2002 BMW X5

VEHICLE FIRE WAS PARKED FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS AND OWNER WENT TO CAR AND NOTICE THAT THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE HAD A PAST TENSE FIRE. THE AIRBAGS WERE DEPLOYED EXPECT FOR THE ONE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR. NO EXTERIOR DAMAGE NOTED TO THE VEHICLE OR IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE FIRE ORIGIN WAS ON THE PASSENGER SIDE DASHBOARD BEHIND THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT AND AIRBAG, PLEASE CONTACT SIOUX CITY FIRE RESCUE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

ONE DAY I GOT IN MY CAR TO GO OUT, WHEN I CLOSED THE DOOR THE LATCH WOULDN'T CATCH. I KEPT TRYING AND MY DOOR WOULD NOT CLOSE. AFTER WAITING A FEW HOURS I TRIED AGAIN THIS TIME STANDING OUTSIDE. THE DOOR DID CLOSE, BUT I COULD NOT GET IT BACK OPEN. THE NEXT DAY I WENT TO GET IN FROM THE OTHER SIDE AND I DID, BUT THIS DOOR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WOULD NOT CLOSE. I FINALLY DID GET IT CLOSE, BUT IT WOULD NOT OPEN. I HAD TO GET IN FROM THE BACK SEAT AND CRAWL OVER TO THE FRONT SO THAT I COULD TAKE IT IN TO THE DEALER. WHAT I WAS TOLD WAS THAT THE LATCH WAS PROBABLY FROZEN. SO DOES THIS MEAN YOU CAN ONLY DRIVE A BMW IN WARM WEATHER? HE ALSO SAID IT COULD BE A BUILDUP OF DIRT. SO I GUESS BOTH MY DOORS GOT A BUILDUP OF DIRT AT THE SAME TIME. SO HE SAID WE WOULD PROBABLY JUST REPLACE THE LATCH. THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVING THIS PROBLEM. WHY WON'T BMW TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND FIX THE PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEONE GET KILLED BECAUSE THEY CAN'T GET OF THEIR CAR.

WHAT WOMEN SHOULD KNOW WHAT ALL BMW X5 OWNERS SHOULD FEAR, AND WHY BMW SHOULD RECALL THEIR SUV. I AM A 36-YEAR-OLD WOMAN. I DRIVE A 2002 BMW X5. THEY CHOSE TO HIDE FROM CONSUMERS, THEIR PATHETIC CHOICE OF A SAFE LOCKING MECHANISM, AND A FAILURE OF AN ALARM SYSTEM. THE ONLY THING KEEPING A THIEF FROM GETTING INTO YOUR SUV, IS A LOCK THAT WEIGHS LESS THAN TWO QUARTERS. A THIEF NEEDS 5 SECONDS, A SCREWDRIVER, AND YOUR SUV IS THEIRS. NOT ONLY DOES THE SPLIT SECOND REMOVAL OF THIS LOCK ALLOW THEM INTO YOUR X5, BUT IT IMMEDIATELY SHUTS OFF THE SO-CALLED ALARM SYSTEM, UNLOCKS ALL YOUR DOORS, AND OPENS ALL YOUR WINDOWS, INCLUDING THE SUNROOF. ALL WITH JUST A FLICK OF THE WRIST. TO MAKE THE SITUATION WORSE; BMW IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM, CHOOSING TO DO NOTHING ABOUT IT. IN A LITTLE OVER A YEARS TIME, THEY HAVE BROKEN INTO MY X5 TWICE. THE FIRST ATTEMPT NEARLY COST ME MY LIFE. ONLY 2 DAYS AFTER RECEIVING MY VEHICLE, IT WAS BROKEN INTO. FORTUNATELY, I WAS MY OWN WITNESS. MY SUV, PARKED ONLY 20 FEET FROM THE STORE I WAS IN AT THE TIME, WAS BROKEN INTO IN LESS THAN 10 SECONDS. THEY POPPED THE LOCK OUT OF THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR, WHICH IN TURN DISABLED THE ALARM, THUS, NEVER GOING OFF, WAS IN MY DRIVER SIDE SEAT ATTEMPTING TO START MY VEHICLE. SEEING THE WHOLE THING, REALIZING WHAT WAS TAKING PLACE, I IMMEDIATELY RAN TO PROTECT WHAT WAS MINE. IT WAS 3PM, ON A HEAVILY POPULATED STREET. GOING ON INSTINCT, I RAN INTO THE MIDDLE OF A 2 WAY STREET. CARS SCREECHING TO A HALT; I SCREAMED FOR THE THIEF TO GET OUT OF MY VEHICLE. SCARRING HIM AS A RESULT OF MY INSANITY, HE SLIPPED OUT OF MY X5, INTO A WAITING CAR, WHICH ATTEMPTED TO RUN ME OVER AS THEY SPED AWAY. THE LUXURY STATUS OF THE X5, THE FACT THAT I AM A WOMEN, THE DOOR LOCK BEING A WELL-KNOWN DEFECT APPARENT TO THIEVES; ALL COMBINE TO MAKE ME FEEL AS IF A BIGGER TARGET HAS BEEN PUT ON MY BACK. THIS IS CERTAINLY NOT THE FEELING SOMEONE WHO PURCHASES A BMW X5 SHOULD EXPECT TO FEEL!