2008 BMW X5

THE FIRST OCCURRENCE WAS NOVEMBER 15 2015. THE SHUT DOWN HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. AFTER SITTING 24 HOURS, THE VEHICLE REBOOTS AND WILL START - IT IS THEN GOOD FOR 7 DAYS UNTIL IT HAPPENS AGAIN. SEVERAL REPAIR SHOPS HAVE DIAGNOSED, BUT CANNOT IDENTIFY/DUPLICATE PROBLEM. BATTERY REPLACED, BUT DID NOT REMEDY ISSUE. FIRST OCCURRENCE, VEHICLE WAS AT COMPLETE STOP - VARIOUS MESSAGES ON NAV SCREEN (WARNINGS: TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION, WARNED IF VEHICLE IS TURNED OFF, WILL NOT START AGAIN); ON DASH ALL LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED. TURNED VEHICLE OFF, DID NOT START AGAIN, AS NOTED ON NAV SCREEN. NEXT DAY, STARTED WITH NO PROBLEM. TOWED TO SHOP, BUT COULD NOT DUPLICATE. DROVE ONE WEEK, THEN PARK BRAKE CAME ON. NEXT DAY, SAME ALERTS-THIS TIME WHILE DRIVING. DID NOT RESTART AFTER TURNING OFF. WAS ABLE TO START AFTER 24 HOURS, BUT COULD ONLY DRIVE A FEW FEET BEFORE TOTALLY SHUTTING DOWN IN MIDDLE OF THE STREET WHILE MAKE A U TURN. TOWED TO SHOP THAT NIGHT. NEXT MORNING, SHOP COULD NOT DUPLICATE, AS VEHICLE RAN SMOOTHLY. FOLLOWING WEEK, RETURNED TO SHOP FOR FURTHER TESTING. BATTERY REPLACED AND REGISTERED. WHEN PICKING UP VEHICLE, NOTICED NAV SCREEN WAS BLACK, WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE. 4 DAYS LATER, IT CAME ON, BUT WENT OUT AGAIN THE FOLLOWING DAY. THE NEXT DAY, ENGINE SHUT DOWN ON INTERSTATE. WHILE WAITING FOR TOW, WIPERS CAME ON, DOOR LOCKS AND WINDOWS WOULD NOT WORK. COULD NOT ROLL DOWN WINDOW OR OPEN DOOR TO TALK TO SAFETY PATROL. PATROL JUMP STARTED VEHICLE. IT WAS LATER TOWED TO DEALER (WHERE PURCHASED). NAV SCREEN IS STILL BLACK, DVD AND CD DO NOT WORK (CD CHANGER SPITS OUT CDS). SHIFTS VERY HARD BETWEEN GEARS. I AM VERY AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE, AS IT CUTS OFF INTERMITTENTLY AND WITHOUT NOTICE. HOWEVER, I HAVE NO CHOICE, AS I RECENTLY PURCHASED IT IN AUGUST 2015; AND I HAVE TOO MUCH NEGATIVE EQUITY TO TRADE IT FOR ANOTHER VEHICLE.

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

WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 95 IN PHILADELPHIA PENNSYLVANIA JUST NORTH OF THE AIRPORT MY VEHICLE SIMPLY SHUT OFF IN POST GAME RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING AND THE POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES FAILED. IT WAS NOTHING SHORT OF A MIRACLE THAT ME AND MY SON WERE NOT HARMED AND THAT WE WERE ABLE TO MUSCLE TO CAR OFF THE ROAD. THIS CAR HAD 66,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER AND ACCORDING TO BMW, AFTER MY CALL, WAS NOT PART OF THE 2008 X5'S VOLUNTARY RECALL FOR THIS MODEL YEAR WITH NORMALLY ASPIRATED IN-LINE 6 CYLINDER ENGINES TO REPLACE THE LOW- PRESSURE FUEL PUMPS. INTERESTINGLY, IN THE BMW PRESS RELEASE DATED OCTOBER 26, 2010 - 1130 AM EDT THEY STATED THAT THEY HAD NOTIFIED THE NTSBA THAT THESE PUMPS FAIL ON MY MAKE AND MODEL OF WHICH THEY RECALLED 20,800 CARS, THE ENGINE WILL STOP RUNNING AND THE DRIVER WILL LOSE POWER ASSIST FOR THE STEERING AND BRAKES. WOW, AT 50 MPH ON A SUPER HIGHWAY THAT WAS A NIGHTMARE AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. *TR

THE 2008 X5 3.0L STARTED TO SOUND LIKE A JET ENGINE WITH THE SUPER LOUD FAN NOISE. I THOUGHT THE CAR WAS GOING TO BLOW UP. TOOK THE CAR IN FOR REPAIR, AND LUCKILY THE ENGINE HADN'T OVERHEATED YET. THEY FOUND THAT THE WATER PUMP WAS FAULTY, WHICH CAUSED THE WIRING TO BURN OUT, AND OBSERVED OIL LEAKAGE NEAR ENGINE. IF I HAD DRIVEN THE CAR ANY MORE, IT WOULD HAVE CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE OF THE VEHICLE. BMW SERVICE CENTER TOLD ME THAT I HAVE TO REPLACE THE WATER PUMP, THERMOSTAT, AND OTHER PARTS INCLUDING GASKET SOMETHING. THANK YOU. *TR

THE X5 DISPLAYED A DIGITAL MESSAGE ON THE DASH FRONT PANEL STATING: "LEFT BRAKE LIGHT MALFUNCTION". I REMOVED THE PANEL WHERE THE BACK TAIL LIGHTS ARE LOCATED AND FOUND THAT THE DRIVER'S BRAKE LIGHT PLASTIC CARRIER, WHERE THE BULB SITS, WAS BURNT BROWN, MELTED AND CRACKED OPEN. I THEN PROCEEDED TO CHECK THE PASSENGER SIDE AND TO MY SURPRISE, I FOUND THAT THE SAME EXACT CIRCUMSTANCE HAD HAPPENED. I BELIEVE THE BULB IS TOO HOT AND TOO CLOSE TO THE PLASTIC CARRIER, CAUSING THE MELTING. IN MY OPINION, ON TOP OF MAYBE CAUSING AN ACCIDENT DUE THE MALFUNCTION OF THE BRAKE LIGHTS, IT IS AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE, THAT IN THE WORST CASE SCENARIO CAN CAUSE A FIRE. I BELIEVE THIS MATTER SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED BY THE AGENCY. I CALLED BMW AG, MANUFACTURERS AND THEY REPLIED THAT THEY DON'T HAVE A RECALL FOR THIS VEHICLE WITH THIS SPECIFIC PROBLEM. I OWE A 528I, 2010 AS WELL, AND I RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER LAST WEEK TO TAKE IT BACK FOR, AS THEY STATED > THIS RECALL INVOLVES THE BULB CARRIER ("BULB HOLDER") WITHIN THE REAR LAMP. WITHIN THE BULB CARRIER, THE ELECTRICAL CONTACTS MAY BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO CORROSION DUE TO AGING AND ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES. I TOOK THE 528I TO THE DEALERSHIP TODAY AND BOTH TAIL LIGHTS BULB CARRIERS WERE REPLACED, DUE TO THE RECALL NOTICE I RECEIVED, SO IT WAS FIXED TO STANDARDS. I TOOK 8 VERY CLEAR PICTURES OF THE MELTED PLASTIC BULB CARRIER OF THE X5, 2008, I CAN SEND YOU IF NEEDED, TO BACK UP MY COMPLAINT. THANKS FOR THE KIND ATTENTION YOU GIVE TO THIS MATTER AND HOPING TO HEAR FROM YOU IN A VERY NEAR FUTURE, I REMAIN, V/R, BMW X5, 2008, OWNER. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 65MPH SUDDENLY THE VEHICLE DISPLAY THE MESSAGE THAT THE ENGINE TEMPERATURE WAS TOO HOT AND ADVISE ME TO PULL OVER. WITHIN 2 SECONDS, THE CAR SLOW ITSELF DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC DESPITE MY FOOT WAS PRESSING ON THE GAS PEDAL. I HAD TO IMMEDIATELY PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER TO GET OUT OF TRAFFIC. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE BMW AND IT TURN OUT THE WATER PUMP HAD STOP PUMPING WATER TO THE ENGINE, CAUSING IT TO OVERHEAT. BMW CHARGED ME $1200 TO FIX IT BIT I FEEL LIKE THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE SINCE A QUICK INTERNET SEARCH REVEAL NUMEROUS PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM AS MINE. I ALSO FOUND OUT THAT BMW DID ISSUE A RECALL FOR THE SAME YEAR AND MODEL AS MINE BUT ONLY ON THE LESS POPULAR, BIGGER ENGINE VERSION. *TR