2008 BMW 5 Series

I PURCHASED A CERTIFIED, PRE-OWNED 2008 BMW 535XI WITH APPROX. 22,000 MILES ON 10/23/10. SUBSEQUENT TO MY PURCHASE, I DISCOVERED THE HIGH-PRESSURE FUEL PUMP IN THE VEHICLE HAD EARLIER FAILED AND BEEN REPLACED. ON 10/28/10, JUST 5 DAYS AFTER PURCHASING - I WAS DRIVING ON A SURFACE STREET WHEN THE CAR BEGAN VIOLENTLY SHAKING AND ROCKING, THE ENGINE LOST SUBSTANTIAL POWER AND NEARLY STALLED, AND THE ENGINE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIT. I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE ON 10/28/10 AND THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED 10/30/10. 3 OF 4 FUEL INJECTORS WERE REPLACED ALONG WITH ALL SPARKPLUGS. AT HIGH SPEEDS, THIS TYPE OF ENGINE MALFUNCTION WOULD POSE AN EXTREME SAFETY RISK IN MY OPINION. I HAVE CONTACTED BMW USA AND THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE AND I HAVE NOT BEEN SATISFIED WITH THE RESPONSE TO-DATE. *TR

BMW 535XI SPORT WAGON 2008- .. DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, ICON CAME ON ABOVE SPEEDOMETER - ORANGE ENGINE/HALF BLACK AND ON DASHBOARD BELOW NAVI READOUT "ENGINE MALFUNCTION-REDUCED POWER." FROM THEN ON WE HAD NO THRUST WITH GAS PEDAL. CAR WENT IN FOR SERVICE AND WAS SUPPOSEDLY REPAIRED. THIS THEN HAPPENED FOUR MORE TIMES. EACH TIME THE CAR WAS IN THE SHOP AND PARTS WERE THROWN AT IT AND EACH TIME WE WERE TOLD THE ISSUE WAS PROBABLY FIXED BUT THEY REALLY DID NOT KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. THE CAR WAS IN THE SHOP ABOUT 30 DAYS SINCE THE ORIGINAL INCIDENT. PARTS REPLACED WERE VACUUM HOSE BLACK, VACUUM PUMP, PRESSURE SENSOR,REMOVED AND REINSTALLED THROTTLE, REPLACED ALL VACCUUM HOSES ON 7/14/10, CHARGED BATTERY 7/27. *TR

ENGINE MALFUNCTION -- REDUCED POWER AND THEN THE CAR EITHER REDUCES POWER OR DIES COMPLETELY. ALSO, COLD ENGINE ROUGH START AND ROUGH IDLE. TO DATE, FUEL INJECTORS WERE REPLACED, WHERE UPON IT WAS RECOMMENDED THAT I NO LONGER BUY SAM'S CLUB 93 OCTANE GAS BUT A "NAME BRAND." I DID -- PROBLEM RE-OCCURRED ON JULY 24, 2010, OUT OF THE BLUE WITHOUT WARNING, THIS TIME WITH MY 6 YEAR OLD IN THE CAR ON A HIGHWAY. I WAS ABLE TO GET OVER TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER OF THE ROAD WITHOUT INCIDENT, AND TURN OFF THE ENGINE, WAIT A FEW MOMENTS AND RESTART. THE BMW DEALER HAS HAD MY CAR SINCE LATE JULY, AND HAVE NOW REPLACED ONE OF THE TURBOS IN THE ENGINE. I AM HOPING NOBODY HAS TO DIE BEFORE BMW IS ASKED TO RECALL N54 ENGINE BMW'S OR BUY BACK THE ONES THEY HAVE SOLD. THE DEALERSHIP HAS RECOMMENDED THAT I WRITE A COMPLAINT TO BMW NORTH AMERICA. I WILL. THERE IS ALSO A PETITION GOING -- HTTP://WWW.PETITIONONLINE.COM/MOD_PERL/SIGNED.CGI?FIXPUMP WHICH I THINK WILL GIVE YOU SOME IDEA ABOUT THE SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM. I DO NOT HAVE THE OLD PARTS. THANK YOU. ' *TR

WHILE ACCELERATING, THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND WENT INTO NEUTRAL. I WAS ABLE TO PUT IT BACK INTO DRIVE AND THE CAR VERY SLOWLY REGAINED MOMENTUM. A FEW MINUTES LATER, AFTER THE CAR HAD BEEN TURNED OFF, I RESTARTED IT, PUT IT INTO REVERSE TO BACK OUT OF A PARKING PLACE, PUT IT INTO DRIVE TO MOVE FORWARD, TRIED TO ACCELERATE, THE CAR WENT INTO NEUTRAL AGAIN AND WOULD NOT MOVE FORWARD. I TRIED TO PUT IT INTO DRIVE AGAIN BUT WITH NO SUCCESS. THE CAR WAS DEAD AND MESSAGE FLASHED ON "REDUCED ENGINE POWER." FORTUNATELY I WAS IN A PARKING LOT AND NOT ON A HIGHWAY. THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE RMFD HIGH-PRESSURE PUMP HAD TO BE REPLACED. BMW TOLD ME THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM AND THAT THE WARRANTY ON THIS PART HAD BEEN EXTENDED TO 10 YEARS, 120,000 MILES. THE OLD PART IS NOT AVAILABLE. *TR

ON APRIL 6, 2010 WHILE PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE AT A SHOPPING CENTER, I APPLIED THE BRAKES ON OUR BMW 528I AND INSTEAD OF STOPPING, THE REAR WHEELS STARTED SPINNING, BURNING RUBBER ON THE PAVEMENT APX. 25 FT. BEFORE I COULD STOP BY PRESSING THE STOP/START SWITCH. FORTUNATELY NO CARS WERE PARKED IN FRONT OF MY PARKING SPACE SO I WAS ABLE TO STOP WITHOUT HITTING ANYONE OR OTHER CARS. WHEN I GOT OVER THE SHOCK, I STARTED THE MOTOR AND IT WAS STILL UNDER FULL THROTTLE. AGAIN, I PRESSED THE STOP SWITCH. I WAS BLOCKING TRAFFIC SO AGAIN, I PRESSED THE START SWITCH AND THE MOTOR WAS RUNNING NORMALLY. I BACKED UP INTO MY ORIGINAL SPACE AND CALLED THE BMW DEALER WHO SENT A TOW-TRUCK TO DELIVER THE CAR TO THEIR SHOP. BMW SENT A FIELD TECHNICIAN TO INSPECT THE CAR ON 4/20/2010. I RECEIVED AN EMAIL STATING NO MECHANICAL FAULTS WERE IDENTIFIED BY ANYONE AND THE CAR WAS READY TO BE PICKED UP OR A $25/DAY STORAGE FEE WOULD BE CHARGED TO US. I TOLD THEM I WOULD NEVER TAKE THE MORAL OR FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY TO DRIVE THE CAR AGAIN SO THEY AGREED TO DELIVER IT TO OUR HOME. I SENT AN EMAIL TO THE DEALER'S MGR. AND CALLED HIM SEVERAL TIMES TO ASK FOR A REPURCHASE OF THE CAR. WE RECEIVED NO RESPONSE. WE WERE FORCED TO HIRE AN ATTORNEY WHO CONTACTED THE DEALER AND BMW REGIONAL OFFICE. THE REGIONAL OFFICE REVIEWED THE SERVICE RECORD AND REFUSED TO BUY BACK THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER SAID THE DECISION BY BMW REGIONAL OFFICE COULD NOT BE CHANGED. THIS LEFT US WITH NO ALTERNATIVE BUT TO PAY OFF THE LEASE ONE YEAR EARLY AND GET THE CAR OUT OF OUR POSSESSION. A CASHIER'S CHECK FOR $5,694.87 WAS MAILED TO BMW ON 8/23/2010 AND THE CAR WAS PICKED UP ON 8/30/2010 WITH 7,299 MILES ON IT. BMW NOW HAS A CAR WORTH APX. $5,000 MORE THAN IT WILL BE AT THE END OF THE LEASE ON SEPTEMBER 5, 2011. IT ANGERS US THAT BMW WOULD FORCE US TO KEEP A CAR THAT COULD PUT US & OTHERS IN HARM'S WAY IF WE DROVE IT, WITH A RISK OF UNLIMITED LIABILITY! *TR

I HAD MY CAR IN FOR ROUTINE SERVICE TWO WEEKS AGO, AND I MENTIONED THAT THE CAR HAD BEEN SLOW TO START IN THE MORNING, AND IDLED ROUGHLY. I WAS TOLD THAT THE CAR WAS 'REPROGRAMMED" AND THAT SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THE ISSUE. YESTERDAY, WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE ENGINE MALFUNCTION LIGHT CAME ON, AND THE CAR LOST ACCELERATION, AND I HAD TO PULL OVER ON THE RIGHT, THROUGH 3 LANES OF RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC WITH A CAR THAT BARELY ACCELERATED. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER WHO SAID IT WAS A BAD SENSOR. THIS MORNING, MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR WITH MY 3 MONTH OLD DAUGHTER AND THE ENGINE MALFUNCTION LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. MY WIFE TRIED TO FIND A SAFE PLACE TO PULL OVER, BUT THE ENGINE DIED AT THE LIGHT. SHE STARTED THE CAR AGAIN, AND MADE IT HALFWAY INTO THE INTERSECTION, AND THE CAR DIED AGAIN. SHE WAS VERY WORRIED THAT SHE WAS GOING TO GET HIT WHILE STUCK IN THE INTERSECTION. FINALLY, AFTER A FEW MORE CYCLES OF STARTING THE CAR, GOING A FEW FEET, AND THE CAR DYING, SHE WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR INTO A PARKING LOT. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AGAIN, AND NOW THEY ARE CHANGING THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP. *TR