2001 BMW X5

PURCHASED NEW X5 IN SEPT. 2001 - AND THAT'S WHEN MY PROBLEMS BEGAN! LUCKILY THE CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY IN THE BEGINNING, OTHERWISE I WOULD HAVE PAID JUST AS MUCH IN REPAIRS AS I DID FOR THAT SO CALLED LUXURY VEHICLE OF MINE. (1) I IMMEDIATELY BEGAN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH CONDENSATION INSIDE THE FRONT HEADLAMPS WHICH TOOK DAYS TO CLEAR UP. DEALER DIDN'T KNOW WHY THIS HAPPENED. SEVERAL YEARS LATER AND I'M STILL EXPERIENCING THIS SAME PROBLEM. (2) ALL OF THE RUBBER TRIM AND MOLDING ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE (ESPECIALLY AROUND THE WINDOWS) HAS FADED AND BECOME DISCOLORED. (3) THE MOLDING AROUND THE DOOR FRAMES HAS DISINTEGRATED HORRIBLY AND STARTED TO COME OFF ($250 TO REPAIR). THE DEALER SAID THIS IS NORMAL. (4) WITHIN THE PAST THREE YEARS, I HAVE HAD THE DRIVERS SIDE WINDOW REGULATOR REPLACED THREE TIMES. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM W/BMWS. (5) I NOW MUST ROLL DOWN MY WINDOW AND OPEN MY DOOR FROM THE OUTSIDE BECAUSE THE DOOR HANDLE JAMS AND WON'T ALLOW ME TO OPEN DOOR FROM THE INSIDE. THIS HAS HAPPENED FOUR TIMES ALREADY, ($1,000 TO FIX). (6) BOTH FRONT HEADLIGHTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED TWICE ALREADY - AND OF COURSE THE DEALER RECOMMENDS REPLACING THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLY AT $200 A POP. (7) THE BOTH FRONT DOOR LOCK ACTUATORS ARE DEFECTIVE AND NEED TO BE REPLACED ($400 EACH). IT WILL NOT LOCK/UNLOCK THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR SO WE MUST DO SO MANUALLY. (8) THE REAR HATCH WOULD NOT OPEN PROPERLY. THE LATCH ASSEMBLY HAD TO BE REPLACED TWICE (THANKFULLY UNDER WARRANTY) BEFORE OUR PROBLEM WAS RESOLVED. (9) THE LEFT REAR TAIL LAMP ASSEMBLY IS NOW BEING REPLACED FOR THE THIRD TIME ($259) BECAUSE THE BULB CONTINUES TO GO OUT FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON. HAD I KNOWN THAT I WAS BUYING A "MONEY PIT" INSTEAD OF A LUXURY VEHICLE, I WOULD HAVE RUN AWAY FROM THE DEALERSHIP SCREAMING. I AM PREPARING TO SELL OR TRADE THIS HEADACHE FOR SOMETHING WITH FEWER PROBLEMS. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER BMW AGAIN! *NM

THE COOLING FAN BEGAN TURNING ON AND BLOW AT MAXIMUM POWER BY ITSELF. THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES. I WAS NOT UNTIL WE TALKED WITH A ANOTHER PERSON WHO ALSO EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM, THAT WE FOUND IT THERE WAS A RECALL BY BMW. WE TOOK OUR VEHICLE TO THE DEALER (IN BUENA PARK,CA) AND WAS TOLD THAT WE HAD TO PAY FOR REPAIRS BECAUSE WE WAITED TO LONG TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN! REMEMBER - NEITHER SAVAGE BMW NOR BMW NORTH AMERICA NOTIFIED US ABOUT THE DEFECT! SO WE HAD TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS OUT OF POCKET AND THE DEALER REFUSED TO REIMBURSE US. *NM

MY 2001 BMW X5 DOOR LOCKS GET STUCK WHEN IT IS VERY COLD, USUALLY BELOW 15 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. THE KEY REMOTE DOES NOT WORK & IF I CAN GET THE KEY TO MANUALLY UNLOCK THE DOOR, AND GET INTO THE VEHICLE, WHEN I GO TO SHUT THE DOOR THE LATCH IS STUCK "OPEN" AND WILL NOT CLOSE, THEREFORE MAKING THE CAR UN-DRIVABLE BECAUSE THE DOOR WILL NOT LATCH CLOSE. I HAVE DISCUSSED THIS W/ BMW ON 8/16/05 & THEY REVIEWED IT. A BMW DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE SAID THAT THEY HAVE NOTICED THAT THE CURRENT "LATCHING/LOCKING" SYSTEM CAN ALLOW MOISTURE TO GET INTO THE LOCKS & MAKE THEM UNUSABLE. THEY OFFERED TO REPLACE ALL 4 LOCKING MECHANISMS BUT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY 1/2 PART & LABOR, COST TO ME $450.00 OUT OF POCKET. THIS SOUNDS LIKE AN ENGINEERING PROBLEM THAT BMW SHOULD RECALL. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THIS INVESTIGATED. *NM

1. HAD CAR SERVICED AT 60,000 MILES, ONLY 3 WEEKS LATER THE GREEN DASHES STARTED APPEARING AGAIN AND STAYING ON, AS IF I NEEDED TO HAVE CAR SERVICED. CALLED DEALER AND THEY SAID NOT TO WORRY, THIS HAS BEEN KNOW TO HAPPEN, JUST IGNORE IT. 2. VERY LOUD NOISE FROM SUN ROOF (CLOSED) WHILE TRAVELING ON FREEWAY AND LEAKS DURING CAR WASHES? DEALER SAID THEY CAN REPLACE THE SEAL AND THIS SHOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. 3. BRAKE LIGHT INDICATOR ON DASH COMES ON AND OFF, AS IF BULB IS OUT, BUT JUST REPLACED BULB, THEN REPLACED AGAIN, SOMETIMES THIS BRAKE LIGHT WORKS AND SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T. 4. WINDOW ON FRONT PASSENGER WINDOW WOULD NOT GO BACK UP AFTER OPENED, THEN A DAY LATER, THE DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN OR CLOSE. DEALER REPLACED THE WINDOW MECHANISM THAT CONTROLS BOTH THE DOOR HANDLE AND THE WINDOW AT MY COST MIND YOU THE REAR WINDOW AND DOOR HAD BEEN DONE ONLY A YEAR BEFORE. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THIS HAPPENS ON ALL GERMAN CARS, DOESN'T MATTER THE AGE OF CAR OR MAKE. HOW FRUSTRATING - SPEND $45,000 AND KNOW WINDOWS WILL EVENTUALLY QUIT WORKING?? 5. FRONT RIGHT HEADLAMP GETS MOISTURE IN IT AND IT TAKES 3-5 DAYS TO CLEAR UP. 6. DRIVER CUP HOLDERS, WHAT IS UP WITH THAT - CAN ONLY PUT ONE CUP IN IT, WHEN TRY TO PUT 2 IN, THEY OVERLAP, VERY FRUSTRATING WHEN DRIVING. 7. STORAGE IN FRONT MINIMAL AND A HASSLE, YOU HAVE TO REACH BACK AND SORT OF BEHIND YOU TO GET INTO COMPARTMENT - DANGEROUS WHILE DRIVING. 8. LEATHER SEATS ARE VERY HARD, NEED A PLUSHIER LEATHER. 9. WHEELS, BRAKE "DUST" GETS ALL OVER THE WHEELS MUCH MUCH MORE THAN ANY OTHER LUXURY CAR I HAVE EVER HAD. 10. CARGO COVER IN REAR NEEDS WORK, CHECK OUT THE ONE LEXUS USES IN RX30. 11. NEED MORE CARGO SPACE - COMPARED TO RX330 AND THE VOLVO X90, SPACE IS EXTREMELY SMALL. 12. DISAPPOINTED IN MY CAR - WANT TO SELL IT, WILL NOT BUY ANOTHER BMW. *NM

DT: CONTACT STATD BMW X5 2001 CAUGHT ON FIRE ON JULY 21, 2005. THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE WAS AT HOT, THE CAR STARTED TO LOSE POWER, THE TACHOMETER WAS OVER 4 AND WHITE SMOKE STARTED TO COME OUT OF THE ENGINE AREA WHILE HE WAS DRIVING THE CAR ON THE HIGHWAY GOING APPROX. 30 MPH. AS THE SMOKE GOT WORSE, HE PULLED OFF AND THE SMOKE BECAME VERY WHITE AND DENSE AND THEN IGNITED INTO A FIRE. THE FIRE DEPT. DID COME OUT. THE FIRE DID ORIGINATE FROM UNDER THE HOOD. PRIOR TO THIS HE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR HEATING UP. THE CAR WAS TOTALED. *AK

AFTER EXPERIENCING PREVIOUS HESITATION WHEN ACCELERATING AND AFTER DEALER INSPECTION, NO FAULTS WERE FOUND AND NO CORRECTIVE ACTION WAS TAKEN BY THE BMW DEALER. WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGH SPEED EXPRESSWAY, THE X5 SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING SHUT DOWN ALL SYSTEMS AND ALL WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. AFTER FINALLY GETTING OFF THE ROAD, THE CAR WAS TOWED TO MY HOME. THE NEXT DAY, THE CAR WAS ABLE TO START AND, ALTHOUGH THE CAR WAS NOT ABLE TO GO OVER 30 MPH, I DROVE TO MY BMW DEALER. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM QUICKLY AND INFORMED ME THAT A SERVICE BULLETIN WAS ISSUED IN AUGUST, 2003 ON THIS PROBLEM. THE ENTIRE WIRING HARNESS AND THROTTLE HAD TO BE REPLACED AND BECAUSE THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, BMW ASSUMED NONE OF THE COST WHICH WAS ABOUT $1,200.00. I BELIEVE THAT OWNERS SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED OF THIS PROBLEM WHEN IT WAS RECOGNIZED BY BMW. THE SERVICE BULLETIN STATED THAT THE PROBLEM SHOULD ONLY BE CORRECTED "UPON A CUSTOMER'S COMPLAINT" WHICH I BELIEVE IS TOTALLY IRRESPONSIBLE AND JEOPARDIZES THE SAFETY OF OCCUPANTS.

WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 80 MPH STEERING GEAR BROKE. THIS HAPPENED WITH NO WARNING. VEHICLE LOST STEERING CONTROL. OWNER HAD THE BMW ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE TOW THE VEHICLE TO THE BMW DEALERSHIP. THIS IS WHEN THE OWNER WAS INFORMED AS TO WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO THE VEHICLE. OWNER WAS TOLD BY THE MANUFACTURER THAT AN ENGINEERING TEAM WOULD BE OUT TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE. AS OF TODAY THAT NEVER HAPPENED. *AK