2001 BMW 320

WHILE DOING 55 MPH ON THE EXPRESSWAY MY VEHICLE ENGAGED THE BRAKES ON IT'S OWN BRINGING US TO A SCREACHING, SKIDDING STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THIS WAS AN EXTREMELY SCARY SITUATION ESPECIALLY WHEN TRAVELING WITH YOUR CHILDREN IN THE CAR. THE CAR WAS TOWED IN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY DISCOVERED THE YAW RATE SENSOR HAD TO BE REPLACED. I CAN NOT BELIEVE MERCEDES IS NOT RECALLING THIS VEHICLES TO BE FIXED WITH SUCH A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE AFFECTING THIS CAR. *TR

I COMPLAINED TO BMW NA OF REPORTED FAILURES OF THE FAN. THEY AGREED THAT THEY HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH SIEMENS MANUFACTURED FANS. THEY LEFT A PHONE MESSAGE (I HAVE A COPY) AGREEING TO PAY FOR A VEHICLE INSPECTION TO DETERMINE IF THE FAN IS THE TYPE PRONE TO FAILURE DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS I HAVE FOR MY SON WHO WILL BE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE, BUT THEY WILL CHARGE ME TO REPLACE THE FAN BECAUSE IT HAS NOT YET FAILED. *AK

THIS IS A BRAND NEW VEHICLE, YET THE ENGINE OVERHEATS AT 1828 MILES. A LOT OF SMOKE CAME OUT OF THE HOOD AND HINDERED VISIBILITY. THE OVERHEATING HAPPENED VERY QUICKLY AND ALLOWED ME VERY LITTLE TIME TO REALIZE AND TO STOP THE VEHICLE. ONCE STOPPED, THERE APPEARED TO BE MAJOR LEAKAGE OF COOLANT/ANTI-FREEZE UNDER THE CAR. THE CAR DEALER AND THEIR SERVICE DEPARTMENT WERE NOTIFIED IMMEDIATELY. THE SHORT TIME IT TOOK THE ENGINE TO OVERHEAT CAN POTENTIALLY BE DANGEROUS AS IT ALLOWS THE DRIVER VERY LITTLE TIME TO STOP AND EXIT THE VEHICLE BEFORE ANY FIRE IS IGNITED. *AK

VEHICLE OVERHEATS: 9 DAYS AFTER TAKING DELIVERY OF MY BRAND NEW CAR, THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE BEGINS REGISTERING ABNORMALLY HIGH UNDER NORMAL CITY DRIVING CONDITIONS. I IMMEDIATELY TURN OFF THE A/C, TURN ON THE HEAT TO THE MAXIMUM SETTING, AND ROLL DOWN THE WINDOWS. THIS SEEMS TO HAVE NO IMPACT ON THE TEMPERATURE, AND THE RED TEMP INDICATOR LIGHT COMES ON. I PROMPTLY PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND, WHILE DOING SO, THE VEHICLE OVERHEATS. BMWSF SERVICES MY VEHICLE BY INSTALLING AN UPGRADED AUX FAN UNIT ON 5/15/01. PROBLEM 1: BMWNAS LACK OF QUALITY ASSURANCE IN DETECTING A DEFECTIVE PART IN MY VEHICLE AND WILLFUL NEGLECT TO INFORM SERVICE/SALES PERSONNEL ABOUT THE KNOWN PROBLEM. EXPLANATION 1: I AM APPALLED THAT BMWNA WOULD JEOPARDIZE THE SAFETY OF ITS CUSTOMERS BY NEGLECTING TO OFFER PRELIMINARY INFORMATION TO DEALERSHIPS ABOUT A KNOWN PROBLEM. BMWNA HAS DEMONSTRATED A CONSISTENT PATTERN OF IGNORING, OBFUSCATING, OR DENYING PROBLEMS WITH THE AUXILIARY FAN WHEN MOST BMW MESSAGE BOARD SITES ARE LITTERED WITH THESE COMPLAINTS. BMWNAS RECKLESS NEGLIGENCE IN OFFERING SUCH INFORMATION CAUSED THE DEALERSHIPS TO ALLOW POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS VEHICLES BACK ON THE ROAD. PROBLEM 2: BMWSF INSTALLED A REPLACEMENT PART ON MY CAR THAT THEY KNEW WAS DEFECTIVE. EXPLANATION 2: IN RESPONSE TO MY LETTER TO BMWNA REGARDING THIS MATTER, A BMWNA CUSTOMER RELATIONS REP NOTIFIES ME THAT I AM TO BRING MY VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN TO HAVE A NEWLY DESIGNED AND UPGRADED AUX FAN UNIT INSTALLED IN MY VEHICLE. THE REP IS UNABLE TO CONFIRM WHY THE DEFECTIVE PART WAS INSTALLED IN MY VEHICLE IN THE INITIAL ATTEMPT TO SOLVE THE OVERHEATING PROBLEM. ON 6/9/01, I CONFIRM WITH A BMWSF SERVICE ADVISOR THAT 1) THE NEW (2ND) REPLACEMENT PART IS MANUFACTURED BY BOSCH AND THAT IT IS THE UPGRADED PART WHICH REPLACES THE DEFECTIVE SIEMENS FAN AND 2) THAT THE INITIAL (1ST) REPLACEMENT PART INSTALLED IN MY CAR ON 5/15/01 IS THE SAME PART NUMBER OF THE SIEMENS FAN UNIT THAT INITIALLY FAILED.

THIS IS AN ACKNOWLEDEGED PROBLEM FROM BMW. THE MANUFACTURER HAS CLAIMED THAT THE PROBLEM IS NOT BIG ENOUGH TO WARRANT A RECALL. UNFORTUNATELY MANY OF US ARE BEING LEFT STRANDED WHEN THE PROBLEM SURFACES. EVEN THOUGH THE PROBLEM IS ACKNOWLEDGED BMW DOES NOT HAVE THE PARTS REQUIRED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I BELIEVE BMW NEEDS TO BE CONTACTED AND FORCED TO OFFICIALLY ISSUE A RECALL ON THE 3.0 LITER ENGINES. *AK