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.
I was exiting the the freeway and when I was on a banked onramp the engine stopped running while vehicle was in motion. I lost power steering and the ability to release the brake. I nearly lost control of the vehicle as the unexpected loss in power steering caused me to loose grip on the wheel. The engine was in neutral when the engine stalled. Upon restarting the engine (which struggled to start) the "service engine soon telltale" illuminated and the vehicle entered "reduce engine power mode". after scanning the dtc (P3090) I learned the vehicle's high pressure fuel pump failed. I noticed BMW has a recall on the issue. Unfortunately their recall only covers the fuel pump to 120,000 miles and my vehicle has roughly 9,500 miles above the covered threshold. Based on my experience and reading online I feel the pump has some sort of design flaw that BMW has failed to properly address. I wish BMW would hold up to their integrity and continue to replace the fuel pump for the life of the vehicle.
Our 2007 BMW 530xi developed a steering wheel lock malfunction warning. A red steering wheel with a padlock appears on the dash screen with a warning on the computer. The steering wheel locks and unlocks perfectly every time. The car is drivable. The dealer says the steering lock module must be replaced for $600. I found that this is a rampant problem on bmws and that BMW corporation is aware of the problem. There should be a recall for this problem.
2008 535I power steering pump at 49,560 miles. I fluid dripping (brownish-reddish) on my garage floor and looked under the car and noticed leak developed under the car engine left side, sipped thru the under carriage cover plate. I contacted BMW dealership, set up appointment for service analysis. I was told by the service rep and his master mechanic that they could not find any visible leakage and could be "just from another vehicle parked on the spot before and just "top off all fluids". I insisted that the drips was on my garage clean floor and un-satisfied with the answer. I told the service rep that I will E-mail him a picture I took of the cars under carriage showing the fluid dripping. After an hour, he called and admitted that the picture help them to "trouble-shoot" and they un-install the under carriage cover plate and found a leak on the power steering pump (part cost $1,250 not including labor, $1,630 total) and need to be replaced. Fortunately it's all covered under warranty. This could have caused total loss of vehicle and cause accident or even lives.
The active steering stops working without warning, dramatically changing the handling of the car. It randomly starts & stops working. The dealer first denied that there was a problem, then after 3 visits "fixed" it with updated software, but the problem persists. I have gone off the road, but not hit anything...yet.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Grosse Pointe Woods, MI, USA