2020 BMW 750I

Took my 2020 BMW 7 Series into BMW San Diego because there was fluid leaking. Upon diagnosis at the dealership, I was notified I needed to replace the front differential as it was coming apart. The leaking fluid was identified as differential fluid. The vehicle has 54,308 miles on it. My research indicates front differentials should not need replacement until nearly 150,000 miles. A broken front differential is considered to be very bad and makes a car unsafe to drive as it causes severe handling issues, loss of control and potential damage to the transmission. A broken differential can cause the vehicle to lock up or lose steering control. Me and my family have been at risk as it is unclear how long this issue has been happening. The problem has been confirmed by BMW San Diego. The cost to replace was quoted as about $10,251. There are no warning lamps, and there are no messages indicating there is a problem with the vehicle. Not sure when the issue started. Apparently, due to my research I’ve learning many 2020 BMW’s seem to need to have the front differential replaced with mileage between 38,000 and 55,000.

On [XXX], while driving on a busy boulevard in Wilmington, Delaware, my 2020 BMW 750i suddenly lost all power (engine and electrical) without any warning. The vehicle completely shut down in traffic, creating an extremely dangerous situation. There were no warning lights or messages before the failure. I called BMW Roadside Assistance for help but was informed that because my warranty had just expired, they canceled the tow truck that was already en route and turned it away. This left me stranded in a live traffic lane until I could arrange my own tow service from Geico. I called Wilmington Police for assistance and eventually had to run a couple of blocks to flag down a police vehicle that arrived and dropped several flares behind my vehicle. The vehicle was later inspected at Union Park BMW (Wilmington, DE), where the technician stated that the failure was due to a defective cell in the main battery. This experience has made me very nervous to drive the car again, as a total loss of power without warning could lead to a collision or injury. I believe this represents a serious safety defect in the vehicle’s electrical or battery system and should be investigated. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2020 BMW 750I. The contact stated that while driving in a parking lot at slow speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the expansion tank had cracked and leaked on the fuel rail and the injector had failed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and covered the injector repair and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.