2011 BMW 5 Series

I TOOK DELIVERY OF A NEW 2011 535I ON 7/11/10. THE CAR WAS BUILT ON 6/1/10. ON 9/5/10 (ODOMETER READING LESS THAN 2000 MILES), I WAS DRIVING ON LOCAL STREETS AT APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH WHEN THE CAR REPORTED AN ENGINE MALFUNCTION ERROR AND THE CAR SHUTDOWN. I PUSHED THE GAS PEDAL AND THERE WAS NO RESPONSE AND STEERING LOCKED UP. THE CAR WAS PUSHED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THEN TOWED TO THE BMW DEALERSHIP. INITIAL ANALYSIS FROM THE BMW DEALERSHIP WAS THAT THE ERROR RECORDED (FAULT STORED FOR VALVETRONIC SYSTEM. DEVIATION TOO GREAT. FREQUENCY 1 LOGISTICS 38.) DID NOT POINT TO A SPECIFIC COMPONENT FAILURE. THE ERROR DID INDICATE THAT A CERTAIN SOFTWARE LEVEL SHOULD BE LOADED IN THE CAR, BUT THE BMW DEALERSHIP SAID I ALREADY HAD THE CORRECT SOFTWARE LEVEL LOADED. THEY RELOADED THE SOFTWARE LEVEL ANYWAY. THE BMW DEALERSHIP KEPT THE CAR FOR A FEW DAYS OF TESTING AND DRIVING, BUT COULD NOT RECREATE THE PROBLEM. AFTER 3 DAYS, THE BMW DEALERSHIP SAID THAT THEY NOTICED THAT I ACTUALLY DID NOT ORIGINALLY HAVE THE LATEST SOFTWARE PATCH LEVEL INSTALLED IN MY CAR. SO, THE ONLY FIX PROVIDED BY BMW FOR MY ENGINE MALFUNCTION AND SHUTDOWN WAS LOADING A NEW SOFTWARE PATCH LEVEL (PROGRAM I LEVEL NEW F010-10-06-512), THE PREVIOUS SOFTWARE LEVEL LOADED IN MY CAR AT THE PLANT WAS PROGRAM I LEVEL PLANT F010-10-06-511. IT SHOULD BE NOTED, WHILE THE CAR WAS AT THE BMW DEALERSHIP, THEY DID INSTALL THE FIX FOR THE FUEL TANK SENSOR RECALL (BULLETIN 121410). BUT, THE FUEL TANK SENSOR PROBLEM WAS NOT RELATED TO THE ENGINE MALFUNCTION PROBLEM I EXPERIENCED, BECAUSE I HAD AN ACTUAL HALF TANK OF FUEL IN THE CAR AT THE TIME OF MY ENGINE FAILURE. *TR

I PURCHASED 2011 MODEL BMW 535I IN AUGUST 2010. THERE ARE 3 CIGARETTE LIGHTER POWER OUTLETS INSIDE THE CAR AND ELECTRICITY IS SUPPLYING ALL THE TIME REGARDLESS OF WHETHER VEHICLE IS BEING LOCKED OR NOT. IF I USE ACCESSORIES LIKE GPS, CHARGER, COFFER WARMER ETC. AND LEFT IN THE LOCKED VEHICLE UNDER SUMMER SUN COULD REALLY BE A FIRE HAZARD. I HAVE CONTACTED TO BMW CUSTOMER RELATIONS AND LOCAL SERVICE ASKING TO REWIRE TO STOP POWER SUPPLY WHILE ENGINE IS STOPPED OR/AND VEHICLE IS LOCKED BUT THEY REFUSED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I HAVE ANOTHER COMPLAINT REGARDING THE STEERING LIKE OTHER OWNERS WHICH IS THAT VEHICLE IS PULLING TO THE RIGHT ALL THE TIME AT ALL SPEED. I'D LIKE TO REQUEST NHTSA TO ORDER BMW TO FIX THOSE PROBLEMS ASAP AS A RECALL! *TR

CAR PULLS TO THE RIGHT. DOES NOT STEER LINEAR. IT IS HARD TO DETERMINE WHERE THE CAR IS GOING WITH THIS PULL. IT DRIVES LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME. IT IS ESPECIALLY DIFFICULT IN WET WEATHER. IT HAS BEEN LIKE THIS SINCE I PURCHASED IT NEW. THE DEALER HAS TRIED ROTATING TIRES AND ROTATING STRUT TOWERS, BUT NO RESOLVE. THE DEALER TOLD ME IT'S A STEERING SOFTWARE PROBLEM IN WHICH THEY HAVE NO FIX FOR. *TR

THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED, MY WIFE DROVE OUR 2011 BMW 535I TO WORK AND THE FUEL GAUGE WAS READING HALF TANK. IT'S ONLY APPROX. 20 MILES TO WORK ROUND TRIP TO OUR HOUSE BUT WHEN SHE CAME BACK HOME THE FUEL GAUGE WAS ALMOST EMPTY AND FLASHING WARNING LIGHT FUEL REFILL IS SHOWING. I DROVE THE CAR FOR THE PAST FEW DAYS AND I NOTICED THAT THE FUEL GAUGE INDICATOR SEEMED TO BE STAYING ALL THE TIME AT HALF TANK READING. I DROVE IT THIS MORNING TO OUR FAMILY PHYSICIAN AND TO THE MALL AND I STILL NOTICED THE FUEL GAUGE INDICATOR IS NOT MOVING AND WAS READING HALF TANK. WHEN I WENT TO THE LOCAL GROCERY STORE TO BUY BOTTLED WATER, I DECIDED TO LEAVE THE CAR IDLE AND THE ENGINE ON. WHEN I DROVE IT AGAIN, THAT'S WHEN I NOTICED THE FUEL GAUGE NEEDLE MOVED SLOWLY BUT STEADILY FROM HALF TANK READING TO ALMOST 1/4 TANK. THEN MY WIFE DROVE THE SAME VEHICLE AGAIN TO WORK WITH THE FUEL GAUGE READING 1/4 TANK. 10 MINUTES LATER SHE CALLED BACK BY PHONE BECAUSE FLASHING WARNING LIGHTS WAS SHOWING THAT THE CAR NEEDS TO REFUELED AND SHE SAID THE FUEL GAUGE IS READING ALMOST EMPTY. *TR

BRAND NEW 2011 BMW 550I, CAR PULLS HARD TO THE RIGHT, CAR IS DIFFICULT TO CONTROL AT HIGH SPEEDS, PROBLEM IS CONSTANT, CARS HONK AT ME SOMETIMES WHEN DRIVING NEXT TO ME BECAUSE THE CAR SWERVES BACK AND FORTH UNCONTROLLABLY. TOOK TO BMW AND THEY CONFIRMED PROBLEM BUT SAID THEY HAVE NO FIX. THEY TOLD ME TO KEEP DRIVING THE CAR UNTIL THEY FIGURE OUT HOW TO FIX IT. IT IS THE ONLY CAR I HAVE AND IS A DANGER TO THE ROAD! THIS CAR SHOULD NOT BE DRIVEN BUT BMW WILL NOT TAKE IT BACK SO I AM STUCK DRIVING THIS DANGEROUS CAR ON THE ROAD RISKING MY LIFE AND OTHERS AT BMW EXPENSE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW 535I. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH THE VEHICLE BEGAN PULLING TO THE RIGHT. HE STATED THAT HE HAD TO STEER TO THE LEFT IN ORDER TO KEEP THE VEHICLE STRAIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO STATED THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE DEALER ALSO ADVISED HIM THAT THE MANUFACTURER TOLD THEM THAT IT WAS NOT A ALIGNMENT PROBLEM OR A TIRE PROBLEM BUT A SOFTWARE PROBLEM. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO UNTIL THE MANUFACTURER WAS ABLE TO FIND A REMEDY FOR THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE WAS CONSTANT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 700.

I PURCHASED MY 2011 BMW 535I ON 06/23/10. THE CAR HAD LESS THAN 1 MILE ON THE ODOMETER. AS I PULLED OFF THE DEALER?S LOT, I NOTICED THAT THE CAR HAD A HARD PULL TO THE RIGHT. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TOOK IT IN THE NEXT DAY TO FIX IT. THEIR EQUIPMENT SHOWED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS WITHIN ALIGNMENT SPECIFICATIONS, BUT WENT AHEAD AND DID AN ALIGNMENT ANYWAY (ACTUALLY 4 OF THEM) IN AN EFFORT TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. THEY ATTEMPTED ANOTHER SOLUTIONS (TIRE SWAPS, ETC.), BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THE CONTACTED BMW NORTH AMERICA AND SPOKE WITH TECHNICAL REPRESENTATIVES THERE WHO CONFIRMED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE ELECTRIC STEERING THAT WAS NEW TO THIS MODEL BUT THAT THEY HAD "NO FIX AT THIS TIME". I MET WITH A REGIONAL BMW TECH REP AT MY DEALERSHIP ALMOST A MONTH LATER. HE TOLD ME BMW WAS WORKING FEVERISHLY TO GET THE PROBLEM RESOLVED - THAT THEY CONSIDERED IT A SAFETY ISSUE AND A NUMBER ONE PRIORITY. AT THE TIME, IT WAS BELIEVED THAT A SOFTWARE FIX WOULD BE READY IN 10-14 DAYS. IT'S ALMOST BEEN A MONTH NOW. I CAN TELL YOU, IT IS SCARY TO DRIVE THIS CAR. JUST FROM DOING SOME READING AND EXCHANGING INFORMATION IN BMW OWNER FORUMS, THERE ARE A MULTITUDE OF THESE CARS OUT THERE WITH THIS PROBLEM. BMW ISN'T TALKING DIRECT TO THE CONSUMERS ABOUT THIS OR PUTTING OUT ANY INFORMATION AT ALL. I JUST WANT IT FIXED AND SAFE - IT'S BEEN ALMOST 3 MONTHS SINCE THE CAR WAS DELIVERED TO ME AND RELEASED FOR SALE TO THE NORTH AMERICAN MARKET. *TR