2008 BMW 3 SERIES Complaints

2008 BMW 328I STALLS WHILE DRIVING. ONCE STALLED UNDER POWER AS I WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN ACROSS TRAFFIC - DEALER SAID NO CODE WAS THROWN SO THEY WERE UNABLE TO ADDRESS. THE OTHER STALLS HAVE NOT DURING SLOWDOWN PERIOD, NOT AS CRITICAL BUT THEY COME WITH NO WARNING WHATSOEVER WHICH IS DANGEROUS! NO ACCIDENT FROM IT YET BUT I NO LONGER FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS CAR. FIRST OCCURRENCE IN 2010, TWO MORE RECENTLY DEC 2010 & JAN 2011. *LN

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW 320I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ELECTRONIC KEYS FAILED AND PASSENGER SIDE DOORS WOULD NOT LOCK; THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR WAS THE ONLY ONE TO UNLOCK. THE PASSENGERS HAD TO EXIT FROM THE DRIVER SIDE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED (REPAIRS WERE UNKNOWN) UNDER WARRANTY. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 20,000.

MY 2008 BMW 328I, STILL UNDER FACTORY WARRANTY, REQUIRED A NEW BATTERY. I WAS DENIED WARRANTY/MAINTENANCE COVERAGE FOR THE BATTERY DUE TO MY 'DRIVING PROFILE' - I DROVE MORE THAN 100 TRIPS OF LESS THAN 5KM IN THE LAST 36 DAYS. HOWEVER, I DROVE A TOTAL OF 2420 MILES IN THE LAST 32 DAYS, AS INDICATED ON TWO CAR REPAIR RECEIPTS. BMWNA STATED THAT DUE TO ME DRIVING SUCH SHORT DISTANCES, THE BATTERY WAS UNABLE TO CHARGE PROPERLY. THIS SOUNDS LIKE AN ENGINEERING DEFECT, NOT A DRIVER-RELATED ISSUE. *TR

UPON MOUNTING NEW TIRES ON MY 2008 BMW 328I CONVERTIBLE (W/ SPORT PKG) AT BIG O TIRES IN DANVILLE, CA, THE TECHNICIANS INFORMED ME THAT BOTH OF MY REAR WHEELS WERE CRACKED, AND THEY COULD NOT MOUNT THE NEW TIRES ON THE VEHICLE. UPON INSPECTION AT BMW OF SAN FRANCISCO, MY SERVICE ADVISOR TOLD ME THAT IT WAS IN THEIR OPINION THAT AN "IMPACT" FROM A POTHOLE OR OTHER IRREGULAR ROAD SURFACE CAUSED THE CRACKS IN BOTH REAR WHEELS AND THAT WARRANTY COVERAGE IS DENIED. UPON MY OWN INVESTIGATION, I FOUND SEVERAL OTHER BMW CUSTOMERS DESCRIBE A SIMILAR CONCERN ON WWW.BIMMERFEST.COM, AS WELL AS AN INVESTIGATION PERFORMED BY THE BBC IN OCTOBER OF 2009. FOR BBC'S ARTICLE, PLEASE REFER TO HTTP://WWW.BBC.CO.UK/BLOGS/WATCHDOG/2009/10/BMW_ALLOY_WHEELS.HTML . *TR

2008 BMW 328I. CONSUMER STATES WHEN POWER IS LOST TO THE DOORS, FOR ANY REASON, THE PASSENGER DOORS REMAIN LOCKED WITH NO WAY TO OPEN THEM FROM THE INSIDE OR THE OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE *TGW THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR OPENED FROM THE INSIDE WHEN THE HANDLE WAS PULLED. *JB

2008 BMW, ELECTRONIC DOOR LOCKS STUCK IN LOCKED POSITION, MUST OPEN DRIVER SIDE DOOR WITH VALET KEY. REMAINING DOORS STUCK IN LOCKED POSITION, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR PASSENGERS TO LEAVE VEHICLE IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION. RELATED PROBLEM IS THAT GAS CAP (WHICH LOCKS WHEN DOORS ARE LOCKED) WILL ALSO NOT OPEN. *TR

ON THREE OCCASIONS SINCE I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE NEW, WHILE DRIVING AND ACCELERATING THE ENGINE CUTS OUT AND RPM'S SUDDENLY DROP. THE DATE REFERENCED BELOW WAS THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE SINCE THEN. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE IN ALL THREE TIMES. THEY CHANGED SOME PARTS, BUT THIS CONTINUES TO HAPPEN. AT ONE TIME, I WAS TRY TO GET THROUGH AN INTERSECTION WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC, ALTHOUGH THERE WAS NOT AN ACCIDENT, IT WAS SCARY. ANOTHER TIME WAS CHANGING LANES ON A HIGHWAY. THIS SEEMS TO BE INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. *TR

CONTINENTAL RUN FLAT TIRES NEW WITH NEW 328I BMW SEDAN PURCHASED IN 2008 HAD TREAD WORN DOWN AFTER 8100 MILES, AS NOTICED WHEN VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT IN FOR SERVICING. TIRES WERE REPLACED BY DEALER. RESEARCH ON THE WEB SHOWED A LARGE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS REPORTING SIMILAR PROBLEMS: HTTP://WWW.BMWRUNFLATTIRE.COM; HTTP://FORUMS.AUTOMOTIVE.COM/70/6318820/BMW/BMW-RUN-FLAT-TIRES/INDEX.HTML. *TR

THE 08 BMW M3 WITH THE DCT TRANSMISSION STALLS IN 2ND GEAR WHEN GOING AROUND TURNS CAUSING NEAR COLLISIONS. BMW HAS NOT FIXED THIS PROBLEM AS OF YET. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON FREEWAY IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES, THE REAR END OF THE VEHICLE BEGAN MAKING INTERMITTENT NOISES AND SHAKING. ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE WAS A LOUD BAND COMING FROM THE REAR END AND THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO SLOW (IN HEAVY LOS ANGELES TRAFFIC). I WAS ABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE OFF OF THE FREEWAY AND PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WOULD ONLY PULL FORWARD OR BACKWARD FOR A FEW FEET BEFORE STOPPING. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, STEVE THOMAS BMW IN CAMARILLO, CA. THIS HAPPENED ON FRIDAY. WHEN THEY FINALLY GOT AROUND TO EXAMINING THE VEHICLE ON MONDAY, THEY SAID IT WASN'T COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AS THE REAR BREAKS HAD DISINTEGRATED FROM THE EMERGENCY BRAKE BEING ON. THEY ACCUSED ME OF DRIVING THE VEHICLE WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ON. I NEVER USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND AM THE ONLY DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE. THE CAR IS 5 MONTHS OLD AND HAS ONLY 5000 MILES ON IT. I TOLD SERVICE WRITER THAT EMERGENCY BRAKE IS NEVER USED AND EVEN IF IT HAD BEEN, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A SIGNAL AND SOUND WARNING. HE SAID HE CHECKED WARNING LIGHT AND SOUND AND IT WAS WORKING. STILL ACCUSED ME OF DRIVING WITH EMERGENCY BRAKE ON. THERE IS SOMETHING FAULTY WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE THAT CAUSED THIS. *TR