2008 BMW 3 Series

MY 2008 BMW 335XI WITH 42000 MILES WAS STORED IN MY HEATED SHOP. THE CAR STARTED ON FIRE AND DESTROYED THE CONTENTS OF MY SHOP AND THE CAR. BMW SENT AN INSPECTOR TO CHECK THE DAMAGE AND TOOK HUNDREDS OF PICTURES. CLEARLY THE FIRE STARTED UNDER THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT AREA AND CONTINUED TO BURN UNTIL THE FRONT OF THE CAR, WINDSHIELD AND INTERIOR WAS DESTROYED. CONTENTS IN MY SHOP WERE DESTROYED AND THE INTERIOR OF THE BUILDING HAD TO BE GUTTED TO THE STUDS. BMW OFFERED NOTHING. DAMAGES TOTALLED MORE THAN $150,000. I RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER FROM BMW 3 WEEKS AFTER THE FIRE. * (RECALL RELATED INCIDENT)

THE WIRES ON THE INSIDE OF MY HEADLIGHTS ARE CRACKED, AND HAVE A LOT OF BARE COPPER SHOWING. THE PLASTIC SHEATHING (CABLE JACKET) HAS BECOME BRITTLE FROM THE HEAT, AND IS FALLING APART, EXPOSING THE CONDUCTOR. THIS IS CREATING THE RISK OF AN ELECTRICAL FIRE OR DAMAGE TO THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT AND THE ANGEL LIGHTS OF MY CAR IS NOT WORKING IT WHEN OFF WHILE THE CAR WAS IN MOTION - ALL IT TAKES IS TO TOUCH A CABLE WITH YOUR FINGERS AND THE COOPER WILL BE EXPOSE. I'M REQUESTING IMMEDIATE RECALL FROM BMW - SEVERAL CARS ARE HAVING THE SAME ELECTRICAL AND FIRE HAZARD ISSUES. PLEASE FIX THIS PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEBODY GET'S HURT.

MANUFACTURER HAS NOT REMEDY THE SAFETY RECALLS IN A TIMELY MANNER AS IT'S BEEN ALMOST A YEAR SINCE THE RECALLS AND THERE ARE STILL NO PARTS/FIXES AVAILABLE. THERE ARE 2 RECALLS FROM OCT 2017 AND AS OF TODAY AUG 2018 THERE ARE NO PARTS AVAILABLE TO FIX THE ISSUES: POSITIVE CRANKCASE VENTILATION (PCV) VALVE HEATER AND BLOWER MOTOR WIRING. SAFETY RISKS: OVER TIME, IT COULD DETERIORATE AND, IN RARE CASES, COULD LEAD TO OVERHEATING. AND CONNECTION BETWEEN THE WIRING AND THIS SYSTEM COULD DETERIORATE AND, IN RARE CASES, COULD LEAD TO OVERHEATING.

THIS IS FOR 2 NHTSA RECALLS ISSUED 10/25/17 AND 10/30/17 NHTSA RECALL NUMBER17V676 AND NHTSA RECALL NUMBER17V683. IT IS NOW 3 MONTHS LATER AND BMW OF NORTH AMERICA STILL HAS NO REMEDY AVAILABLE! BOTH RECALL STATEMENTS CAUTION THAT "OVER TIME" THE PART COULD DETERIORATE, LEADING TO THE CAR CATCHING ON FIRE. SINCE THE CAR IS 10 YEARS OLD, I AM CONCERNED THAT THE BMW DEFINITION OF "OVER TIME" HAS BEEN MET, AND THEREFORE WE ARE LEFT WITH A NON-DRIVEABLE CAR DUE TO THEIR WARNINGS. HOW LONG SHOULD ONE WAIT WITH NO COMPENSATION, EITHER MOBILITY OR FINANCIAL?

RECENTLY I GOT A LETTER FROM BMW THAT MY VEHICLE WAS RECALLED FOR TWO ISSUES WHICH I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING SINCE A YEAR. 1 OVERHEATING 2. PLASTIC BURNING SMELL INSIDE THE COMPARTMENT. I BROUGHT THIS TO THEIR BMW'S NOTICE MANY TIMES WHICH THEY IGNORED. AND RECENTLY WHEN I GOT THIS RECALL LETTER FROM BMW I GAVE THEM A CALL(PRINCETON BMW), THEY GAVE ME AN APPOINTMENT SAYING THEY WILL FIX THAT. I TOLD THEM CRYSTAL CLEARLY THAT I WAS THERE FOR THE TWO RECALL ISSUES ONLY AND NOTHING ELSE. AND TO MY SHOCK ,LET ALONE REPAIRING THE MANDATORY RECALL ISSUES, THEY GAVE A BIG LIST OF OTHER THINGS, WHICH I DID NOT EVEN ASK FOR, AND THEY CHARGED ME AROUND 170 DOLLARS(ATTACHED COPIES). I AM BRINGING THIS TO YOUR NOTICE FOR SOLELY ONE REASON, AND THAT IS THERE ARE MILLIONS OF UNSUSPECTING PEOPLE WHO ARE UNAWARE OF THIS MALPRACTICE WHO WILL BE FALLING INTO THIS KIND OF TRAP. BMW IS TRYING TO MAKE MONEY OUT OF THIS SITUATION TOO. I AM ATTACHING ALL THE COPIES. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS MATTER AND PLEASE MAKE THEM REALIZE THERE IS AN AUTHORITY WATCHING. I FELT LIKE SOMEBODY STOLE MONEY FROM ME. HOPE TO GET A RESPONSE FROM THE DEPARTMENT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

MY CAR ABRUPTLY LOSSES ALL POWER. IT'S LOST POWER ON THE FREEWAY (3 TIMES), AT STOP LIGHTS (TOO MANY TO COUNT) AND AFTER THE CAR SITS; EITHER AT WORK, OVER NIGHT OR EVEN IF I'M OUT RUNNING ERRANDS. IN OTHER WORDS, THE POWER FAILURE CANNOT BE DUPLICATED, IT HAPPENS RANDOMLY (MY CAR IS UNABLE TO START AS I TYPE THIS!!). NEEDLESS TO SAY MY LIFE AS WELL AS MY FAMILIES SAFETY HAVE BEEN PUT TO THE TEST SEVERAL TIMES. ON 2 SEPARATE OCCASIONS, I WAS NEARLY REAR-ENDED ON THE FREEWAY WHEN MY CAR LOST POWER AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. I COULDN'T MOVE OVER TO THE SHOULDER AND ENDED UP STALLING IN THE SLOW LANE. AFTER SPENDING A SMALL FORTUNE TRYING TO FIX THIS DILEMMA A FRIEND SENT ME THIS LETTER THAT THE NHTSA SENT TO BMW IN 2013 REGRADING A POWER FAILURE THAT MANY CARS WERE EXPERIENCING AT THE TIME. HERE'S THE LETTER: HTTP://WWW-ODI.NHTSA.DOT.GOV/ACMS/CS/JAXRS/DOWNLOAD/DOC/UCM433921/RCAK-13V044-6848.PDF I'VE ALSO DRAFTED BMW THIS LETTER I SENT THEM YESTERDAY: (IN PART) TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, I AM WRITING TO VOICE GRAVE CONCERN REGARDING MY M3, WHICH HAS: 1). LOST POWER SEVERAL TIMES WHILE TRAVELING ON THE FREEWAY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND HAS ALMOST CAUSED A CRASH ON 2 SEPARATE OCCASIONS (NEAR REAR END COLLISION) 2). LOST POWER AT STOP LIGHTS AND SEVERAL TIMES AS I STARTED TO ACCELERATE 3). CONSISTENT FAILURE TO START THE CAR (NO POWER) OR IT TRIES TO START AND IMMEDIATELY TURNS OFF AFTER A BRIEF SECOND IN ADDITION TO THE IMMINENT DANGER TO MY FAMILY AND OTHERS, THIS HAS COST ME THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS THE INCLUDED LINK BELOW SHOWS A DOCUMENT WHICH WAS SENT BY THE NHTSA TO BMW NA IN 2013. I WAS HAPPY TO REALIZE THAT BMW ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM FOR THE E92 3 SERIES (MY CAR SHARES THE EXACT SAME PART NUMBER FOR THE MENTIONED FAULTY PART), BUT I WAS EQUALLY SHOCKED TO FIND OUT THAT MY SPECIFIC VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE RECALL WHICH IS WHAT MY CAR IS EXPERIENCING.

CAR WAS PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY, DROVE IT EARLIER THAT DAY FOR ABOUT AN HOUR, PARKED IT 3PM AND 2 HOURS LATER NEIGHBOR CAME KNOCKING SAYING CAR WAS SMOKING. RAN OUTSIDE AND CAR WAS ON FIRE. INTERIOR WAS SMOKED OUT. KEYLESS ENTRY WAS DEAD. BROKE THE WINDOW TO GET THE CAR OPEN, TURNED THE GARDEN HOSE ON TO TRY AND STOP THE CAR FROM BURNING. CALLED 911 FIRE DEPT ARRIVED AND HAD TO PRY THE TRUCK OPEN BECAUSE IT WAS STILL SIZZLING. FIRE DEPT CUT THE BATTERY CABLES AND SAID IT LOOKED LIKE AN ELECTRICAL FIRE UNDER THE DASH. GLOVE BOX AND PASSENGER SIDE FRONT SEAT WAS COMPLETELY CHARRED. AFTER 22 DAYS, A BMW ENGINEER AND ALLSTATE INS CALLED IT A TOTAL LOSS. BMW ENGINEERS REPORT STILL HAS NOT BEEN PUBLISHED. TOTAL LOSS ON A PARKED VEHICLE; CLEARLY THIS VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE AND A DESIGN FAULT. MANUFACTURERS ARE SUPPOSE TO ENGINEER CARS TO WITHSTAND FIRES.