2009 BMW 335XI

DRIVING ALONG HIGHWAY ON RIGHT LANE, COMING ALONG TO A HIGHSPEED MERGE. VEHICLE LOST SIGNIFICANT POWER, ERROR MESSAGE ON DASH DISPLAYED LIMP MODE ENGINE MALFUNCTION. I WAS NOT ABLE TO ACCELERATE AND CAUSED A SEVER BACK UP IN HIGHWAY TO GET ON SHOULDER. BMW STATED A SOFTWARE UPGRADE WAS NEEDED TO CORRECT ERROR. I RECEIVED THE CAR BACK WITHIN A WEEK. AGAIN I WAS DRIVING WHEN THE SAME EXACT ERROR STATED ABOVE HAPPENED. THIS TIME AT LEAST I WAS IN A SOMEWHAT LOW TRAVELED AREA AND HAD NO PROBLEM PULLING OVER. TECH AT BMW SAID THE FUEL PUMP WAS AT FAULT AND MANY CARS OF MY MAKE AND MODEL HAVE THIS PROBLEM, BUT NO REAL SOLUTION TO THE FUEL PUMP FAILURES HAD BEEN FOUND BY BMW. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BMW 328XI. PRESSURE WAS APPLIED TO THE BRAKE PEDAL; YET WHEN THE DRIVERS CELL PHONE RANG THE AIR BAGS INVOLUNTARILY DEPLOYED. THE CONTACT WAS UNAWARE OF WHAT OCCURRED NEXT BUT THE VEHICLE WAS THEN INVOLVED IN A CRASH. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. NO ONE WAS INJURED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE BUT THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 4,000.

THIS IS AN UPDATE TO ODI 10290275. MY CAR (2009 335XI) IS YET AGAIN EXPERIENCING LONG STARTING TIMES AND I HAVE HAD ANOTHER ABRUPT LOSS OF POWER. ALTHOUGH THERE IS NO "CHECK ENGINE LIGHT" ON YET I BELIEVE IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP IS AGAIN REPLACED. THIS IS A CHRONIC PROBLEM THAT IS RECOGNIZED BY BMW (AS THEY HAVE EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMPS) BUT DOES NOT ADDRESS THE UNDERLYING SAFETY CONCERN OF A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER THAT WILL ULTIMATELY RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT. *TR

WHILE DRIVING EAST ON THE NORTHERN STATE PARKWAY, ON FEBRUARY 18, 2010 , NEAR EXIT 42, LONG ISLAND, NY, AT 50 MPH, I HIT A POT HOLE. THE POT HOLE WAS NOT IMPEDING TRAFFIC IN ANY SIGNIFICANT FASHION, HOWEVER, I IMMEDIATELY RECEIVED A FLAT TIRE INDICATION FOR THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE. I HAVE RUN-FLAT TIRES, BUT COULD BARELY CONTROL THE CAR. THIS WAS UNUSUAL AS I HAVE EXPERIENCED FLAT TIRES PREVIOUSLY, AND NEVER HAD TROUBLE CONTROLLING THE CAR. NEVERTHELESS, I CONTINUED TO EXIT 42, EXITED THE HIGHWAY, AND PULLED INTO A NEARBY PARKING LOT. UPON INSPECTION IT BECAME CLEAR THAT THE PROBLEM WAS NOT CAUSED BY THE TIRE, BUT WAS DUE TO THE RIGHT FRONT ALUMINUM ALLOY WHEEL WHICH HAD BROKEN IN HALF. AT THIS POINT THE WHEEL CONSISTED OF TWO HALVES, THE OUTER HALF ATTACHED TO THE AXLE, AND THE INNER HALF HELD ONLY LOOSELY BY THE TIRE. LATER INSPECTION INDICATED THAT THERE WAS NO VISIBLE DAMAGE TO THE TIRE, BUT THAT THE WHEEL, ONLY, WAS BROKEN ALONG AN IRREGULAR CIRCUMFERENTIAL LINE APPROXIMATELY PARALLEL AND 4 INCHES FROM THE OUTER WHEEL LIP (THE LIP WHICH FORMS THE SEAL BETWEEN THE TIRE AND WHEEL). ALTHOUGH THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT THE WHEEL HAD BENT SLIGHTLY DUE TO THIS POT HOLE IMPACT (OR PERHAPS AN EARLIER IMPACT), THE WHEEL WAS NOT OTHERWISE SEVERELY DEFORMED. A SIMILAR INCIDENT OCCURRED LESS THAN TWO WEEKS LATER, ON FEBRUARY 28, 2010. THIS SECOND INCIDENT INVOLVED THE LEFT REAR WHEEL OF THE SAME CAR, BUT OTHERWISE THE CIRCUMSTANCES WERE VERY SIMILAR. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, AGAIN ON THE NORTHERN STATE PARKWAY, BUT APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES WEST OF THE FIRST INCIDENT, AS A RESULT OF IMPACT WITH A POT HOLE, THE LEFT REAR WHEEL BROKE INTO TWO PIECES. CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE WAS AGAIN DIFFICULT. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED 6 DAYS AFTER THE CAR WAS RECEIVED FROM THE BMW DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT AFTER REPAIR OF THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL. THE LEFT REAR WHEEL WAS INSPECTED DURING THE FIRST REPAIR, AND FOUND TO BE IN DRIVABLE CONDITION. *TR