2010 BMW 5 Series

ON SUNDAY 12/03 I SUDDENLY HEARD A KNOCKING NOISE WHILE ACCELERATING AND IMMEDIATELY REACHED THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE CAR CHECKED. THE DIAGNOSIS I RECEIVED IS THAT THERE HAS BEEN A FATAL FAILURE OF BEARING THAT CAUSE THE ENGINE TO GET DAMAGED AND IN NEED TO BE REPLACED. I LOOKED UP ON THE WEB AND FOUND OUT THAT IN 2014 BMW HAD A WORLDWIDE RECALL OF 2010 5 SERIES MODELS FOR A DEFECT IN THE ENGINE WHICH WOULD HAVE GENERATED THE SAME FAILURE I HAVE EXPERIENCE, SUDDENLY, ON SUNDAY. MY CAR WAS NEVER RECALLED, BUT THE FAILURE MODE AND THE YEAR OF THE MODEL ARE STRIKINGLY SIMILAR. THE RECALL I AM REFERENCING IS 14V-176 FOR THE VANOS. THE AFFECTED 5 SERIES MODELS WERE PRODUCED BETWEEN FEBRUARY 2010 ' AUGUST 2011. MY 5 SERIES WAS MANUFACTURED ON OCTOBER 2009, THEREFORE NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. HOWEVER THE FAILURE IS IDENTICAL TO THE ONE DESCRIBED BY THE RECALL AND I FEEL THAT THE RECALL SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE INCLUSIVE. MY 535 HAD 130 K MILES, WHICH DO NOT WARRANT SUCH A DRASTIC FAILURE, ESPECIALLY SINCE HAS BEEN DILIGENTLY SERVICED BY THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE. LAST OIL CHANGE HAD STILL 9000 MILES TO SPARE AND WHEN THEY REPLACED THE FILTER NOTHING WAS NOTICED. SUCH A DRASTIC AND RAPID FAILURE IT IS NOT OTHERWISE EXPLAINABLE.

I WAS TRAVELING ON FREEWAY TO THE AIRPORT WHEN MY WIFE AND I HEARD A LOUD BOOM AND SUDDENLY HEARD LOUD AIRFLOW. I PULLED OFF TO SIDE OF ROAD AND INSPECTED CAR. THE SUNROOF HAD EXPLODED AND SHATTERED. THE CAR TRAVELING BEHIND ME ALSO STOPPED TO INSPECT HIS VEHICLE BECAUSE OF FLYING GLASS. THE CABIN DOOR TO THE SUNROOF HAD LUCKILY HAD BEEN CLOSED SO AS MY WIFE AND I AVOIDED THE FLYING GLASS. WHEN WE RETURNED FROM OUR TRIP I TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, THE VEHICLE WAS UNDER WARRANTY. THE DEALER SAID THIS PART WAS NOT COVERED AND WOULD COST $3600 TO REPAIR. WE GOGGLED BMW5 SERIES EXPLODING SUNROOFS AND DISCOVERED WE WERE NOT THE ONLY ONES TO EXPERIENCE EXPLODING SUNROOFS. SURELY BMW KNOWS ABOUT THIS POTENTIALLY GRIEVOUS PROBLEM. WE CALLED BMW NORTH AMERICA AND FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE RESOLUTION DEPARTMENT. THE NEXT DAY BMW TO MY CHAGRIN WAS WILLING TO PAY 50 PERCENT OF THE REPAIR COST. I EXPECTED FULL COVERAGE. I NEEDED THE CAR BACK AND EXCEPTED OFFER VOWING NEVER TO BUY A BMW AGAIN. I EXPECTED TO BECOME WHOLE AND NOT EXPECTING BMW IGNORING THE PROBLEM THUS ENDANGERING THEIR DRIVERS FOR ECONOMIC REASONS. ONCE AGAIN GOGGLE BMW 5 SERIES EXPLODING SUNROOFS. I TOOK VEHICLE TO LEXUS DEALER AND TRADED IT. I WANTED NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT CAR. UNFORTUNATELY I OWN ANOTHER BMW5. WHAT I WANT FROM NHTSA IS TO INSPECT THE PROBLEM AND I STILL WANT TO BE COMPENSATED FOR THE ENTIRE COST OF THE PROBLEM NOT JUST 50 PERCENT. *TR

WHEN THE TEMPERATURE HITS 100 DEGREES AS IT DOES IN THE DESERT 5 MONTHS OR SO PER YEAR, THE INTERIOR CABIN FILLS UP WITH VERY HARMFUL GAS FUMES. WE OWNED A 2008 AND THE SAME SITUATION. AS A RESULT OF THIS AND PROBLEMS WITH THE FUEL PUMP ON THE 2008, THE DEALERSHIP BOUGHT THE CAR BACK. MY HUSBAND REALLY WANTED ANOTHER BMW AND WHEN HE WAS LOOKING AT BUYING THE 2010 HE WAS TOLD ALL THE PROBLEMS INCLUDING THE GAS FUMES HAD BEEN RESOLVED. NOT SO. THE CAR HAS BEEN BACK TO SERVICE TWICE FOR THE GAS FUMES AND NO ONE CAN SHED ANY LIGHT ON THE SITUATION. WHEN THIS HAPPENS YOU CANNOT DRIVE THE CAR AS THE FUMES WILL KNOCK YOU OUT. THE CAR HAS TO SIT ON THE DRIVEWAY AND AIR OUT FOR A FEW DAYS. YOU CAN'T PARK IN THE GARAGE AS THE GAS FUMES ENTER THE HOUSE. FOR A CAR OF THIS CALIBER IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. PLUS IT IS VERY DANGEROUS TO YOUR HEALTH.

THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM HAPPENED. THE FIRST TIME THE CAR LOST POWER WHEN REVS WENT UP ABOVE 3.5K RPM AND RECOVERED AS SOON AS REVS FELL BELOW THIS RANGE. THIS ALMOST RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT SINCE THE DRIVER BEHIND ME WAS TAKEN BY SURPRISE WITH THE ABRUPT REDUCTION IN SPEED. I TOOK THE CAR TO BMW FOR SERVICE AND THEY REPORTED IT HAD BEEN FIXED. THE SECOND INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING AT 60MPH ON THE LEFTMOST LANE OF A THREE LANE HIGHWAY. THE CAR COMPLETELY LOST POWER AND A WARNING WAS DISPLAYED INDICATING: "ENGINE MALFUNCTION, YOU MAY BE ABLE TO CONTINUE AT REDUCED POWER". THERE WAS NO POWER AT ALL. THE ENGINE WAS COMPLETELY OFF, CAR SWITCHED TO NEUTRAL. I TURNED THE HAZARD LIGHTS ON SINCE THERE WAS A LOT OF COMMUTING TRAFFIC AND THE QUICK REDUCTION IN SPEED COULD HAVE AGAIN RESULTED IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. I MANAGED TO COAST TO THE SHOULDER ON THE RIGHT AND CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. CAR WAS TOWED AND IS BEING SERVICED BY BMW. SEARCHING THE WEB I FOUND NUMEROUS REFERENCES TO THIS EXACT PROBLEM REPORTED AS EARLY AS 2008. SOME OF THE REPORTS INDICATE THAT THIS ISSUE HAPPENED A FEW TIMES TO THE SAME CAR EVEN AFTER THE ISSUE WAS DECLARED RESOLVED. I AM DUMBFOUNDED BY THE FACT THAT A RECALL HASN'T BEEN ISSUED. DOES IT TAKE SOMEONE DYING FOR ANYONE TO PAY ATTENTION AND DO THE RIGHT THING? *TR

AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATES WITH ADULT PASSENGER FIRMLY BELTED INTO PASSENGER SEAT. LIGHT REMAINS ILLUMINATED FOR PERIODS WHICH VARY FROM 5 MINUTES TO 30 MINUTES. THERE IS NO WAY TO TELL IF THIS IS A DEFECTIVE LIGHT ONLY OR IF THE AIR BAG IS INOPERATIVE. AN ADDITIONAL SAFETY CONCERN IS THAT BMW DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES ARE NOT ABLE TO DETECT THIS FAILURE. BMW REFUSES TO CORRECT THE DEFECT.