2006 BMW 530I

HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT IN MY 530I 2006 BMW. THE ANGEL LIGHT BULB BURNED OUT AND WHEN I WENT TO REPLACE IT, THE WIRE COVERS STARTED TO COME OFF EXPOSING THE WIRES COMPLETELY. AFTER REPLACING THE BULB (WHICH WAS A BIT DIFFICULT TO DO), MOST OF THE WIRES IN THE HEADLIGHT HAD NO PROTECTION AND WERE COMPLETELY EXPOSED. I HAD TO COVER THEM WITH ELECTRIC TAPE TO PREVENT SOME SHORTS, BUT MISSED A SECTION I GUESS, SINCE NOW THE COMPUTER IS GIVING ME A ADAPTIVE HEADLIGHT WARNING MESSAGE AND THE LIGHT IS NOT POINTING TO THE PROPER DIRECTION. I HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH ON LINE AND FOUND THAT IT IS HAPPENING TO A LOT OF PEOPLE. CONTACTED BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, AND THEY SAID SINCE MY CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY, THEY CANNOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THE MATERIAL USED TO COVER THESE WIRES IS NOT CORRECT, AS IT WILL BREAK OFF JUST BY LIGHTLY TOUCHING THEM. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN WHERE THERE MAY BE SHORT CIRCUITS WHILE THE CAR IS RUNNING AND IT WOULD AFFECTS THE CAR'S COMPUTERS. IN MY CASE, THE LIGHT CONTROL MODULE IS ALSO SHORTED AND MUST BE REPLACED. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE IS ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO FIND OUT IF THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN OR NOT. I BELIEVE IT IS SPECIALLY ON A CAR STILL NEW. LET ME KNOW IF YOU WOULD NEED ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. THANK YOU. *JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 530I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE AIR BAG AND SAFETY RESTRAINT LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE IT WAS STATED THE PASSENGER RESTRAINT SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000.

MY VEHICLE, A 2006 BMW 530I SHOWED A MESSAGE ON THE DISPLAY MENU STATING THAT I HAD AN ISSUE WITH "THE RESTRAINT SYSTEM". IT STATED THAT IN THE EVEN OF AN ACCIDENT, MY AIRBAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY. I AM CONCERNED WITH THIS ISSUE AS IT IS SAFETY RELATED. BMW TOOK CARE OF IT IN 2009, AND I RECALL THE SERVICE ADVISOR STATING THAT THE MAT WAS "PATCHED UP", NEVER REPLACED. BUT DID MENTION THAT IF I HAD ANY ISSUES WITH THIS SYSTEM, THAT I HAD A 10YEAR WARRANTY WITH NO LIMIT ON MILES AS IT IS A SAFETY RECALL. TODAY, I'VE EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUE YET AGAIN. SEEMS LIKE IT WAS A TEMPORARY FIX. I CONTACTED MY LOCAL DEALER, AND THEY STATED THAT BECAUSE MY VEHICLE HAS A SALVAGE TITLE, I HAVE NO WARRANTY. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THEY TRIED TO FIX THE ISSUE INITIALLY, THEN DECLINE THE PROMISED WARRANTY (WHICH I HAVE A LETTER FOR). ANY HELP TO RESOLVE MY ISSUE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. BEST REGARDS. *TR

MY 530I BMW HAS AT LEAST ONE BROKEN CYLINDER HEAD BOLT. THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE BMW N52 ENGINES. I WAS QUOTED $4500 FOR THE REPAIR. AS I MENTIONED THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM, A KNOWN PROBLEM BY BMW, BUT BMW ISN'T WILLING TO OFFER ME ANY ASSISTANCE. I FEEL A NEED TO REPORT THIS EXPENSIVE AND COMMON PROBLEM, AND BMW'S UNWILLINGNESS TO RESOLVE THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE SPENT HOURS WITH BMWUSA AND MY LOCAL BMW STEVENS CREEK DEALERSHIP AND SO FAR ALL I HAVE DONE IS WASTED MANY HOURS OF MY TIME. BMW NEEDS TO ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR SOMETHING THAT IS OBVIOUSLY A DETECT IN THEIR DESIGN. *TR

WHILE I WAS DRIVING, I RECEIVED AN ERROR MESSAGE ON MY COMPUTER DISPLAY. THE ERROR MESSAGE READ: "PASSENGER SEAT RESTRAINT MALFUNCTION", THEN A PICTURE OF MY PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG DEPLOYED WITH A LINE THROUGH IT. I CALLED BMW( MCKENNA, NORWALK, CA) ON 07/02/2013 AND THEY STATED PER MY VIN NUMBER THIS IS NOT A RECALL PART, YET MAYBE FOR SOME VEHICLES IT WAS. *TR

MY WIFE STARTED THE CAR UP AND THE AIRBAG AND SAFETY RESTRAINT LIGHTS NEVER TURNED OFF. I LOOKED ON LINE AND SAW THERE WAS A RECALL THAT LISTED THIS YEARS MODEL NUMBER BUT AFTER CALLING BMW THEY SAID MY VIN NUMBER WAS NOT LISTED IN THE AFFECTED NUMBERS. IT LOOKS LIKE BMW IS ONLY TRYING TO FIX A FEW CARS TO SAY THEY HAVE DONE SOMETHING BUT THIS PROBLEM IS IN ALL THEIR CARS MADE IN THAT YEAR. MY CAR HAS THE SPORTS SEATS. *TR

MY 2006 BMW 530I HAS JUST EXPERIENCED A MALFUNCTION OF THE PASSENGER AIRBAG / SEATBELT SENSOR, AND I TOOK IT TO THE BMW OF STERLING SERVICE CENTER, WHICH CONFIRMED THAT THE OCCUPANCY SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SEAT HAS FAILED. THIS IS EXACTLY THE CAUSE FOR THE AUGUST 5 2008 BMW RECALL (NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 08V384000), AND ACCORDING TO THE RECALL DESCRIPTION, MY CAR SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED AT THAT TIME. HOWEVER, BMW OF STERLING TOLD ME THAT MY VIN DOES NOT SHOW UP IN THE RECALL DATABASE. I HOPE THIS IS NOT A SCAM THAT BMW OF STERLING (VIRGINIA) IS RUNNING, AS THEY ASKED FOR $1400 TO REPLACE THE SENSE, THAN AFTER ONE MORE DAYS THEY SAID THEY CONTACTED BMW WHICH AGREED TO PAY 50% OF THE BILL. I REFUSED THE OFFER, AS IT SEEMS LIKE A SCAM TO ME. WHY MY CAR WAS NOT PART OF THE ORIGINAL RECALL, WHICH STATES THAT ALL MY 2004-2006 BMW 5-SERIES (LIKE MINE) ARE RECALLED FOR THIS EXACT ISSUE, AND THAT BMW WILL EVEN OFFER A 10-YEAR WARRANTY ON THIS EXACT SENSOR? IS BMW ONLY RECALLING SELECTIVE CARS, AND NOT ALL OF THEM, TO SAVE SOME EXTRA MONEY????? *TR

ALL 3 ALUMINUM HEAD BOLTS WERE BROKEN CAUSING AN OIL LEAK WHICH COULD RESULT IN A FIRE. BOLTS WERE FOUND IN OIL PAN WHICH COULD HAVE DAMAGED ENGINE AND CAUSED FAILURE. THERE ARE NO WARNING LIGHTS OR MESSAGES THAT INDICATE A PROBLEM. THE ONLY WAY TO KNOW THERE IS A PROBLEM IS AN OIL LEAK BENEATH THE CAR. THIS WAS FIXED OUT OF WARRANTY AT A COST OF $2131.78. THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN 2.5 YEARS LATER ON MARCH 27, 2013 AT 105,135 MILES AND A COST OF $2236.47. BMW DOESN'T THINK THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM AND SAYS IT IS "TYPICAL" OF A "HIGH PERFORMANCE" ENGINE. TO ME, THIS IS NOT A NORMAL MAINTENANCE ITEM, NOT TO MENTION THE POTENTIAL FOR FIRE AND POSSIBLE INJURY. THERE APPEARS TO BE ONLY ONE OTHER COMPLAINT WITH YOUR OFFICE FOR THIS SPECIFIC PROBLEM FOR THIS SPECIFIC CAR, BUT I THINK YOU WILL FIND SIMILAR PROBLEMS FOR ALL BMW'S WITH 3.0 LITER AND OTHER ENGINES WITH ALUMINUM HEAD BOLTS, INCLUDING THE 325, 330, 528, 730, ETC. *TR

HELLO NHTSA, RECALL REGARDING MY ISSUE HAS ALREADY BEEN WELL DOCUMENTED / INVESTIGATED WITH BOTH NHTSA AND BMW. TO SUMMARIZE THE ISSUE IS ABOUT A "PASSENGER RESTRAINT MALFUNCTION" SPECIFICALLY THE OC3 SEAT SENSOR MAT FAULTY UNIT, WHICH CONTROLS THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAGS. WHEN FAULTY, THE AIRBAGS ARE DEACTIVATED, WHICH RAISES A SAFETY CONCERN. I HAD CALLED BMW NA AND HAD MY VIN PULLED AND UNFORTUNATELY WAS NOT INCLUDED WITHIN THE RECALL CUT OFF DATE UP UNTIL 11/2005, MY PARTICULAR MODEL WAS MADE 12/2005. I REQUESTED BMW NA TO OPEN UP AN INVESTIGATION FOR RE-CONSIDERATION TO INCLUDE MY VEHICLE UNDER THERECALL LIST, CONSIDERING THE TIME FRAME OF CUTOFF DATE AND MY VEHICLE MANUFACTURED PRODUCTION DATE. I WAS TOLD THIS WOULD BE HANDLED INTERNALLY WHICH IS FINE, HOWEVER SENSE CONSIDERATION WILL NOT BE EXTENDED AND WANTED TO REACH OUT TO NHTSA. MY QUESTION TO BMW NA WAS, "WHAT WERE THE ENHANCEMENTS MADE TO MY PARTICULAR VEHICLE IN IMPROVING SAFETY, THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO PROVIDE ANY DETAILS REGARDING THIS. WOULD YOU HAVE SOMETHING DOCUMENTED EXPLAINING THE SPECIFICS REPAIRS/ IMPROVEMENTS/ OR COMPONENT ENHANCEMENTS MADE FOR MODELS FOLLOWING AFTER 11/2005 CUT OFF DATE? *TR

WE HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE SINCE 2007 AND HAVE NOT HAD TOO MANY ISSUES WITH IT. HOWEVER, RECENTLY IT DEVELOPED AN OIL LEAK WHICH BMW HAS REFUSED TO FIX. WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS THAT FOUR ALUMINUM BOLTS THAT HOLD THE TOP OF THE ENGINE BLOCK ON TO THE ENGINE HAVE BROKEN FOR NO APPARENT REASON. ACCORDING TO THE REPAIR SHOP I TOOK IT TO, BMW KNOWS THIS IS A DEFECT. THEY SHOULD HAVE NEVER USED ALUMINUM BOLTS AS FASTENERS FOR THIS ENGINE. I HAVE HAD TO SPEND $2900.00 TO HAVE THESE BOLTS REPLACED BY AN AUTHORIZED BMW REPAIR SHOP. THIS HAS STOPPED THE LEAK. THE DEALER WANTED $4300.00 TO DO THE SAME REPAIR. THIS IS NOT RIGHT. MY MECHANIC SAID THAT THIS OIL LEAK COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ENGINE FIRE IF I HAD LET IT GO. ANY HELP YOU CAN BE ON THIS MATTER WOULD BE GREAT. *TR