2006 BMW 325XI Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 325XI. WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONER WAS ACTIVATED, SMOKE FILLED THE CABIN OF THE VEHICLE. FLAMES APPEARED AND THE VEHICLE EXPLODED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE AND FILED A REPORT. THE PASSENGER SUSTAINED BURNS TO THE HAND, WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000.

THIS VEHICLE HAS AN ELECTRONIC LOCK OUT ON THE STEERING WHEEL THAT PREVENT THE STEERING FROM UNLOCKING AS THE OPERATOR ATTEMPTS TO START THE ENGINE. THE CODE READ OUT TO BE A115 OR A116. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE AND BMW HAS NOT BEEN ASKED BY NHTSA TO RECALL. PLEASE WORKS WITH BMW TO REMEDY THIS FAULTY ON THEIR DESIGN. THE FOLLOWING DESIGN WAS REMOVED FROM STEERING COLUMN AS BMW KNOWN THIS IS A PROBLEM FROM START. THIS PROBLEM OCCURS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN PARK AND REFUSES TO RELEASE THE STEERING COLUMN.

FIRST TIME I NOTICED THE ELV STEERING WHEEL LOCK MALFUNCTION. I JUST PARKED MY CAR, TURNED OFF ENGINE, AND TOOK OUT THE KEY FOB. I NOTICED ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER A PICTURE OF A STEERING WHEEL AND A PAD LOCK. SO I PUT THE KEY FOB BACK IN THE SLOT AND THE CAR WOULDN'T START. THEN TRYING COUPLE TIMES TAKING OUT & PUTTING THE KEY FOB IN THE IGNITION SLOT AND TURNING THE WHEEL LEFT AND RIGHT, THE CAR FINALLY STARTED.

MY AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT IS ON. THE BMW DEALERSHIP WILL NOT PROVIDE ME ANY INFORMATION AS TO THE MAKER OF THE AIRBAG OTHER THAN TELLING ME IT'S NOT ONE OF THE RECALLED TANAKA AIRBAGS. MANY OTHER BMW MODELS OF THE SAME YEAR HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR DEFECTIVE TANAKA AIRBAGS, SO I'M NOT REASSURED BY THEIR RESPONSE . A FRIEND WITH SAME YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL OF BMW SUFFERED PERMANENT EYE DAMAGE WHEN HIS AIRBAG DEPLOYED UNEXPECTEDLY IN SLOW MOVING COLLISION. I AM AFRAID OF THE SAME CONSEQUENCES. BMW, AS WELL AS OTHER MANUFACTURERS, SHOULD BE ABLE TO PROVIDE CUSTOMERS PROOF THAT A TANAKA, OR SIMILAR DEFECTIVE AIRBAG, WAS NOT USED.

BMW 3 SERIES, 2006, E90 BODY TYPE. AFTER INSERTING THE KEY IN THE CONTACT ALL POWER WENT OFF. I EXPERIENCED TWICE SUCH COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER, FOR THE ENTIRE VEHICLE: ENGINE, DOORS, LIGHTS AND EVEN THE KEY CANNOT BE REMOVED FROM CONTACT. ONCE I TOUCHED THE BATTERY WITH A VOLTMETER AND MEASURED THE VOLTAGE (THAT WAS PERFECT) THE POWER CAME BACK. THOUGH AFTER THE POWER WAS RESTORED WHILE DRIVING TO DEALERSHIP THE CAR STARTED TO BEHAVE ERRATICALLY, WINDSHIELD WIPERS STARTING BY THEMSELVES, RADIO TURNING ON AND OFF, NOISE IN THE BACK OF THE CAR ( EITHER SPEAKERS OR ELECTRIC). DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSIS IDENTIFIED THE CONNECTOR ON POWER CABLE BETWEEN THE BATTERY AND THE ENGINE AS THE CAUSE OF THE TOTAL POWER LOSS. THE CABLE CONNECTOR APPEARS TO BE ALMOST ENTIRELY CORRODED. INCIDENTALLY THIS VERY CABLE WAS SUBJECT OF BMW VOLUNTARY RECALL BUT ONLY FOR VEHICLES MANUFACTURED AFTER 2007 ( RCDNN-13V044-8968(1).PDF ). THOUGH IN MY CASE IT APPEARS TO BE THE OTHER END OF THE SAME CABLE THAT IS OUTSIDE OF THE CAR BODY, EXPOSED TO CORROSION. THE PART NUMBER CABLE SUBJECT OF THE RECALL APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN INSTALLED ALSO ON 2005 AND 2006 BMW 3XX MODELS THOUGH THEY WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL.

THE PASSENGER AIRBAGS AND/OR ITS COMPONENTS NEED TO BE REPLACED. THERE WAS A 10 YEAR EXTENDED WARRANTY BUT IT SHOULD BE RECALLED. I WAS 1 MONTH LATE OVER THE RECALL. AFTER MULTIPLE CALLS TO BMW NORTH AMERICA, THEY REFUSE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. EVERY TIME A PASSENGER SITS IN THE CAR, THE AIR BAG ERROR CODE GOES ON IN THE DASHBOARD. THE PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF LIGHT STAYS ON (STATIONARY AND MOVING) AND POSSIBLY COMPROMISING ALL OTHER AIRBAG SYSTEMS. ALSO, THERE ARE SOME SITUATIONS WHERE THE AIR BAG ERROR CODE STAYS ON EVEN WHEN THE PASSENGER EXITS THE VEHICLE. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD THAT NEEDS TO BE RECALLED IMMEDIATELY!

PASSENGER SIDE SEAT OCCUPANCY MAT HAS FAILED AND NEEDS REPLACEMENT ACCORDING TO THE DEALER. CAR HARDLY EVER HAS A PASSENGER YET MAT DETERIORATED. THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE FOR SAME MODEL YEAR BUT MY VIN IS NOT INCLUDED AND MORE THAN LIKELY SHOULD BE.

FOUND OUT TODAY, AFTER MAY ATTEMPTS TO RESOLVE A NOISE IN THE FRONT END. THE RIGHT FRONT MOTOR MOUNTS BOLTS HAD BROKEN, CAUSING THE ENGINE TO MOVE VERY FREELY INSIDE THE ENGINE. THIS WAS ONLY FOUND OUT AFTER A COMPLETE RIGHT FROM DRIVE AXLE FAILURE DUE TOT HE POSITION OF THE ENGINE CAUSING THE CV BOOT TO RUB THE SUB FRAME. THIS CAUSED A COMPLETE LOSS OF CV GREASE, AND SUBSEQUENT FAILURE OF THE CV JOINT. THE CV JOINT THEN PROCEED TO GRENADE WHILE DRIVING OVER SOME RAIL ROAD TRACKS. THE OUTER AXLE THEN DROVE ITSELF INTO THE GROUND CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO RISE, AND LOSS OF CONTROL FOR A BRIEF MOMENT. THE CAR CAR TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGASTION I FOUND THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT WITHT HE MOTOR MOUNT BOLTS SHEERING OFF FLUSH TO THE ENGINE.

AFTER WORK YESTERDAY WHEN I TRIED TO START MY CAR, THE YELLOW LOCKED STEERING LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR WOULD NOT START. AFTER I JERKED ON THE STEERING WHEEL, THE LIGHT WENT OFF AND THE CAR STARTED. WHILE ON MY WAY HOME, ON THE HIGHWAY, THE STEERING LOCKED AGAIN AND THE RED LIGHT CAME ON. I WAS GOING ABOUT 75 MPH AT THIS TIME. I HIT THE CLUTCH AND BRAKES AND JERKED THE WHEEL AGAIN CAUSING IT TO RELEASE. LUCKILY IT WAS NOT RUSH HOUR. IT HAS BEEN PARKED EVER SINCE. IT HAS 114K MILES.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 325XI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. IN ADDITION, THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WOULD NOT ACTIVATE WHEN THE PASSENGER SEAT WAS OCCUPIED. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V564000 (AIR BAGS). THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT, IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE AIR BAGS WOULD POSSIBLY NOT DEPLOY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.