2004 BMW 545I

LOW SPEED CRASH IN FEBUARY 2015 AIRBAG MALFUNCTION LIGHT CAME ON BUT DIDN'T DEPLOY. THIS ITEM HAD BEEN REPLACED DUE TO RECALL IN 2011 AND BMW SAID I HAD TO PAY FOR SEAT MAT THAT MALFUNCTIONED AND TO BE PUT IN. NO PASSENGER IN CAR DURING IMPACT I WAS ALONE. I DON'T FEEL THAT THIS SHOULD BE MY PROBLEM OR THAT I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR SAID PROBLEM. I BELIEVE THIS IS A FAULTY PART AND SHOULD BE COVERED BY BMW AND RECALL DIDN'T FIX PROBLEM.

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2004 BMW 545I. ON THE SECOND TIME HAVING A PASSENGER IN THE CAR, WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, I WAS ALERTED BY A CHIME AND MESSAGE THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG / SAFETY RESTRAINT SYSTEM HAD FAILED. ALSO NOTICED WAS THAT WHEN TURNING ON THE DRIVER'S SEAT HEATER, THE SEAT GOT VERY HOT IN ONE PARTICULAR SPOT- ON THE LEFT SIDE NEAR MY HIP (HOT ENOUGH THAT I RECEIVED A MINOR BURN ON MY LEG THROUGH A PAIR OF JEANS). I CONTACTED BMW CUSTOMER SERVICE ABOUT THE PROBLEM, AS I WAS MADE AWARE THAT THERE WERE RECALLS ON OTHER MODELS FOR THE SAME REASONS, AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WERE NO OPEN RECALLS FOR EITHER ISSUE ON MY MODEL. THE REPRESENTATIVE SIMPLY EXPLAINED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THAT FIXING THE ISSUES WOULD BE AT MY EXPENSE. I BELIEVE THAT THESE ARE VERY SERIOUS DEFECTS THAT COULD AFFECT MY SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF MY PASSENGERS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW 545I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER SEAT WARMER, OVERHEATED AND BURNED THE CONTACTS CLOTHING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE HEATED ELEMENT WAS FRACTURED CAUSING THE DRIVERS SEAT TO OVERHEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 76,000.

I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE THINKING THAT IT WOULD BE A SAFE CAR FOR MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS. THE TRANSMISSION SEEMS TO BE SLIPPING AND AN EXCESSIVELY HARSH 2-1 DOWNSHIFT OCCURS WHEN DECELERATING TO A STOP. ALSO, TRANSMISSION "BANGS" INTO GEAR WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A FULL OR A "ROLLING" STOP. THIS OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES ON A DAILY BASIS. ONE TIME IN SPECIFIC I WAS DRIVING WITH MY 4 YEAR OLD NIECE AND IT CAUSED HER TO BECOME ALARMED AS WELL AS INJURE HER NECK. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT CAN BE DONE, THE DEALERSHIP IS SAYING THAT THEY WILL CHARGE ME AN RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF MONEY TO UPGRADE THE SOFTWARE FOR THE TRANSMISSION. I STRONGLY FEEL THAT THIS SHOULD BE A "NO CHARGE" REPAIR OR FIX SEEING THAT NO CAR SHOULD BEHAVE IN THIS MANNER. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT CAN BE DONE, AS I AM NO LONGER DRIVING THE CAR AND TAKING THE BUS IN FEAR OF CAUSING ANY INJURY TO MY LOVED ONES. *TR

ODOMETER WAS ROLLED BACK TO 89,151. HTTP://SFBAY.CRAIGSLIST.ORG/SBY/CTO/4622086070.HTML SELLER'S AD: I HAVE THIS BM. IN GREAT SHAPE AND SUPER CLEAN IN AND OUT V8 89300 MILES ALL,POWER IN SIDE NAVIGATION ,CD STEREO SUNROOF LEATHER SEATS MORE INFO PLEASE CALL ME OR EMAIL ME THANKS. SE HABLA SPANOL[XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW 545I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH, THE BRAKES WERE DIFFICULT TO DEPRESS AND FAILED TO RESPOND. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WAS A MANUFACTURER'S RECALL ON THE BRAKE BOOSTER THAT HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 113,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW 545I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN BRAKING DISTANCE WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT BRAKE FLUID WAS LEAKING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE PUMP, BRAKE BOOSTER PUMP SEAL, AND THE OIL PRESSURE SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 121,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 122,000. UPDATED 11/20/14*LJ

MAIN PROBLEM: VEHICLE EXHIBITS HIGHLY UNSAFE TENDENCIES OF TURNING OFF RANDOMLY, LEAVING THE DRIVER WITH NO POWER, NO FUNCTIONING GAUGES, NO FUNCTIONING LIGHTS, AND MORE. CAUSE: FAULTY ALTERNATOR AND VOLTAGE REGULATOR. SCENARIO: ON 12/21/2012, A 2004 BMW 545I VEHICLE WITH APPROXIMATELY 29,000 MILES ON ITS ODOMETER IS TRAVELING ON A HIGHWAY DRIVING 70MPH, HIGHWAY IS FLAT AND SPEED IS CONSTANT WITH VERY LIGHT TRAFFIC. WITHOUT WARNING, CAR COMPLETELY TURNS OFF, ALL GAUGES (SPEED, TACHOMETER, AND FUEL) REVERT TO "0" POSITION, RADIO TURNS OFF, LIGHTS TURN OFF, CAR IMMEDIATELY SLOWS AND HAS NO PROPULSION POWER NOR SPEED CONTROL AT ALL. BRAKE PEDAL WAS NOT DEPRESSED, STEERING REVERTED TO A VERY FIRM FEELING. ABOUT 10 SECONDS OF COASTING LATER, THE VEHICLE'S ELECTRONICS RESUME OPERATION. MULTIPLE INCIDENTS WERE TO OCCUR BETWEEN 12/21/2012 AND 1/29/2013 TO VARYING DEGREES OF SEVERITY. ON 1/29/2013, THE VEHICLE FAILED IN A SIMILAR CAPACITY THREE TIMES ON A 21 MILE JOURNEY. ON 1/30/2013, VEHICLE FAILED TWICE. ON 1/31/2013, THE BMW 545I VEHICLE IS AT AN AUTHORIZED BMW DEALER. IT IS DETERMINED THE ALTERNATOR AND VOLTAGE REGULATOR ARE DEFECTIVE. ELECTRICAL POWER WAS NOT CONSISTENTLY BEING GENERATED NOR ALLOCATED TO VITAL VEHICLE COMPUTERS. THESE INTERRUPTIONS IN POWER SUPPLIES, WHICH LAST APPROXIMATELY 7-10 SECONDS, ARE REFERRED TO AS BROWN-OUTS AND THEY VARY IN DEGREE OF SEVERITY. THE MAJOR CASES INCAPACITATED THE ENTIRE VEHICLE, SHUTTING DOWN ALL GAUGES, LIGHTS, AND CRITICAL SAFETY SYSTEMS. ON 2/1/2013, THE BMW 545I WAS DELIVERED BACK TO THE OWNER WITH THE ALTERNATOR AND VOLTAGE REGULATOR REPLACED. THE MILEAGE OF THE VEHICLE AT THE TIME OF REPAIR WAS ONLY 33,426. NOTE: BMW DEALER NOTED THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM ON MANY OF THE 5-SERIES MODELS IN THE 2004 AND UP YEAR RANGE. *TR

CUSTOM ORDERED 545I IN 2004 AS STILL ORIGINAL/EXISTING OWNER. HAVE HAD REPEATED ELECTRICAL ERRORS ON I DRIVE "DYNAMIC DRIVE FAILURE PROCEED WITH CAUTION AS THE STEERING HAS BEEN EFFECTED AND SEE YOUR BMW AUTHORIZED REP," "ELECTRICAL FAILURE SEE YOUR BMW AUTHORIZED REP. IMMEDIATELY PROCEED WITH CAUTION, "PASSENGER RESTRAINT FAULT PROCEED WITH CAUTION EFFECTING BELT AND BELT FORCE LIMITER, STALLING AT VERY LOW AND AS HIGH RATES OF SPEED AS HIGH AS 70 MPH WITHOUT ANY WARNING." SOMETIMES THE CAR LOGS THE ERRORS AND MANY TIMES IT DOESN'T FULLY THAT IT TAKES BMW NA'S COMPUTER TO ACCESS THE EXTENDED RAM IN THE CAR TO RETRIEVE PER BMW NA THAT THE DEALERSHIPS CAN'T. I EVEN HAVE PICTURES OF THE ERRORS THE CAR DOESN'T LOG SO THEY CLAIM THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING. BMW ENGINEERS IN GERMANY HAVE BEEN INVOLVED AS THE CAR REFUSED TO REPROGRAM TWICE FOR THE DEALERSHIP. THIS CAR IS COMPLIANT W/ALL RECALLS PER THE DEALER AND HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP OVER 16 TIMES W/ONLY 70K MILES. THE DEALER AND BMW NA CAN'T DETERMINE THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE PROBLEMS EXCEPT TO SAY THEY THINK THEY'RE BEING TRIGGERED BY LOW VOLTAGE AND ITS HAD 3 BATTERIES AT LESS THAN 70K MILES, ISN'T DRIVEN MUCH, AND BMW NA NOR THE DEALERSHIP CAN PERMANENTLY RESOLVE THE ERRORS AND STALLING AND/OR STOP THEM. BMW NA AND THE DEALERSHIP HAVE REPLACED THE ENTIRE WIRING HARNESS AT 13K MILES, HAVE REFUSED TO TAKE THE CAR BACK AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS AFTER QUALIFYING AS A LEMON UNDER THE LEMON LAW SINCE BEFORE 10K MILES AND BEEN GIVEN MULTIPLE EXCUSES FOR ALL OF THE ERRORS THEY CAN'T RESOLVE. THEY KEEP TELLING US TO BRING IT BACK EVERY TIME, BUY AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AT $6K TO CONTINUALLY SERVICE ELECTRICAL AND STALLING/RUNNING ROUGH ISSUES THEY CAN'T FIX UNDER ORIGINAL FACTORY WARRANTY. THEY'RE NOT REPORTING SERVICE TRIPS TO CARFAX AND REFUSE TO RELEASE DOCUMENTATION ON THE CAR REGARDING THE PROBLEMS TO US OR OUR ATTORNEYS. *TR

BMW HAS REFUSED TO FIX THE ISSUE UNDER RECALL OF THE PASSENGER RESTRAINT DEALING WITH THE SEAT MAT/SENSOR THAT DEVELOPS CRACKS OVER TIME FROM REPEATED ENTRY AND EXIT OF THE VEHICLE. THIS ISSUE WAS A RECALL AND THIS CAR IS CLEARLY EFFECTED BY IT BUT BMW SAYS IT IS NOT. AS THE VEHICLE WAS JUST PURCHASED TO REPLACE ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT HAD ACTUALLY HAD AN ACCIDENT, THE SAFETY RELATED EQUIPMENT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. BMW ADMITS THERE IS A RECALL(ID# 76546) BUT CLAIMS THIS VEHICLE IS NOT COVERED. THIS COULD EFFECTIVELY END MY OWNERSHIP OF ANY BMW IF THIS ISSUE IS NOT FIX PROMPTLY. *TR