2007 BMW 550I

I HAVE JUST SUFFERED MY SEVENTH CRACKED WHEEL IN 13K MILES / 18 MONTHS! ACCORDING TO WHEEL WIZARD IN ATLANTA, THEY SEE AN INORDINATE NUMBER OF BMW 550I, M5S, 650I, M6, 750I CARS. THEY SUBCONTRACT FOR ALL THE MAJORS - PORSCHE, JAGUAR, BMW, FERRARI ETC. WHEEL WIZARD BELIEVES THAT THE BMWS (PARTICULARLY WITH RUN FLATS), CHOSE AN ALLOY FOR THE WHEEL THAT IS DEFECTIVELY SOFT OR AND PRONE TO CRACKING GIVEN THE WEIGHT, POWER AND SUSPENSIONS ON THESE CARS. I AGREE!! 7 TIMES IN 18 MONTHS. I WORK OUT OF MY HOUSE AND DO NOT DRIVE MY CAR HARD. OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS I'VE BEEN DRIVING, I'VE OWNED MERCEDES (CLK430), JAGUAR (XK8), TOYOTA, 3 FORD SUVS, AN INFINITI AND HAVE NEVER HAD A SINGLE CRACKED WHEEL OR RIM IN 30 YEARS! (IF IT WERE MY DRIVING - THERE WOULD BE AT LEAST ONE OTHER INSTANCE IN 30 YEARS). BUT NOT ONCE. NOW, SINCE NOVEMBER 2009, I'VE HAD 7 CRACKED OR BENT RIMS! THIS IS BEYOND STATISTICAL PROBABILITY OF JUST BAD LUCK. I HAVE HAD OTHER BMW DRIVERS TELL ME SIMILAR STORIES. A VERY GOOD FRIEND HAD A 650I THEN AN M6 - HE HAD BENT OR CRACKED RIM PROBLEMS ON HIS BMWS. A FRIEND HAS A 550I - HE HAS HAD BENT OR CRACKED RIMS IN THE FIRST 12 MONTHS. WHEEL WIZARD, WHEN I WAS IN LAST TIME, SAID THEY HAD SEEN 5 TO 7 5, 6 AND 7 SERIES IN THE PREVIOUS 5 DAYS. AND THEY SAID THAT BMW HAS AN UNUSUAL HIGH FREQUENCY OF BENT AND CRACKED RIMS ON THE 5, 6 AND 7 SERIES POST 2005 MODELS. TODAY, THE MANAGER SAID HE THOUGHT BMWS, PARTICULARLY THOSE WITH RUN FLAT TIRES, EXPERIENCE A MUCH GREATER THAN NORMAL BENT AND CRACKED RIM PROBLEM (SOMETHING THAT MAKES HIS BUSINESS MONEY - REPEAT PROBLEMS). I AM HOPING THE NTSB WILL OPEN UP AN OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION. BMW NATIONAL TRIED TO TELL ME THEY HAVE GOOD ENGINEERS. I RESPONDED, THAT'S WHAT TOYOTA SAID TOO WHEN THEY DENIED SAFETY PROBLEMS EVEN THOUGH WE NOW KNOW THEY WERE LYING. THAT'S WHAT FORD SAID WHEN PEOPLE WERE HAVING HIGH NUMBER OF ROLL OVER CRASHES IN THEIR SUVS. YOU CAN'T TRUST THESE CAR COMPANIES. PLEASE INVESTIGATE! *TR

WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON THE NYS THRUWAY, I HIT A VERY SMALL POTHOLE AND BOTH RIGHT SIDE TIRES RUPTURED AT THE TIRE BEAD. AT LEAST TWENTY OTHER CARS PASSED OVER THE SAME POTHOLE AND NO DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THEIR TIRES. THE TIRES PARTIALLY SEPARATED FROM THE RIMS MAKING DRIVING THE EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS. EVEN THOUGH THE CARS HAS RUN FLAT TIRES, THE TIRES SEPARATED SO FAR FROM THE BEAD IT MADE DRIVING THE CAR DANGEROUS. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME SMALL OBJECTS IN THE ROADWAY CAUSED THESE RUNFLAT TIRES TO RUPTURE DANGEROUSLY ON VERY SMALL POTHOLES. HAD I CONTINUED DRIVING ON THEM AS STATED BY BMW, THEY WOULD HAVE SEPARATED FROM THE RIMS AND CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. *TR

I THINK 2008 BMW 550I HAVE ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD RADIATION PROBLEM. I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING NUMBNESS IN FACE AND HEADACHE WHILE DRIVING IN THIS CAR. I DON'T KNOW HOW HIGH IN MG IT GETS UP TO. I DON'T HAVE INSTRUMENTS TO MEASURE EXACT LEVEL OF EMF TO VERIFY IF EXPOSURE LEVEL IS SAFE(I AM SURE IT'S NOT). COULD YOU VERIFY EMF LEVE IN THIS CAR AND WHAT SOLUTION DO YOU HAVE? *TR

I LEASED A BMW 328I ON 02/07/07. IT IS A BRAND NEW MODEL WITH A NEW ENGINE THAN BMW 325, ACCORDING TO THE SALESMAN. ON 02/16/07, WHILE I STOPPED THE VEHICLE AT THE RED LIGHT, I FOUND OUT THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START MOVING WHEN THE GREEN LIGHT WAS ON. THE CAR WAS STOPPED ON THE ROAD AND I HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON. LOTS OF CARS WERE BEHIND ME AND SPEEDING PAST MY CAR. I WAS VERY UPSET AND I GOT THE 800 TOLL FREE NUMBER FOR BMW'S FREE TOWING SERVICE FROM MY SALES PERSON VIA PHONE. THE FIRST LADY WHO ANSWERED THE PHONE TOLD ME TO CALL 911 AFTER A FIVE MINUTES TALKING TO ME WITH LOTS OF QUESTIONS. A NICE GENTLEMAN HELPED ME TO PUSH MY CAR TO A SAFETY STORES PARKING LOT. SO I CALLED 800 BMW TOW LINE NUMBER AGAIN. THE CAR WAS ACTUALLY TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP BY BMW 1-800 FREE TOW LINE AFTER A 3-HOUR'S WAITING TIME. THE SALESMAN HAD TO SEND HIS ASSISTANCE TO DELIVER ME ANOTHER USED CAR DUE TO I WAS IN A HURRY TO PICK UP MY SON FROM SCHOOL. I WAS THEN TOLD ON 02/17/07 FROM THE SALES PERSON THAT THE FUEL SENSOR IS A MANUFACTURE DEFECT. IT WILL STOP ITS SENSOR FUNCTION AT THE LAST QUARTER OF THE FUEL INDICATOR. SO I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE WITHOUT KNOWING THERE WAS NO MORE FUEL INSIDE THE CAR BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT STILL HAD A QUARTER FUEL IN THE TANK. I WAS SO SCARED TO HEAR IT AND I TOLD HIM THAT THIS FUEL SENSOR DEFECT MIGHT KILL MY LIFE IF I WAS DRIVING THE CAR ON THE FREEWAY AT THAT TIME WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY STOPPED. SO I REFUSED TO TAKE BACK THE VEHICLE AND REQUESTED FOR EXCHANGING FOR ANOTHER CAR. BUT BMW REJECTED MY REQUEST BECAUSE "IT'S JUST A MINOR PROBLEM AND THEY ALREADY FIXED IT, " ACCORDING TO THE SALES PERSON'S MESSAGE TO ME ON MY CELL PHONE LAST NIGHT. I DON'T WANT TO BE TESTED FOR BMW TO SEE IF THEY REALLY FIXED THE FUEL SENSOR PROBLEM. IT'S VERY RISKY TO USE MY LIFE TO TEST FOR BMW WHETHER NEW SENSOR PUT ON MY VEHICLE IS ANOTHER DEFECT OR NOT. NOW I WANT TO CANCEL MY LEASING AGREEMENT ASAP. I AM HOPING BMW TO RECALL ALL THE 328I. *JB

TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING ON10/26/06 IN HEAVY TRAFFIC DRIVING THE VEHICLE IN FRONT SUDDEN STOP AND HE HIT THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE AND THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE POLICE CAME OUT TO THE SCENE, BUT NO REPORT WAS TAKEN. THE POLICE STATED THAT THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO CONTACT'S VEHICLE OR TO THE VEHICLE THAT HE HIT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO ARMONK GARAGE AND THEN TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED. THE SERVICE MECHANIC STATED THE ONLY VISIBLE DAMAGE WAS THAT THE LICENSE PLATE HAD A SCRATCH. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT FOUND THAT THE AIRBAGS WENT OFF IMPROPERL,Y AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THEY WOULD GIVE HIM ANOTHER VEHICLE WITHOUT CHARGE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT 2 MONTHS LATER THE MANUFACTURER CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP AND INFORMED HIM THAT THEIR INVESTIGATION SHOWED THE AIRBAGS DID DEPLOY PROPERLY. THE CONTACT NOTIFIED THE INSURANCE COMPANY, AND THE INSURANCE COMPANY TOOK CARE OF THE CLAIM ON THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AS OF TODAY HE STILL HAS NOT RECEIVED ANOTHER VEHICLE. HE ONLY HAD POSSESSION OF THE VEHICLE FOR 1 WEEK AND THAT THE AIRBAGS SHOULD NOT HAVE DEPLOYED WITH SUCH A SMALL IMPACT.*AK

2007 550I BMW SEDAN JERKY TRANSMISSION***CC THE TRANSMISSION WOULD ACT ERRATIC AT ANYTIME. THE VEHICLE WOULD LURCH WHILE AT INTERSECTIONS AND STOP LIGHTS. THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED THE TURN SIGNAL INDICATORS WERE HIDDEN BY THE STEERING WHEEL. THE CONSUMER HAD TO LOOK DOWN TO SEE IF THEY WERE FLASHING. *JB THE CONSUMER BROUGHT THE PROBLEM TO THE ATTENTION OF THE DEALER WHO CLAIMED THAT THIS WAS THE WAY THE VEHICLE WAS DESIGNED. THE CONSUMER WAS SO DISAPPOINTED WITH THE WAY THE VEHICLE PERFORMED THAT HE TRADED IT IN AFTER 5 WEEKS AND 2800 MILES. *NM UPDATED *JB