2009 BMW 535I

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BMW 535I. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED AND THE REDUCE ENGINE POWER WARNING MESSAGE ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS MERGED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, WHERE IT WAS TURNED OFF AND RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION AFTER RESTARTING THE ENGINE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED UNDER A MANUFACTURER'S CUSTOMER SERVICE RECALL; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

WHILE DRIVING "ENGINE FAILURE, REDUCE POWER" LIGHT CAME ON, POWER ON ENGINE REDUCED BUT DRIVABLE. WHEN CAR SHUT DOWN AND RESTARTED LIGHT GOES OFF BUT IF STEPPING ON THE GAS HARD THE LIGHT COMES BACK WITH ENGINE HAVING REDUCED POWER. THIS WAS REPAIRED TWICE, LAST BY BMW ON 7/29/13, THEY REPLACED VANS SOLENOIDS (INTAKE AND EXHAUST) AND REPROGRAMED THE TRANSMISSION. AT THAT TIME THEY TOLD ME IF THE PROBLEM RETURNS THE TRANSMISSION MAY NEED TO BE REPLACED. READING THROUGH FORUMS AND THE WEB I CAME UPON MANY COMPLAINTS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM IN WHICH DEALERS STATED DIFFERENT ROOT CAUSES, MANY SOLUTIONS PROPOSED BUT OFTEN PROBLEM RETURNS. I BELIEVE THIS IS DESIGN FLAW WITH THIS CAR AND SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED.

I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE NORTHBOUND ON THE KENNEDY EXPRESSWAY (I-90) BETWEEN MONTROSE AND LAWRENCE EXIT HERE IN CHICAGO WHEN MY CAR STALLED THE MIDDLE OF A VERY BUSY HIGHWAY. I ATTEMPTED TO RESTART IT WITH REDUCED POWER THAT ALLOWED ME TO DRIVE MY VEHICLE TO THE SHOULDERS BUT IT WAS A SCARY EXPERIENCE NONETHELESS WITH HIGH SPEED CARS AND TRUCKS PASSING BY YOU. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT IT WAS A FUEL PUMP ISSUE RELATING TO AN EXISTING RECALL/CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT. ANYWAY, THE CAR WAS NEVER FULLY FIXED; I MEAN I HAD AT SEVERAL INSTANCES OF CAR STALLING AGAIN AND AGAIN. I REPEATEDLY COMPLAINT TO THE MANUFACTURER AND THE CAR DEALER LETTING THEM KNOW THAT I FEEL THERES A SYSTEMIC ISSUE WITH THE VEHICLE. EVERY TIME I BROUGHT IT FOR REPAIRS IT WAS A DIFFERENT REASON WHY THE ENGINE FAILURE KEEPS LIGHTING UP AND THE CAR STALLING. IN THE BEGINNING THEY WERE COVERING THE REPAIRS UNDER WARRANTY BUT AS SOON AS THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY EXPIRED I WAS ON THE HOOK FOR HUNDREDS SOMETIMES THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN REPAIRS. I COMPLAINED THAT THERE WAS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT ON THIS VEHICLE AND PART OF THE SETTLEMENT WAS TO EXTEND THE ENGINE WARRANTY TO 10 YEARS BUT THEY NEVER COVERED IT UNDER THIS EXTENDED WARRANTY SIMPLY BY STATING THAT THE ISSUE WAS NOT RELATED TO WHATS COVERED BY THE WARRANTY. IVE FINALLY GIVEN UP DISPUTING WITH THEM AND SOLD THE CAR THIS MONTH AND IVE DISPUTED WITH MY CREDIT CARD THE REPAIR COSTS SINCE THE ISSUE WAS NEVER FIXED. BMW IS COVERING UP THAT THERES AN ISSUE WITH THIS MODEL OF THEIR CAR AND HAVE BEEN DODGING WARRANTY CLAIMS.

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND ALL OF A SUDDEN WHEN I TRIED TO SWITCH LANES, THE CAR JUST MADE A BIG FUMBLE AND ALMOST STALLED. THE TRAFFIC BEHIND NEARLY BECAME FATAL AS THE CAR DID NOT ACCELERATE AND I WAS VERY LUCK TO HAVE PULLED BACK WITH THE PASSING CAR BARELY HITTING MY MIRROR. I HAVE TAKEN THIS CAR TO THE DEALER ON MANY OCCASIONS AND THEY HAVE CHANGED OUT ALL THE INJECTORS AND STILL THE CAR IS HAVING THIS PROBLEM. EVERY TIME I GO TO THE DEALER THEY KEEP CHANGING THE FUEL INJECTORS OR RECALIBRATING THEM. A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH WILL SHOW THAT THIS IS AN ON GOING ISSUE WITH THESE CARS AND BMW OF NORTH AMERICA DOES NOT WANT TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. EVEN THOUGH THIS WAS REPORTED BEFORE THE END OF THE MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY AND STILL ONGOING, THEY REFUSE TO COVER THE REPAIRS. THIS IS ABSURD AND THEY SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE AS MY FAMILY AND MY LIFE IS IN DANGER EVERY TIME WE TAKE TO ANY ROAD WITH THIS CAR. WE ARE NOT IN A FINANCIAL POSITION TO AFFORD REPAIRS AS IT IS VERY EXPENSIVE AND UNFORTUNATELY WE ARE FORCED TO TAKE A RISK EVERY TIME WE HAVE SOMEWHERE TO GO. MY PREGNANT WIFE AND MY SELF HAS MISSED ALMOST 20 TIMES WHERE ANOTHER CAR COULD HAVE HIT US. I FEAR ONE OF THESE DAYS WE WILL NOT BE SO LUCKY . PLEASE HELP. *TR

PURCHASED A 2009 BMW 535I XDRIVE (VIN# [XXX]) IN MARCH 2013. IN JUNE OF 2013 I BEGAN TO HAVE ISSUES WITH THE FUEL SYSTEM. THE CAR WAS BROUGHT TO MY LOCAL BMW DEALER AND I WAS TOLD THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH ONE OF THE FUEL INJECTORS. THEY INDICATED THE INJECTORS WERE UNDER RECALL HOWEVER MY CAR HAD ALREADY HAD THE RECALL COMPLETED. UNDER FURTHER INVESTIGATION IT CAME TO LIGHT THAT ONLY THREE OF THE SIX INJECTORS WERE REPLACED UNDER THE PRIOR RECALL WORK. THE DEALERSHIP REFUSED TO REPLACE THE BAD INJECTOR UNDER THE RECALL EVEN THOUGH IT WAS NOT ONE OF THE ONES REPLACED UNDER THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY WORK. THEY INDICATED THEY CONTACTED BMWNA AND THAT THEY REFUSED TO APPROVE THE REPLACEMENT OF THE INJECTOR EVEN THOUGH IT WAS NOT DEALT WITH UNDER THE ORIGINAL RECALL WORK.I ENDED UP HAVING MY LOCAL BMW MECHANIC REPLACE THIS INJECTOR. THIS NOVEMBER 2014 I BEGAN HAVING AN ISSUE WITH ANOTHER OF THE RECALLED INJECTORS THAT HAD YET TO BE REPLACED. THIS INJECTOR WHILE DRIVING BECAME LOOSE AND BROKE A FUEL LINE DAMAGING THE CYLINDER HEAD OF THE ENGINE WHERE THE INJECTOR IS LOCATED. DUE TO THE DAMAGE TO THE HEAD, THE INJECTOR LOCATED IN CYLINDER 5 CONTINUES TO LOOSE THE O-RING. THIS RENDERS THE CAR UNDRIVABLE. THIS IS MY THIRD BMW AND I HAVE TO SAY THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE EVER HAD THESE KINDS OF PROBLEM. I HAVE ALREADY HAD TO REPLACE THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP, ONE FUEL INJECTOR, WATER PUMP AND CRANK SEAL. IN ADDITION THE TRUNK LEAKS CREATING ISSUES WITH MY BATTERY AND SOS SYSTEM. I HAVE LEARNED THOUGH MUCH RESEARCH THAT THIS CAR MODEL HAS MANY KNOWN PROBLEMS WITH THE FUEL SYSTEM, INJECTORS, HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP, ETC. I WOULD APPRECIATE SOMEONE LOOKING INTO THIS AND HOW THE CURRENT ISSUE WITH THE INJECTOR AND NOW HEAD CAN BE RESOLVED SINCE THIS INJECTOR SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED UNDER THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY WORK LONG BEFORE THE HEAD WAS DAMAGED. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

IN THE 4 1/2 YEARS THAT MY 535XI HAS BEEN IN SERVICE, THE FUEL INJECTORS HAVE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED 3 TIMES (SEPT 2011, JAN 2013, AND SEPT 2014). THE PROBLEMS HAVE MANIFESTED THEMSELVES WHEN DRIVING ON HIGHWAYS AND THE VEHICLE LOSES MOST POWER AND BEGINS SHAKING AND THE CHECK ENGINE GASES LIGHT COMES ON. THE MOST RECENT TIME OCCURRED WHILE ON AN INTERSTATE TOLLWAY BETWEEN EXITS 15 MILES APART MAKING FOR A DANGEROUS SITUATION AS I LOST SPEED AND ANY ABILITY TO ACCELERATE. EFFORTS TO HAVE BMW COVER THE REPAIRS (ESTIMATED AT $2,200 INCLUDING NEW PLUGS), WERE BOTH UNSUCCESSFUL AND FRUSTRATING. THE DEALER PROVIDED ZERO ASSISTANCE. I CONTACTED BMW NA AND STATED THAT HAVING TO REPLACE THE FUEL INJECTORS 3 TIMES IN 4 1/2 YEARS INDICATES A DEFECTIVE DESIGN AND RESULTS IN DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD INVESTIGATE AND INFORM ME WHETHER THE REPAIRS WOULD BE COVERED. THEY SAID THEY WOULD NOTIFY ME WITHIN 3-5 BUSINESS DAYS ALTHOUGH THEY WOULD TRY TO EXPEDITE THE PROCESS SINCE I WAS WITHOUT A CAR. AT THE END OF THE 5TH BUSINESS DAY, THERE WAS NO RESPONSE SO I CALLED AND THE PERSON I NEEDED TO SPEAK WITH WAS IN A MEETING AND WAS SUPPOSED TO CALL ME BACK. AFTER ANOTHER FULL BUSINESS DAY AND NO CALL, I CALLED A AGAIN AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NO COVERAGE BUT THEY DID NOT PROVIDE ANY RATIONALE. THIS HAS BEEN A REPETITIVE AND DANGEROUS PROBLEM. *TR

THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I HAVE MY FUEL PUMP REPLACED BECAUSE IT FAILED. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED WHILE I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF AN EXPRESS WAY WITH FAST MOVING CARS. I BELIEVE THAT THIS POSE A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY RISK TO THE PASSENGERS BECAUSE THEY COULD GET RUN OVER BY OTHER CARS. THE CAR STALLS WITHOUT WARNING IT JUST STOPS. I'VE COMPLAINED TO BMW ABOUT THIS AND THEY PRETEND THAT THERE IS NO PROBLEM. THEY REPLACED THE FIRST FUEL PUMP THEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN AND THEIR SOLUTION IS TO REPLACE THE SAME PART AGAIN. THEY NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHY ITS FAILING IN THE FIRST PLACE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BMW 535I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. ALSO, THE CONTACT ADDED THAT THE BATTERY AND ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNCIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE TENSION AND ISLE PULLEY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE CRANK SHAFT BELT AND SEAL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 80,325.