2008 BMW 328I

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW 328I. WHILE PARKED, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START AND THE BATTERY AND CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE BATTERY AND THE POSITIVE CONNECTION CABLE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. IN ADDITION, WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND ENGINE MALFUNCTION WAS DISPLAYED ACROSS THE MESSAGE BOARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO ANOTHER INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE VALVE COIL, THE SPARK PLUGS, AND THE VALVE GASKET COVERS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE CONTACT WAS AWARE OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V044000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 73,025. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

ELECTRONIC DOOR LOCKS HAVE STOPPED WORKING ON TWO OCCASIONS NOW. THE FIRST WHEN OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE THAT LATER REQUIRED A NEW FUSE. THE SECOND ON MARCH 5TH HAPPENED AFTER ENTERING VEHICLE, BUT 3 OF THE DOORS REMAINED LOCK, AND MY ELDERLY FATHER COULD NOT GET INTO THE VEHICLE. THE DASHBOARD LOCKING BUTTON THEN SUBSEQUENTLY LOCKED THE DRIVER'S DOOR, AND UNLOCKING WAS SUBSEQUENTLY NOT POSSIBLE FOR ANY DOORS. IN EFFECT TRAPPED INSIDE THE VEHICLE, AND THE DOORS COULD NOT BE MANUALLY OPENED NOR ELECTRONICALLY. I WAS ABLE TO PASS THE MECHANICAL KEY THROUGH THE SUNROOF FOR ASSISTANCE IN OPENING THE DRIVER'S DOOR TO EXIT THE VEHICLE. MY CONCERN IS IF THIS WERE TO HAPPEN IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION (E.G. A CAR CRASH), THE OCCUPANTS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO EXIT THE VEHICLE QUICKLY OR SAFELY. BOTH BMW AND NHTSA APPEAR TO BE AWARE OF THE ISSUE FROM OTHER POSTINGS, BUT NO RECALLS ISSUED. THE REPAIR BILLS TOO ARE ALSO HIGH AND FALL ON THE CONSUMER TO PAY. *TR

ON THE AFTERNOON OF NOVEMBER 10TH, WHILE DRIVING, A RED LIGHT WITH A PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION MESSAGE LIT UP ON THE DASHBOARD. I BROUGHT THE CAR INTO THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY AND THEY SAID THEY HAD TO ORDER THE PART. THEY WERE UNABLE TO TURN THE LIGHT OFF, WHICH AFFECTED MY ABILITY TO RETRIEVE TIME AND TEMPERATURE ON THE DASHBOARD READER. THEY HAD TO ORDER THE PART, WHICH WAS REPLACED ON NOVEMBER 26TH. THE PART IS CALLED SOP BATTERY SAFETY TERMINAL (BATTERY CABLE PLUS POLE). I WAS TOLD THAT THE WIRES TESTED AS "BROKEN INTERMITTENTLY." I WAS TOLD THAT WHEN THIS BATTERY CABLE WORKS CORRECTLY IT WILL SHUT OFF THE GAS PUMP SO THAT THERE WAS NO DANGER OF FIRE. I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT DRIVING THE CAR EVEN WHEN THE DRIVER SIDE SEEMED TO BE ALL RIGHT, BECAUSE IF GAS LEAKED THE WHOLE CAR WOULD BE ON FIRE, NOT JUST THE PASSENGER SIDE. SINCE THERE WAS A RECALL OF THE AIRBAG SYSTEM, I THOUGHT THIS MIGHT BE ALSO RELATED. THE DEALER SAID HE HAD SEEN THIS BEFORE ON OTHER CARS BUT HE COULD NOT SAY HOW MANY. I AM GRATEFUL THAT THIS COULD BE FIXED BEFORE ANY ACCIDENT OCCURRED. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY 328I IN THE MORNING ON THE WAY TO WORK, IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD, TRAVELING ABOUT 10 MPH (IN A SCHOOL ZONE), WHEN THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS SUDDENLY CAME ON WITHOUT ME TURNING THEM ON. AT THE SAME TIME, MY ENTIRE DASH BOARD CONTROL SYSTEM PANEL AND THE AREA BETWEEN THE SPEEDOMETER AND TACHOMETER LIT UP WITH SEVERAL SYSTEM ERROR MESSAGES: 1) CHECK CONTROL MESSAGES: CONTROL SYSTEMS! DRIVE MODERATELY. RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION! TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION! CRUISE CONTROL MALFUNCTION! 2) PASS. RESTRAINT SYSTEM: FAULT IN PASSENGER-RESTRAINT SYSTEM AFFECTING AIRBAG, BELT TENSIONER OR BELT-FORCE LIMITER. CONTINUE TO WEAR THE SAFETY BELT. TRANSMISSON MALFUNCTION! 3) TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION: FUNCTIONALITY OR DISPLAY OF GEAR POSITION MAY MALFUNCTION. IT MAY BE POSSIBLE TO ENGAGE A GEAR WITHOUT DEPRESSING BRAKE PEDAL. RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION! 4) CRUISE CONTROL: CRUISE CONTROL MALFUNCTION. HAVE THE SYSTEM CHECKED BY YOUR BMW CENTER. CONTROL SYSTEMS! DRIVE MODERATELY. 5) CONTROL SYSTEMS. BRAKING AND DYNAMIC-RESPONSE SYSTEM MALFUNCTION. DRIVE MODERATELY. AVOID HARD BRAKING. CONTROL SYSTEMS! DRIVE MODERATELY 6) AREA BETW SPEEDOMETER/TACH IS LIT UP [E.G. BRAKE, ABS, TRANSMISSION AND CRUISE WARNING SYMBOLS]. 7) THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL NOT TURN OFF AS LONG AS THE CAR KEY IS IN THE IGNITION. WHEN YOU TURN THE CAR OFF, THE WIPERS DO NOT STOP UNTIL THE KEY IS REMOVED! THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED IT BRAND NEW. THEY SAY THEY ARE NOT AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM. I ALSO EMAILED BMW USA NORTH AMERICA. MY REQUEST IS THAT YOU INVESTIGATE THESE ISSUES WITH BMW USA NORTH AMERICA. SURELY, THEY HAVE MORE INTELLIGENCE ABOUT THE NATURE AND SCOPE OF THESE TYPES OF PROBLEM AND NEED TO BE TRANSPARENT IN ADVISING CONSUMERS ACCORDINGLY BEFORE THE UNDERLYING CAUSE OF THE DEFECT LEADS TO ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW 328I. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 40 MPH WHEN THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY MALFUNCTIONED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE BATTERY WIRES WERE DAMAGED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED BY THE MECHANIC THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 13V044000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) HOWEVER, THE CONTACT HAD NEVER RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF THE RECALL. ADDITIONALLY, THE DRIVER'S SIDE HALO LIGHT WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 56,000.

TL-THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW 328I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED WITH THE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATING INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED AFTER A FEW MOMENTS AND RESUMED NORMALLY HOWEVER, THE AIR CONDITIONER, HEADLIGHTS AND THE RADIO WERE INOPERABLE. IN ADDITION, A BURNING ODOR EMITTED INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE FROM THE MELTED WIRES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE THE BATTERY AND STARTER WERE REPLACED. ADDITIONALLY, THE BATTERY CABLE AND FUSE BOX WERE REPLACE ON A SEPARATE OCCASION BY THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000. KMJ

WHILE DRIVING, ATTEMPTING TO PASS A VEHICLE, I PRESS THE ACCELERATOR AND THE PEDAL HAD NO RESPONSE AND THE RPMS DROPPED. AFTER TRYING TO ACCELERATE, THE ENGINE DIES AND I DRIFT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD ATTEMPTING TO DODGE TRAFFIC AS THE CAR'S GAS PEDAL IS NOT RESPONDING. UPON PULLING OVER SAFELY, NEARLY HITTING CARS ALONG THE WAY I COME TO STOP ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CAR THEN NO LONGER STARTS. CRANKING CAN BE HEARD BUT ENGINE DOES NOT TURN OVER OR START. HAD IT REPAIRED, THE REASON IS A FUEL PUMP FAILURE, FUEL PUMP MODULE FAILURE, AND BLOWN FUSE ON FUEL PUMP. CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND COST TO REPAIR IS $1,800 AND A RISK TO MY SAFETY. *TR

AS I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK ONE EVENING, MY 2008 BMW 328I COUPE BEGAN ACTING STRANGE. THE INTERIOR OVERHEAD LIGHTS AS WELL AS MOST ALL OF THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS (RADIO, HAZARD BUTTON, ON-BOARD COMPUTER ETC.) BEGAN TO FLICKER ACCOMPANIED BY A TICKING NOISE IN SEQUENCE WITH THE FLICKERING. THE VEHICLE WAS ACTING AS THOUGH IT WAS ABOUT TO SHUT DOWN; THAT'S WHEN I DECIDED TO PULL OVER. AS I PULLED OFF OF THE ROAD, THE STEERING BECAME MORE DIFFICULT AND THE FLICKERING BECAME MORE FREQUENT. WHILE COMING TO A STOP (TRAVELING AT ABOUT 10MPH), THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUT OFF. I LOST COMPLETE CONTROL OF VITAL MECHANISMS SUCH AS STEERING, POWER, LIGHTING (BOTH INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR). THE BRAKE PEDAL FELT UNUSUALLY FIRM/STIFF (NOT SPONGY OR SOFT AS IT SHOULD FEEL). AT THIS POINT, THE VEHICLE HAD COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN WITH THE GEAR SELECTOR STILL IN "DRIVE". I ATTEMPTED TO RE-START THE VEHICLE BUT IT FAILED TO START. I HAD MY VEHICLE TOWED BACK TO MY APARTMENT AND THE FOLLOWING DAY, I TOOK IT TO A REPUTABLE, INDEPENDENT BMW MECHANIC. HIS DIAGNOSIS WAS THAT SOMETHING RELATED TO THE VEHICLE'S BATTERY, POWER SUPPLY SYSTEM/ELECTRICAL SYSTEM CIRCUITRY WAS FAULTY--WHICH IN TURN, KILLED THE STARTER. HE REPLACED THE BATTERY WITH A NEW OEM BATTERY AS WELL AS REPLACED THE STARTER WITH AN NEW OEM STARTER AND THE RELATED WIRING/CIRCUITRY. A FEW WEEKS LATER, I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE IN THE MAIL-- MARCH 2013 RECALL NO. 13V-044 : POWER SUPPLY SYSTEM. BECAUSE THE SYMPTOMS NOTED IN THE RECALL LETTER MATCH THOSE I EXPERIENCED IDENTICALLY, I AM SEEKING REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE COST OF REPAIR THAT CORRELATES TO THIS ISSUE. HOWEVER, BMW STATES IT WILL ONLY REIMBURSE THE COST OF REPAIR PERTAINING TO THE SINGLE PART AT FAULT/RECALLED. THE CAUSE OF THIS RECALL IS KNOWN, BUT THEY ARE FAILING TO REIMBURSE CUSTOMERS FOR THE DAMAGING EFFECTS THAT THE FAULTY/RECALLED PART MAY HAVE HAD ON OTHER COMPONENTS. *TR