This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
First the driver side door lock actuator would not unlock so I would have to use the key to unlock the driver door. Bought a new actuator and had it replaced. Not even one month later the back seat driver side door lock actuator went out as well. However there is no key hole for the back door and it cannot be opened from the inside. I was told by a BMW dealer that I would have to have the door torn off and replaced with a new door because there was no way to open the door. But wait there's more! both back window regulators went out as well! got the back seat passenger side fixed. But can't get the driver side done yet. This all happened within a year.
Number of deaths? none yet, but tbd for the future of this extremely unsafe condition. 2006 BMW 325I doors locks fail to open, and all interior door latches are inoperative. All doors are inoperative if one fuse (#57) fails or if the battery fails. This is a serious concern about safety. If there is a crash or fire, people can die inside the vehicle if the doors cannot be opened. When this fuse fails, interior and exterior door handles don't function. The only way to get people out of the vehicle is to remove the hidden key from the fob, open the driver's window and unlock the driver's door. That will allow the driver's door to open but none of the other doors will open. Is this allowable under NHTSA safety regulations? I can't imagine that it is. This is not an obscure occurrence either. It has happened to my car a few times and has been reported by many other people on BMW owner's forums and on NHTSA complaint forms. Links below: www.bimmerfest.com/forums/archive/index.php/T-342620.html
Door locks on 2006 BMW 330xi suddenly stopped functioning properly midway through the day and were unable to be unlocked. I was able to open the door with the embedded physical key in the fob but when I got in the car and tried operating the doors they again locked but were unable to be unlocked neither by the unlock button on the console, the fob or the door handle. The only way I was able to exit the car was to roll down the drivers side window, and use the emergency mechanical key to unlock it by extending my hand out the window. Since the driver's side door is the only door with a physical keylock, it was the only door that was able to open. For the remainder of the day, all 3 passengers had to climb out of their windows to exit.
3 doors on the car would not open from inside or outside of the car. Luckily the driver door still worked. In the event of an accident or fire this is a severe hazard.
I have a 2006 BMW 325 I with only 34K on it, all its doors except the driver door cant be open from inside or outside, only driver door open. It is a great danger in case of accident or fire people from passenger side or from rear seats can get stuck.
- Schaumburg, IL, USA
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The car door can't be opened from both inside and outside, and the only way to open the door is using the manual key from outside. This is a big issue if the driver is locked inside during a hazard. This is a very very common problem as many of customers experience the same thing. Please refer to this forum. www.E90post.com/forums/showthread.php?T=160062.
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- Little Elm , TX, USA