2006 BMW 3 Series

2006 BMW 330XI WIPER FAILURE. WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 80 DURING SEVERE THUNDERSTORM, THE WIPERS STOPPED WORKING AND FAILED IN FIXED POSITION. HAD TO PULL OVER CAR...SHUT DOWN AND RESTARTED AND THEY WORKED AGAIN, BUT INTERMITTENT FEATURE FAILED. WIPERS WOULD NOT RESPOND BEFORE CAR SHUTDOWN/RESTART. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A DISASTER. *TR

PASSENGER OCCUPANCY SENSOR MALFUNCTION THAT DISABLES THE AIRBAGS IN 2006 E90 BMW 3 SERIES SEDAN. THIS MALFUNCTIONING SENSOR COULD CAUSE GRAVE BODILY INJURY OR DEATH. BMW RECALLED PREVIOUS YEARS SENSORS BUT HAS NOT FIXED THE ISSUE IN LATER MODELS. SOME PEOPLE ARE BYPASSING THE SENSOR IN THERE VEHICLES AND ARE PLACING UNKNOWING SUBSEQUENT OWNERS CHILDREN AT RISK OF AIRBAG INJURY. BMW FORUMS ALL HAVE MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAFETY CONCERNS NHTSA SHOULD INVESTIGATE AND FORCE A RECALL OF THE PASSENGER OCCUPANCY SENSOR AS IT DID IN SOME EARLIER 2006 BMWS WITH THE SAME ISSUE. *TR

BMW DOOR LOCKS RANDOMLY AND AUTOMATICALLY ENGAGED. THIS IS ONE WEEK AFTER A SERVICE PERFORMED AT THE DEALER FOR AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE. LOCKS WOULD NOT DISENGAGE EXCEPT MANUALLY WITH EMERGENCY KEY (FROM OUTSIDE). DRIVER'S DOOR IS THE ONLY DOOR THAT WILL OPEN - OTHERS ARE INOPERABLE. FUEL FILLER CAP WILL ALSO NOT OPEN. HAVE RESEARCHED AND FOUND THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. THIS SHOULD BE RESEARCHED BY BMW AND REMEDIED AT NO COST TO THE CONSUMER - THIS IS DEFINITELY AN INCONVENIENCE AND COULD BE DANGEROUS OR POTENTIALLY FATAL. *TR

FAILURE OF DOOR LOCK ACTUATORS IN 2006 BMW 330I. INSIDE LOCK/UNLOCK BUTTON WOULD NOT FUNCTION, REMOTE KEYLESS ENTRY WOULD NOT UNLOCK ANY DOORS, KEY WOULD UNLOCK DRIVER FRONT DOOR, GAS DOOR COULD NOT OPEN, NO WAY TO UNLOCK/OPEN PASSENGER FRONT/REAR OR DRIVER REAR DOORS EVEN USING INSIDE HANDLES. CHILDREN WERE IN THE CAR AND HAD TO EXIT EITHER THROUGH THE DRIVER FRONT DOOR OR THROUGH AN OPEN WINDOW. SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE PREVENTING OR DELAYING EGRESS OF PASSENGERS. *TR

2006 BMW 328I REPEATEDLY HESITATES WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS PRESSED. THE CAR HAS BEEN RETURNED TO THE DEALER ON 5 DIFFERENT INSTANCES TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. TO DATE BMW CLAIMS IN "CANNOT REPLICATE CUSTOMERS PROBLEM". IN ONE INSTANCE VEHICLE ACTUALLY STALLED WHEN AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO PULL INTO TRAFFIC. APPEARS TO BE A FREQUENT PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL AS IT WAS ADDRESSED IN A CAR AND DRIVER TEST DRIVE ARTICLE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 330XI. WHILE DRIVING 24 MPH THERE WAS A CLANKING NOISE AND THE ALUMINUM BOLT THAT WAS HOLDING THE CYLINDER HEAD IN PLACE BROKE. THE FAILURE CAUSED THE CYLINDER HEAD TO CRACK THE CYLINDER HEAD AND CAUSED A MASSIVE OIL LEAK INTO THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THEY REPLACED THE ALUMINUM BOLT. THE DEALER REPLACED ONE DEFECTIVE PART WITH ANOTHER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE 25,774. THE CONSUMER STATED THE REPAIRS WERE ALMOST $4,000 AND IT TOOK MORE THAN A WEEK TO COMPLETE THE REPAIRS. UPDATED 03/12/10 UPDATED 03/30/10 *BF UPDATED 07/26/10.*JB

WHILE DRIVING AT FREEWAY SPEED DURING A TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS CEASED TO OPERATE. THIS CAUSED AN IMMEDIATE DANGEROUS SITUATION, WHEREIN VISIBILITY WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD. NOT ONLY WAS THERE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WATER BLOCKING MY VIEW, BUT THE WIPERS THEMSELVES HAD STOPPED IN A SLIGHTLY VERTICAL POSITION, ALSO BLOCKING MY VIEW. THIS SITUATION CONTINUED FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES, AS WE CAREFULLY AND CAUTIOUSLY ATTEMPTED TO GET OFF OF THE FREEWAY AND AWAY FROM OTHER TRAFFIC. AFTER SITTING AT REST IN THE CAR, ENGINE RUNNING, FOR UP TO 15 MINUTES, THE WIPERS FINALLY CAME BACK ON AGAIN. I HAD TRIED TO MANUALLY ENGAGE THE WIPERS BY ACTIVATING THE CONTROL STALK, WITH NO EFFECT. I ALSO TRIED TURNING OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTARTING, WITH NO EFFECT. I SCHEDULED AN EMERGENCY APPOINTMENT AT THE BMW DEALER THE NEXT DAY. THEY PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC, CONFIRMING THAT THERE HAD BEEN A FAULT IN THE ELECTRICAL CONTROL SYSTEM FOR THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS. THE ELECTRICAL CONTROL UNIT WAS REPLACED. THEY ALSO REPLACED THE MECHANICAL LINKAGE FROM THE MOTOR TO THE WIPERS, EVEN THOUGH THE DIAGNOSTIC HAD BEEN INCONCLUSIVE ON THE LINKAGE. *TR

PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON NOTING PASSENGER RESTRAINT MALFUNCTION. BMW ISSUED A VOLUNTARY RECALLS ON THE 2006 3 SERIES BUT WHEN I CALL TO VERIFY, THEY SAID THAT MY VEHICLE IS NOT COVERED IN THE RECALL. I THINK THAT MY VEHICLE SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL SINCE IT IS THE SAME MODEL YEAR AND HAS THE SAME SYMPTONS NOTED IN THE RECALL.*CW