2004 BMW 525I

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW 525I. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR CONSISTENTLY ILLUMINATES ON THE INSTRUMENT CONTROL PANEL, WHICH INDICATES THAT THE PASSENGER AIR BAG IS INOPERATIVE. AS A CONSEQUENCE, THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WOULD NOT DEPLOY EVENLY IN THE EVENT OF A SERIOUS CRASH. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 08V384000 (AIR BAGS:FRONTAL); THEREFORE, HE IS NOT ENTITLED TO A FREE REMEDY AS REFERENCED IN THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 67,000. UPDATED 2/23/09 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER FIXED THE VEHICLE AS A GOODWILL GESTURE. UPDATED 02/25/09. *JB

MY 2004 BMW 525I TRANSMISSION HAS FAILED. I WAS DRIVING AND HAD STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN AND ATTEMPTED TO PROCEED AND THE CAR INCHED OUT AND JUST STOPPED.. I ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT AT THAT TIME BECAUSE THE CAR WOULD NOT PROCEED IN THE INTERSECTION.. A MESSAGE ON THE DASH READ THAT THE "TRANS DRIVE SAFE DRIVE MODERATELY" OR SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT. WHEN I GOT TO MY DESTINATION I TURNED THE CARE OFF. THE NEXT TIME I STARTED THE CAR THE MESSAGE WAS GONE UNTIL ABOUT TWO WEEKS LATER. I LOOKED UP ANY INFORMATION THAT I COULD FIND ON BMW TRANSMISSIONS AND FOUND OUT THAT THERE ARE NUMEROUS CONSUMERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED OR ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEMS AND ARE DESPERATE FOR HELP. THE MAIN MALFUNCTION AT THIS POINT IS THAT THE CAR IS SLUGGISH AT TAKE OFF AND DEFINITELY WILL NOT GO INTO REVERSE AND THE DEALER HAS TOLD ME THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS SHOT. DRIVING THIS VEHICLE IS VERY DANGEROUS AND AT ANY TIME, UNKNOWINGLY THE TRANSMISSIONS ON THESE CARS CAN FAIL. PEOPLE DRIVING THESE BMW'S WITH FAULTY TRANSMISSIONS SHOULD BE MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BEFORE SOME ONE IS SERIOUSLY HURT. I AM STILL PAYING ON THIS AUTOMOBILE IT'S FOUR YEARS OLD AND IT HAS FAILED WITH A MAJOR PROBLEM. PLEASE GO TO CONSUMER AFFAIRS ON THE INTERNET AND YOU WILL SEE THE NUMEROUS PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE SAME COMPLAINT ABOUT THIS EXPENSIVE AUTOMOBILE THAT HAS FAILED AND CONSUMERS HAVE TO PAY THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO GET REPAIRS DONE. MY CAR IS IN THE SHOP AS WE SPEAK, I HAVEN'T RECEIVED A QUOTE ON THE COST AS OF YET, BUT THE MECHANIC HAS ADVISED ME THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS NO GOOD. *TR

1) WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE USED, WITH NO PROBLEMS. WHILE TRAVELING, WE GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND WHEN WE GOT IN, WE NOTICED THAT A AIRBAG LIGHT AND SEATBELT LIGHT WERE INDICATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL (RED FAULT LIGHTS). SINCE THE VEHICLE HAS THE BMW I-DRIVE WE ALSO NOTICED THE WARNING THAT "THERE IS A MALFUNCTION IN THE PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM, KEEP SEATBELT FASTENED, AND SEE BMW SERVICE CENTER" OR VERY CLOSE TO THIS. 2) I ASSUME THAT SINCE THERE IS THIS ERROR, THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG IS DISABLED BY THE ECM. PART OF THE REASON FOR BUYING THE VEHICLE WAS FOR ITS SAFETY, AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF US NOT HAVING AN AIRBAG AVAILABLE SHOULD THERE BE A CRASH COULD BE CATASTROPHIC. WE ARE LIVING IN GERMANY SUPPORTING THE US, AND AM NOT SURE OF THE RIGHT WAY TO GET THIS ISSUE RESOLVED. 3) I TOOK THE CAR TO A BMW DEALER WHO CHARGED ME 31.00EURO DOLLARS TO RETRIEVE THE TROUBLE CODE, AND TELL ME I HAD A BAD PASSENGER SIDE SEAT AIRBAG SENSOR MAT. I ALSO RECEIVED A QUOTE FOR A NEW ONE OF AROUND 720.00 EURO DOLLARS ($1036 US DOLLARS). THE CAR HAD A ONE YEAR WARRANTY FROM THE DEALER, BUT I HAVE NOT YET FOUND OUT IF THEY WILL COVER THIS. SINCE IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE, I THOUGHT THAT BMW WOULD HAVE TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM AT NO CHARGE. *TR

I BELIEVE MOISTURE COLLECTED IN THE BOTTOM OF THE "SPARE TIRE WELL" IN THE TRUNK- DUE TO CHANGING FLAT TIRE AND OPENING TRUNK IN THE RAIN. THERE IS AND ELECTRONIC MODULE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE "SPARE TIRE WELL BMW STOCK #W61 35 6 982 347) IT WENT ON FIRE-BECAUSE OF MOISTURE. REPAIR WAS MADE, MODULE WAS RELOCATED TO UPPER LEFT LOCATION OF TRUNK (AS WAS DONE ON MODELS AFTER 2004 LD PART IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION. *AK

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW 525I. ON APRIL 6, 2007, WHILE DRIVING 55MPH, THERE WAS SMOKE PRESENT IN THE VEHICLE. THE HEATED PASSENGER SEAT CAUGHT FIRE. THE CONTACTS COAT BURNED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED NO INJURIES. THERE WERE NO PASSENGERS IN THE VEHICLE. THE SALES TEAM IS AWARE THAT THE FAILURE EXIST. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BY THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THE CAUSE WAS FALSE MEMORY. THE FRONT AND BACK SEATS WERE REPLACED. THE CONTACT HAS AN INVOICE WITH THE SPECIFICS RELATED TO THE REPAIRS. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATOR LIGHTS PRESENT. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND POLICE WERE NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 52000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 51653.

THE I-DRIVE SOFTWARE OBVIOUSLY HAS A LOT OF "BUGS" THE LATEST INCIDENT OCCURRED ON 12/13/05, WHEN PRESSING THE STEERING WHEEL CONTROL BUTTONS, THE MODE (FM/AM/CD) WOULD NOT CHANGE; THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM THAT HAS GONE ON FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. IN ADDITION, MOST TIMES WHEN I START THE CAR IN THE MORNINGS, THE RADIO STATION FREQUENCY DOES NOT APPEAR IN THE DISPLAY UNLESS I CHANGE THE STATION. PRESSING THE UP/DOWN STATION BUTTON DID NOT WORK EITHER. AS I WAS NEARBY MY DEALER, I STOPPED BY SO A SERVICE REP COULD DOCUMENT THE PROBLEM. HE DOCUMENTED THE PROBLEM AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR ME TO BRING IN THE CAR ON 12/21/05. ON 12/21/05, THE CAR WAS BROUGHT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY KEPT IT THROUGH 12/22. THEY WERE UNABLE TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. I SPOKE WITH BOTH THE SERVICE MANAGER AND THE LEAD SERVICE TECH. TOLD THEM THAT I WORK IN IT AND THAT IT APPEARS THE SOFTWARE MUST HAVE A BUG, SINCE THIS PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT. THE LEAD SERVICE TECH SAID THAT RELOADING THE SOFTWARE AT THIS TIME WOULD NOT HELP, AS TO HIS KNOWLEDGE, THE SOFTWARE HASN'T BEEN UPDATED IN MONTHS. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME I'VE EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE I-DRIVE SYSTEM. THE SOFTWARE IS FRAUGHT WITH PROBLEMS AND IT IS ABOUT TIME BMW DEMAND OF THE SOFTWARE ENGINEERS TO FIX THE PROBLEMS ONCE AND FOR ALL! *JB