2011 BMW 550I

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW 550I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER AND STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER (GLOBAL IMPORTS BMW, 500 INTERSTATE N PKWY, ATLANTA, GA 30339, (800) 294-1853) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN WAS FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER INDICATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL TO PROVIDE A SOLUTION. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

THE 2011 BMW 550I HAD JUST RECENTLY BEEN PARKED AND TURNED OFF. AFTER NO MORE THAN 10 MINUTES AFTER IT WAS PARKED, IT BURST INTO FLAMES COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. THEN VERY QUICKLY SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CAR. THE CAR WAS PARKED IN AN ATTACHED GARAGE THUS NOT ONLY COMPLETELY BURNING THE CAR TO THE GROUND BUT ALSO PARTIALLY BURNING THE HOME DOWN AS WELL. RESULTING IN OVER $250,000 IN DAMAGE. THIS VEHICLE HAD ONE OF THE N63 ENGINES IN IT WHICH BMW HAD THREE VOLUNTEER RECALLS TO "CORRECT" THE FUEL INJECTOR ISSUE. 5 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE FIRE, A CERTIFIED BMW DEALERSHIP EXECUTED THE THIRD ATTEMPT AT THIS RECALL. THIS BMW WAS ALSO UNDER A FULL COVERAGE MAINTENANCE WARRANTY, THUS IT HAD ONLY BEEN TO CERTIFIED BMW SERVICE CENTERS. DURING THE LAST RECALL UNDER CAMPAIGN 0013480200 SIB 11 16 14 IN CONJUNCTION WITH SIB 11 06 14 AND 61 30 14, THE OIL LIFE MILEAGE WAS REDUCED FROM 15,000 MILES TO 10,000 MILES WITH THE BMW SERVICE CENTER EXPLAINING THAT WAS PART OF THE CAMPAIGN BMW NA REQUESTED TO SERVICE THE VEHICLES MORE FREQUENTLY. WHEN I ASKED THE BMW REPRESENTATIVE ABOUT THIS SPECIFICALLY AT THE FIRE INVESTIGATION HE SAID IT WAS DUE TO "EPA REQUIREMENTS". HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE KNOWN ENGINE ISSUES THAT BMW HAS BEEN ATTEMPTING TO ADDRESS SINCE 2013.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW 550I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE OIL WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED EVERY TWO WEEKS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS REPAIRED. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSIS WAS NOT PROVIDED. AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, THE FAILURE STILL RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 40,000.

I AM CURRENTLY HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY VEHICLE AND THE LOCAL AUTHORIZED DEALER/SERVICE CENTER, I BELIEVE THEY HAVE BEEN NEGLIGENT WITH THEIR ACTIONS TO MULTIPLE PROBLEMS THAT HAVE OCCURRED, INCLUDING THE REPAIR AND INSPECTION PERTAINING TO A RECALL OF THE N63 ENGINE VEHICLES. THE VEHICLE HAS HAD MULTIPLE ISSUES IN THE PAST, INCLUDING SEVERAL "DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTIONS" FOR WHICH I BELIEVE HAVE THE DATES AND SERVICE RECORDS THEY RELATE FUEL INJECTORS, BATTERY, PUMPS, ECT.. SINCE JANUARY 2015 I HAVE CONTACTED THE SERVICE CENTER, AUTOGERMANA BMW OF PUERTO RICO, TO REQUEST AN INSPECTION AND REPAIR OF THE VEHICLE DUE TO RECURRENT ISSUES AND CONCERNS, THE REPRESENTATIVE INITIALLY TOLD ME THAT THE DEALER HAD RECEIVED NO INFORMATION ABOUT THE "RECALL" OR SERVICE BULLETIN "B001314". IN MARCH THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED AGAIN AND THE "RECALL" WAS INCLUDED IN THE SERVICE ORDER BUT THEY ALLEGED THAT THEY DID'T HAVE THE PARTS AVAILABLE AND THAT THEY WOULD CONTACT ME AS SOON AS THEY BECAME AVAILABLE. THE REPRESENTATIVE EVEN RECOMMENDED AGAINST EXTENDING THE VEHICLE WARRANTY FOR REPAIRS UNTIL THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AND/OR INSPECTED AS IT RELATED TO THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE IS NOW PAST THE 50K MILE WARRANTY AND THE ISSUES HAVE NOT BEEN RESOLVED, AND AGAIN IT IS AT THEIR SERVICE CENTER BECAUSE OF A NEW "DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION". THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE CALLED ME AND TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD AGAIN INSPECT THE VEHICLE TO DETERMINE IF THE MALFUNCTION HAD ANY RELATION TO THE PREVIOUS ISSUES AND /OR THE RECALL, IF IT HAS NO RELATION THEY WOULD HAVE TO BE REPAIRED WITHOUT THE WARRANTY COVERAGE. I BELIEVE THIS TO BE SYSTEMATIC NEGLIGENCE OR QUITE POSSIBLY INTENTIONAL IRRESPONSIBILITY. AT THIS POINT LEGAL ACTION IS THE NEXT LOGICAL STEP. I APPEAL TO THE NHTSA FOR RESPONSIBLE ASSISTANCE WITH THESE SERVICE ISSUES AND A RESOLUTION OF THE PROBLEMS.

I BOUGHT THE CAR ON MAY 6, 2015 WITH ABOUT 53K MILES ON IT. DROVE IT FOR ONLY ABOUT 45 DAYS AND WHILE DRIVING THE CAR THE DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION AND OTHER LIGHTS CAME ON AND THE CAR LOST POWER AND STOPPED IMMEDIATELY. AT FIRST, I THOUGHT IT WAS THE BATTERY AND HAD THE CAR JUMPED BUT THAT DIDN'T WORK. THE CARE ENGINE WAS TOTALLY DEAD, NO SOUND NO ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE ENGINE LIGHT THAT POPPED ON BEFORE IT STOPPED. I HAD PURCHASED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FROM GWC AT THE PURCHASE OF THE CAR SO INFORMED THEM. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A PLACE (LMC AUTO IN NORCROSS GEORGIA) THAT GWC WAS WILLING TO PAY FOR REPAIRS. LMC SAID THE ENGINE WAS LOCKED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. GWC REFUSED TO REPLACE THE ENGINE BECAUSE OF THE EXPENSE AND INSTEAD HAD LMC AUTO REPAIR THE ENGINE. NEEDLESS TO SAY, LMC IS STILL REPAIRING THE ENGINE ALMOST 5MONTHS LATER. I HAD CALLED GOVERNOR'S OFFICE OF CONSUMER PROTECTION, [XXX], ETC.. TRYING TO GET HELP WITH GETTING THE CAR FIXED. WHEN I TALKED TO BMW OF NORTH AMERICA THEY SAID THEY WARRANTY IS UP AT 50K MILES SO THEY CANNOT COMMIT TO DO ANYTHING. I AM AT MY WITS END AND THE CAR STILL DOES NOT SEEM TO BE ANY CLOSER TO GETTING FIXED. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE ENTIRE CAR STARTED SHAKING. I GET MULTIPLE ENGINE MALFUNCTION LIGHTS AND THEN GET A "REDUCED POWER" ALERT ON MY DASHBOARD. THE CAR GOES INTO "LIMP-MODE", WHICH MEANS IT'S INCAPABLE OF GOING PAST 40-45 MPH AND GOING ANYTHING ABOVE 25 RESULTS IN VIOLENT SHAKING OF THE CAR. ALSO AT RED LIGHTS, THE ENTIRE CAR VIBRATES. THE FAULT WAS DETERMINED TO BE THE FUEL INJECTORS IN THE ENGINE, HOWEVER I ALREADY KNEW THAT BY SIMPLY LOOKING UP THE SYMPTOMS. THOUSANDS OF BMW 5-SERIES MADE BETWEEN 2011-2012 HAVE THIS ISSUE, YET BMW IS NOT RECALLING THEM, BUT RATHER FIXING THEM ON A ONE-BY-ONE BASIS. IF SOMEONE IS OUT OF WARRANTY, LIKE ME, THEY ARE THEN CHARGING NEARLY $6,000 FOR A FAULT THAT AFFECTS OVER 50% OF 2011 BMW 550I'S MADE! BMW FORUMS EVERYWHERE TALK ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND AS CARS MADE IN 2011 START RUNNING OUT OF THEIR WARRANTY IN LATE 2014, EARLY 2015, MORE AND MORE OF THEM WILL START SHOWING SYMPTOMS AND CONSUMERS WILL BE FORCED TO SHELL OUT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR A FIX BMW SHOULD HAVE ADDRESSED IN A MANDATORY RECALL. *TR