2008 BMW X5

THE FIRST OCCURRENCE WAS NOVEMBER 15 2015. THE SHUT DOWN HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. AFTER SITTING 24 HOURS, THE VEHICLE REBOOTS AND WILL START - IT IS THEN GOOD FOR 7 DAYS UNTIL IT HAPPENS AGAIN. SEVERAL REPAIR SHOPS HAVE DIAGNOSED, BUT CANNOT IDENTIFY/DUPLICATE PROBLEM. BATTERY REPLACED, BUT DID NOT REMEDY ISSUE. FIRST OCCURRENCE, VEHICLE WAS AT COMPLETE STOP - VARIOUS MESSAGES ON NAV SCREEN (WARNINGS: TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION, WARNED IF VEHICLE IS TURNED OFF, WILL NOT START AGAIN); ON DASH ALL LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED. TURNED VEHICLE OFF, DID NOT START AGAIN, AS NOTED ON NAV SCREEN. NEXT DAY, STARTED WITH NO PROBLEM. TOWED TO SHOP, BUT COULD NOT DUPLICATE. DROVE ONE WEEK, THEN PARK BRAKE CAME ON. NEXT DAY, SAME ALERTS-THIS TIME WHILE DRIVING. DID NOT RESTART AFTER TURNING OFF. WAS ABLE TO START AFTER 24 HOURS, BUT COULD ONLY DRIVE A FEW FEET BEFORE TOTALLY SHUTTING DOWN IN MIDDLE OF THE STREET WHILE MAKE A U TURN. TOWED TO SHOP THAT NIGHT. NEXT MORNING, SHOP COULD NOT DUPLICATE, AS VEHICLE RAN SMOOTHLY. FOLLOWING WEEK, RETURNED TO SHOP FOR FURTHER TESTING. BATTERY REPLACED AND REGISTERED. WHEN PICKING UP VEHICLE, NOTICED NAV SCREEN WAS BLACK, WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE. 4 DAYS LATER, IT CAME ON, BUT WENT OUT AGAIN THE FOLLOWING DAY. THE NEXT DAY, ENGINE SHUT DOWN ON INTERSTATE. WHILE WAITING FOR TOW, WIPERS CAME ON, DOOR LOCKS AND WINDOWS WOULD NOT WORK. COULD NOT ROLL DOWN WINDOW OR OPEN DOOR TO TALK TO SAFETY PATROL. PATROL JUMP STARTED VEHICLE. IT WAS LATER TOWED TO DEALER (WHERE PURCHASED). NAV SCREEN IS STILL BLACK, DVD AND CD DO NOT WORK (CD CHANGER SPITS OUT CDS). SHIFTS VERY HARD BETWEEN GEARS. I AM VERY AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE, AS IT CUTS OFF INTERMITTENTLY AND WITHOUT NOTICE. HOWEVER, I HAVE NO CHOICE, AS I RECENTLY PURCHASED IT IN AUGUST 2015; AND I HAVE TOO MUCH NEGATIVE EQUITY TO TRADE IT FOR ANOTHER VEHICLE.

I PURCHASED A 2008 BMW X-5 WITH 50,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. I WAS SHOWN PROOF FROM THE USED CAR DEALERSHIP THAT THE VEHICLE HAD ONLY ONE PRIOR OWNER, A FEMALE IN HER MID 50'S. ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE WAS IMMACULATE AND LOOKED BRAND NEW, IT NEEDED A NEW RIGHT REAR AIR SUSPENSION BAG 3 MONTHS AFTER THE PURCHASE AND STARTED LEAKING OIL. SINCE PURCHASING THE VEHICLE IN 2012 I HAVE CONTINUED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE SAME DEALERSHIP AT WHICH TIME THEY CLEAN THE OIL UNDERNEATH, REMOVE GASKETS AND BOLTS AND REASSEMBLE EVERYTHING TO INCLUDE USING GENEROUS AMOUNTS OF SILICONE. I RECENTLY TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE OWNER DID HIS USUAL "PATCH JOB" BUT HE SAID THIS ISN'T WORKING ANYMORE AND THAT THE OIL LEAK IS ACTUALLY COMING FROM A FAILED GASKET THAT IS NOT ACCESSIBLE WITHOUT REMOVING THE MOTOR TO THE TUNE OF $6,000 OR MORE. THE OWNER OF THE DEALERSHIP FURTHER MENTIONED THAT THE LEFT REAR AIR SUSPENSION BAG HAS FAILED AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, AS THE CAR SITS OFF CAMBER WHILE PARKED. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THAT MY VEHICLE HAD ONE OWNER, A MIDDLE AGED FEMALE, MY WIFE DRIVES THE CAR TO THE SUPERMARKET AND KIDS SCHOOL, NOT THE RACE TRACK SO THE FAILED GASKET IS CLEARLY NOT THE RESULT OF ABUSIVE DRIVING, RATHER A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT. ACCORDING TO THE OWNER OF THE DEALERSHIP, THE 4.8 LITER V-8 IN MY 2008 X-5 HAS BEEN RECALLED FOR THE SAME PROBLEM IN THE BMW 5,6 AND 7 SERIES. I AM WONDERING IF AND WHEN THEIR MIGHT BE A RECALL ON THE X-5'S, AS I DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO REPLACE THE VEHICLE, YET I CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY $6,000 + TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I HAVE TALKED WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE BOTH IN AND OUT OF THE CAR INDUSTRY AND THE CONSENSUS IS GROWING STRONGER AND STRONGER THAT BMW USES FAULTY GASKETS ON PURPOSE TO MAKE THEIR MONEY ON THE SERVICE END. BMW, THE ULTIMATE "SERVICING MACHINE." MY 2003 FORD EXPLORER, 218,000 MILES HAS NEVER HAD AN ISSUE?

I WAS TOLD BY THE BMW DEALER, MY DRIVER SIDE REAR BRAKE BULB SOCKET IS MELTED TO THE HOUSING BECAUSE OF THE BULB HEATING UP AND I NEED TO REPLACE BOTH SIDES HOUSING, THE BULB CAN NOT BE REMOVED BECAUSE THE SOCKET IS MELTED TO THE HOUSING. I CAN NOT EVEN CHANGE MY BLOWN BULB AND IT IS GIVEN ME A BLOWN BULB SIGNAL ON MY DASH BOARD?

MY 2008 X5 3.0SI STARTED JUST OUT OF THE BLUE TO HAVE THIS SUPER LOUD FAN NOISE WHILE DRIVING IN TOWN TO PICK UP MY KIDS. IT WAS NOT EVEN HOT OUTSIDE SO I WAS WONDERING WHAT'S WRONG WITH IT. ALSO GOT THE WATER OVERHEATING WARNING. BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE WATER PUMP WAS FAULTY. COST ME ALMOST $1400.00 AND THE CAR HAD ONLY 37000 MILES ON THE CLOCK. WHY IS THERE NO RECALL FOR THE 2008 6CYLINDER ENGINE?

IN OCTOBER OF 2015 WHILE MAKING A RIGHT TURN VERY SLOWLY INTO A ONE LANE DRIVE THRU, MY BMW X5 ACCELERATED CLIMBED UP A 2 FOOT WALL THAT WAS ON THE DRIVERS SIDE RODE THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE WHEEL UPON THE WALL. I TRIED TO BREAK AND PULL THE HAND BRAKE THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP. I TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT THE CAR HOPPED OFF THE WALL ON TO THE GROUND AND I TURNED OFF THE CAR. THE CAR JUST ACCELERATED SO FAST AND HARD MY SISTER AND I COULD NOT BELIEVE HOW IT CLIMBED THE TILE WALL WITH ONE WHEEL AND CAME DOWN TO THE GROUND. NOW I HAD JUST GOT THE CAR BACK FROM THE DEALERSHIP 5 DAYS EARLIER WHEN THEY REPLACED THE WATER PUMP AND REPLACED THE 2 FRONT TIRES AND DID A WHEEL ALIGNMENT A $2500.00 JOB. IT WAS VERY SCARY LUCKILY THERE WAS NO PEOPLE OR ANOTHER CAR CLOSE BY. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND TOOK IT IN THE NEXT MORNING. I EXPLAINED WHAT HAPPENED I FELT THAT THE CAR HAD A MALFUNCTION WITH THE ACCELERATOR IT MADE THE CAR GO SO FAST AND HARD. IT WASN'T JUST A CRASH INTO THE WALL IT CLIMBED THE WALL. OF COURSE BMW SAID THE ENGINEER SAID THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES OR DRIVE SHAFT? WHAT GETS TO ME IS THAT I JUST GOT THE CAR BACK FROM THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP. I FEEL LIKE THE POWER OF THE VEHICLE WAS SO STRONG AND POWERFUL THERE WAS NO WAY THAT IT COULD HOP ON THE WALL LIKE THAT AND NOT JUST CRASH STRAIGHT INTO THE WALL. OH SIDE NOTE THE VERY NEXT MORNING 10-12-2015 MY SISTER HEARD ON ABC MORNING NEWS THAT A BMW SUV JUST RAN INTO A GLASS WINDOW AT A STORE THE CAR ACCELERATED ON IT'S OWN!

WHILE DRIVING THE BRAKE PEDAL BECAME INOPERABLE. IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO PRESS THE PEDAL TO GET THE VEHICLE TO SLOW DOWN AND IMPOSSIBLE TO GET IT TO STOP WITHOUT ADDING COMPLETE PRESSURE. WE HAD TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE DOWN TO 1 LOW MANUAL TRANSMISSION TO SLOW DOWN ENOUGH TO STOP COMPLETELY. FROM THAT POINT, THE BRAKE PEDAL DID NOT WORK AT ALL SO THE VEHICLE IS INOPERABLE DUE TO SAFETY REASONS. I CHECKED FOR RECALL'S AND MY MODEL YEAR WAS RECALLED FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM, HOWEVER I DO NOT HAVE A V8 ENGINE, SO BMW IS STATING I DO NOT QUALIFY FOR A RECALL. IT'S THE SAME PART, THE VACUUM ASSIST BRAKING SYSTEM. SEE ATTACHED RECALL NUMBER: NHTSA VEHICLE SAFETY RECALLS ________________________________________ RECALL NUMBER: 13V045000 RECALL DATE: 02/07/2013 COMPONENT: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST PROBLEM SUMMARY: BMW IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2007-2010 X5 SAV VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED SEPTEMBER 12, 2006, THROUGH MARCH 18, 2010 AND EQUIPPED WITH AN 8-CYLINDER ENGINE. THE BRAKE VACUUM PUMP MAY LEAK A SMALL AMOUNT OF LUBRICATING OIL INTO THE HOSE. THE CONTAMINATION COULD RESULT IN A LOSS OF POWER ASSIST BRAKING. CONSEQUENCE: THE LOSS OF POWER ASSIST IN BRAKING COULD INCREASE STOPPING DISTANCE AND LEAD TO A VEHICLE CRASH. WHAT OWNERS SHOULD DO: BMW WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE BRAKE VACUUM LINE WITH ONE THAT CONTAINS A CHECK VALVE, FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MARCH 2013. OWNERS MAY CALL BMW AT 1-800-525-7417 OR EMAIL BMW AT CUSTOMERRELATIONS@BMWUSA.COM.