2009 BMW 328I Complaints

DRIVING ALONG AT 80 MPH ON THE EXPRESSWAY IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, HEADING INTO A CURVE. CRUISE CONTROL WAS ACTIVATED, SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, AND CAR SHUTOFF. WAS ABLE TO ACTIVATE HAZARDS AND MANEUVER BETWEEN THE CAR AND SEMI NEXT TO ME TO GET TO RIGHT SHOULDER. (DITCH ON LEFT SIDE) ONCE SAFELY OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TRIED TO RESTART AND CAR CRANKED BUT DID NOT START. JUST HAD FUEL PUMP REPLACED 6 WEEKS AGO FOR SAME CRANKING, BUT NOT STARTING BEHAVIOR. BMW HAS CONFIRMED THE NEW HPFP THEY PUT IN 6 WEEKS AGO FAILED.

WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN, TO PROCEED UP THE STREET LEAVING WORK, SEVERAL MALFUNCTION LIGHTS DISPLAYED ON THE DASH AND THAN MY CAR SHUTS DOWN COMPLETELY; NO INSIDE NOR OUTSIDE LIGHTS (IT WAS DARK OUTSIDE), NO DINGS OR ANYTHING. I THOUGHT MAYBE I NEEDED A JUMP. CALLED A CO-WORKER BEFORE HE LEFT WORK, WHOM ALSO HAS A BMW. HE SAID IT WAS NOT A JUMP I NEEDED AND PROCEEDED TO GO IN THE TRUNK TO LOCATE MY BATTERY. AS SOON AS HE WAS ABLE TO REMOVE THE PLASTIC SCREWS AND WIGGLE THE PANEL, TRYING TO GET IT FROM UNDER THE WALL PANELS THAT WAS HOLDING IT IN PLACE, ALL MY LIGHTS CAME BACK ON. HOWEVER, A RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION LIGHT REMAINED ON THE DASH. THANK GOD I WAS DRIVING AT A LOW SPEED AND ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET, NO CARS AROUND ME NOR HAD I MADE IT TO THE HWY TO HEAD HOME, SOME 30 MINUTE RIDE. I DON'T WANT TO THINK OF WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED! THE RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION IS SAID TO HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE PASSENGER SIDE AND THE AIRBAG. I FEEL I AM DRIVING IN A VERY UNSAFE HIGH COSTING VEHICLE, AND EITHER WAY, I, MY PASSENGER OR SOMEONE ELSE COULD SERIOUSLY GET HURT WITH THIS CAR ON THE ROAD WITH THESE ISSUES.

VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED USED FROM DEALER WITH FAULTY RIGHT REAR TURN SIGNAL. UPON RESEARCHING, THERE IS A TSB ON THIS ISSUE AND MODELS BUILT PRIOR TO MINE WERE THE SUBJECT OF A RECALL. THIS IS A RECURRING ISSUE ON THIS MODEL AND IT IS AFFECTING VEHICLES MANUFACTURED AFTER BMW CLAIMS TO HAVE FIXED THE ISSUE, RESULTING IN UNDUE HARDSHIP TO OWNERS. THE REPLACEMENT PART, WHICH BMW WON'T MAKE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE, HAS TO BE REPLACED BY THE DEALER AT A COST OF OVER $500 ON AVERAGE.

BOLT SECURING SERPENTINE BELT TENSIONER ASSEMBLY AGAINST ENGINE BLOCK BROKE OFF . THE BELT TENSIONER ASSEMBLY ALSO BROKE. THE SERPENTINE BELT COMPLETELY CAME OFF RENDERING VEHICLE UNDRIVEABLE. HAPPENED WHEN VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO REPAIR SHOP.

I HAD JUST LEFT HOME AND HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR FEW MINUTES. WAS WAITING ON TOP OF A SMALL HILL AT A STOP LIGHT AND STARTED TO ACCELERATE WHEN IT TURNED GREEN. THAT IS WHEN THE CAR TURNED OFF AND STARTED TO ROLL BACKWARD DOWN A HILL. HAD TO PUT ON EMERGENCY BRAKE AND TRIED TO TURN ON THE CAR BUT NOTHING HAPPENED. SO HAD TO CRUISE BACKWARDS TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. POWER STEERING WAS NOT WORKING AND WAS DIFFICULT TO STEER. AFTER WATING 10 MINUTES TRIED TO RESTART CAR AGAIN AND IT TURNED ON. BROUGHT THE CAR IN TO THE BMW DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THEY COULD FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. NOW 4 MONTHS LATER MY CAR IS NOT WORKING AT ALL.

BATTERY AND STARTER ALL CHECKED OUT. BUT BREAK PEDAL STIFFENS UP AND CAR WILL NOT START. I HAVE READ ON INTERNET AND WATCHED A FEW VIDEOS ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM. HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE TO SUFFER AND PAY FOR BMWS PROBLEMS.

PASSENGER AIRBAG AND SEATBELT LIGHT CAME ON. IT STILL ON WHETHER THERE IS SOMEONE ON THE PASSENGER SEAT OR NOT.

THE FRONT RIGHT PASSENGER AIR BAG AND SEAT BELT WARNING LIGHTS ARE ON, INDICATING THAT THE PASSENGER AIR BAG AND SEAT BELT WAS NOT USED. THIS OCCURRED EVEN WHEN PASSENGER SEAT WAS OCCUPIED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THIS FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,000. THIS IS UNSAFE... THE PASSENGER SEAT IS OCCUPIED. BMW NEED A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM.

THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN WHILE DRIVING IN TRAFFIC. ONLY AFTER DISENGAGING THE KEY AND WAITING ABOUT 30 MINUTES, THE VEHICLE CAN START UP AGAIN. IF THE PROBLEM IS NOT ADDRESSED, THIS EVENT WILL HAPPEN WITHIN ABOUT A DAY TO A WEEK. I DROVE THE VEHICLE DAILY ON MY COMMUTE TO WORK. THIS PROBLEM HAS ALWAYS OCCURRED ON MY RETURN TRIP IN THE AFTERNOON. THE ERROR CODES THAT SHOWED UP WERE: A GENERIC CODE FOR THE FUEL PUMP, FUEL MODULE CONTROL VOLTAGE TOO HIGH, AND FUEL MODULE CONTROL CURRENT TOO LOW. AFTER TWO TRIPS TO WEATHERFORD BMW, THE PROBLEM WAS TENTATIVELY SOLVED. ON MY FIRST VISIT, THEY MISDIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM TO BE THAT THE FUEL MODULE CONTROL VOLTAGE WAS OUT OF CALIBRATION. THEY SUPPOSEDLY RECALIBRATED IT, TEST DROVE IT, AND SOLVED THE PROBLEM. THEY CHARGED ME THE $210 DIAGNOSTIC FEE BECAUSE THEY CLAIMED THIS WAS NOT A WARRANTY ISSUE. HOWEVER, THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED THE NEXT DAY ON MY AFTERNOON COMMUTE. AFTER BRINGING MY CAR BACK TO THEM. THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM TO BE A FAULTY FUEL PUMP CONTROL MODULE (EKPS MODULE). THE REPAIR WAS COVERED UNDER THE SULEV WARRANTY FOR BMW VEHICLES WITH THE N51 ENGINE. THEY DID NOT CHARGE ME THIS TIME, BUT THEY REFUSED TO CREDIT THE CHARGE ON MY FIRST VISIT, SAYING THAT THEY WOULD HAVE HAD TO RECALIBRATE THE VOLTAGE ANYWAY. I CONTENDED THAT THE FAULTY MODULE CAUSED THE VOLTAGE TO BE OUT OF CALIBRATION AND THAT A FUNCTIONAL REPLACEMENT MODULE WOULD HAVE BROUGHT THE VOLTAGE BACK WITHIN SPECIFICATION, AND THAT IF THEY HAD JUST REPLACED THE MODULE ON MY FIRST VISIT THAT THEY WOULD NOT HAVE HAD TO RECALIBRATE THE VOLTAGE. HOWEVER, WEATHERFORD BMW INSISTED ON NOT REFUNDING THE CHARGE FOR THE FIRST VISIT, AND I HAVE FILED A CLAIM WITH MY CREDIT CARD COMPANY TO DISPUTE THE CHARGE.

THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED BUT STILL RUNNING. AN ERROR MESSAGE "FUEL PUMP FAILURE" POPPED UP ON SCREEN AND THE "CHECK ENGINE LIGHT" TURNED ON; THE CAR TURNED OFF. THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO RESTART. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE LESS THAN TWO WEEKS PRIOR.