUMEROUS PEOPLE HAVING THIS ISSUE AND BMW IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT THEY JUST REPLACE THE FUEL PUMPS WITH FAULTY FUEL PUMPS. PLEASE HELP ME ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM. I AM SCARE THE NEXT TIME THIS HAPPENS IT IS GOING TO CAUSE SERIOUS DAMAGE AND INJURIES (INCLUDING DEATH). *TR