2009 BMW 328I Complaints

I TOOK MY CAR INTO EASTBAY BMW FOR A LIGHTBULB CHANGE (A TAIL/BRAKELIGHT) AND THE TECHNICIAN NOTICED THE HOUSING OF THE TAILLIGHT IS MELTING ON BOTH SIDES, NOT JUST THE ONE THAT NEEDED A LIGHT BULB CHANGE. HE MENTIONED IT WAS PART OF A RECALL AND THEN THE REPRESENTATIVE SAID, THAT MY CAR WASN'T INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. BMW HAS STATED THAT IT PROBABLY ISN'T THE LIGHT BULB AND THAT EVEN THOUGH THIS ISN'T SOMETHING THAT I HAVE CAUSED, THAT THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE. THEY AGREED THAT THIS IS A FAULTY PART, BUT IS NOT COVERED UNDER ANY RECALL OR WARRANTY. BMW OFFERED TO PAY HALF THE REPAIRS WHICH MY RESPONSIBILITY IS $475, WHICH SEEMS LIKE THEY ARE ADMITTING SOME FAULT IN THE MATTER. I HAVE CALLED BMW CUSTOMER RELATIONS AND THE REPRESENTATIVE [XXX] SAID SHE ISN'T WILLING TO ESCALATE THE ISSUE BECAUSE SHE KNOWS IT WON'T GO ANYWHERE. IN ADDITION, I DID SOME RESEARCH AND THERE WERE OVER 241,000 BMW'S RECALLED FOR THIS SAME REASON THAT THE CARS WERE OLDER THAN MINE AND OUT OF WARRANTY. SINCE THIS IS OCCURRING ON BOTH SIDES AND NOT JUST ONE, IT SEEMS THAT PART, THE ELECTRICAL RECEPTACLE IS PRODUCING TOO MUCH HEAT ON BOTH SIDES AND THEREFORE MELTING THE TAILLIGHT WHICH IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE CONSIDERED PART OF ANOTHER RECALL & THEREFORE FIXED AT NO COST TO THE CONSUMER. THANK YOU. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* I WAS DRIVING ON WHEN MY CAR CAUGHT FIRE. THE FIRE BROKE OUT INSIDE THE CABIN, DIRECTLY BEHIND THE REAR PASSENGER-SIDE SEAT. I BELIEVE THIS FIRE COULD HAVE BEEN EASILY AVOIDED IF THE SONNEN BMW SERVICE DEPARTMENT HAD PERFORMED THEIR JOB MORE DILIGENTLY. A WEEK BEFORE THE FIRE, I BEGAN TO SMELL A BURNING RUBBER ODOR WHEN I TURNED ON MY HEATER/DEFROSTER. I IMMEDIATELY DROVE THE CAR TO SONNEN BMW. THE SERVICE ADVISOR RESPONDED THAT IT WAS NOT BMW'S PROBLEM. I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK INTO BMW FOR SERVICE. I ALSO MENTIONED REPEATEDLY THAT I SMELLED BURNING RUBBER WHENEVER I TURNED ON THE HEATER/DEFROSTER. BMW KEPT THE CAR FOR A WEEK. APPARENTLY, BECAUSE I MENTIONED THE HEATER, BMW GOT FIXATED ON LOOKING FOR THE PROBLEM WITHIN THE HEATING DUCTS AND NEVER THOUGHT TO CHECK THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. AFTER HAVING THE CAR FOR A WEEK, THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD DETERMINED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE ODOR WAS A LEAF THAT HAD GOTTEN SUCKED INTO THE BLOWER ASSEMBLY. THEY CHARGED ME $320 TO OPEN THE ASSEMBLY AND CLEAN OUT THE LEAVES. WHEN I PICKED UP THE CAR I INSISTED TO SPEAKING WITH ONE OF THE SERVICE MANAGERS, AS THIS MADE NO SENSE TO ME. I POINTED OUT THAT BURNING LEAVES DO NOT SMELL LIKE BURNING RUBBER, AND I DOUBTED THIS WAS THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. THE SERVICE MANAGER INSISTED THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO FIND ANYTHING ELSE WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE AND THAT, AFTER CLEANING OUT THE BLOWER ASSEMBLY, THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE ISSUE. IT IS APPARENT TO ME THAT BMW NEVER ONCE TURNED ON THE DEFROSTER DURING THE WHOLE TIME THEY HAD THE CAR'EVEN THOUGH I INDICATED THAT THIS WAS PART OF THE ISSUE. IF THEY HAD, THEY WOULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY REPLICATED THE ISSUE AND KNOWN THAT IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH LEAVES IN THE BLOWER. RATHER THEN APOLOGIZING, THE ASSISTANT MANAGER IMMEDIATELY TRIED TO SHIFT THE BLAME BE STATING THAT WE TOLD THEM THE ODOR WAS COMING FROM THE HEATING DUCTS.

TL - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BMW 328 CONV. THE CONTACT STATED THAT BURNING FUMES WERE EMITTED INTO THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE WIRES CONNECTED TO THE A/C HEATER BLOWER AND FUSES BOX WERE BURNING CAUSING IT TO MALFUNCTIONED. AS A RESULT RESULT, THE A/C HEATER BLOWER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 100,000. PM

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BMW 328I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER ACTIVATING THE RIGHT TURN SIGNAL LIGHT, THE LIGHT BEGAN FLASHING ABNORMALLY FAST. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE BULBS BUT IT FAILED TO REMEDY THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 43,000. UPDATED 11/19/13*LJ

LEDS FAILING IN TAIL LIGHT TURN SIGNAL. NON-CONSUMER REPLACEABLE. $350 PART. BMW ISSUED SERVICE BULLETIN TO REPLACE UNDER WARRANTY, BUT NOT OUT OF WARRANTY. THEIR SIB630610. *TR

I HAD A LOW BATTERY ISSUE ON MY 2009 BMW 328I ABOUT 3 MONTHS AFTER I HAD IT SERVICED FOR A BATTERY CABLE RECALL AT MOTORWERKS BMW DEALER IN BLOOMINGTON, MN. MOTORWERKS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ALTERNATOR WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I HAD TIRES PLUS REPLACED THE ALTERNATOR AND BATTERY FOR HALF THE PRICE COMPARED TO MOTORWERKS. UNFORTUNATELY, THE AFTERMARKET ALTERNATOR THAT TIRES PLUS INSTALLED CAUSED MY CAR TO OVER HEAT BECAUSE IT WAS OVER CHARGING. I EVENTUALLY TOOK MY CAR BACK TO MOTORWERKS TO REPLACE THE ALTERNATOR AND BATTERY. I EMAILED THE SERVICE CONSULTANT IF IT WAS NORMAL FOR THE ORIGINAL ALTERNATOR TO MALFUNCTION SO QUICKLY ON A 2009 BMW 328I. I ALSO INFORMED HIM THAT I HAD MY CAR SERVICED AT MOTORWERKS FOR A BATTERY CABLE RECALL IN MARCH 2013 AND ASKED HIM IF IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT THE ORIGINAL ALTERNATOR ISSUE WAS RELATED WITH FIXING THE BATTERY CABLE. HE STRANGELY HAS NOT ANSWERED MY QUESTION WHICH MAKES ME WONDER IF THEY ARE NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ORIGINAL BAD ALTERNATOR IF IT WAS RELATED TO THE BATTERY CABLE RECALL SERVICE. I'M ALSO WONDERING IF OTHER 2009 3 SERIES BMW OWNERS HAD A LOW BATTERY ISSUE DUE TO A BAD ALTERNATOR AFTER HAVING THEIR CARS SERVICED FOR THE BATTERY CABLE RECALL IN MARCH 2013. IF THE ORIGINAL ALTERNATOR ISSUE IS FOUND TO BE RELATED WHILE SERVICING THE BATTERY CABLE RECALL THEN I WOULD LIKE TO GET A FULL REFUND FOR THEIR SERVICE ON MY NEW ALTERNATOR AND BATTERY. THANK FOR TAKING THE TIME TO INVESTIGATE MY CAR ISSUE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING AT ABOUT 26MPH, I HEARD AND FELT TWO LOUD CRACKS ON MY LEFT SIDE OF THE CAR. IMMEDIATELY AFTER, MY CAR SLOUCHED ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE, THE VEHICLE STOPPED SUDDENLY AND BOTH AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. I WAS KNOCKED OUT FOR A WHILE AND WHEN THE AUTHORITIES ARRIVED, WE INVESTIGATED THE AREA AND NOTICED THAT THERE WAS NO COLLISION WITH ANYTHING OR ANYONE, OTHER THAN BOTH OF MY TWO LEFT-SIDE RIMS WERE CRACKED RADIALLY AND THERE WAS DAMAGE TO THE SUSPENSION. IN ADDITION, THE AUTHORITIES CONFIRMED THERE WERE NO POTHOLES, OBSTACLES, OR ANY OTHER OBJECT THAT COULD HAVE PRODUCED THE INCIDENT. *TR

I HAD A TIRE WITH LOW PRESSURE. TOOK CAR IN TO REPLACE TIRES. TIRE SERVICE STATION ATTENDANT REFUSED TO MOUNT THE NEW TIRES DUE TO CRACKS IN THREE OF THE WHEELS. I HAVE NEVER HIT A POT HOLE NOR DRIVEN ON ROUGH PAVEMENT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BMW 328I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 26 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WERE BLINKING AND THE BRAKES SEIZED. THE FRONT PASSENGER AND DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAGS THEN INADVERTENTLY DEPLOYED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP AND THE MECHANIC PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE BUT NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 62,000.

I WAS DRIVING SOUTH ON RTE 495 IN MA IN THE LEFT LANE AND HAD JUST PASSED THE EXIT RAMP TO RTE 3 WHEN THE CAR SEIZED AND DRAMATICALLY SLOWED DOWN, I WAS GOING 70-75 MPH WITH OTHER CARS BEHIND AND NEXT TO ME GOING THE SAME SPEED. IT'S ONLY DUE TO THE ALERTNESS OF THE DRIVER BEHIND ME THAT BOTH OF US ARE NOT DEAD. HE SWERVED INTO THE MIDDLE LANE AND WENT BY ME. AFTER THAT I CROSSED THREE LINES OF TRAFFIC GOING AT 10-20 MPH ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY. I SURVIVED THE EXPERIENCE, BUT I FEEL IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO REPORT THIS INCIDENT AND HOPEFULLY SAVE THE LIFE OF SOMEBODY ELSE IN THE FUTURE IF BMW CAN BE COMPELLED TO FIX THEIR FUEL PUMP ISSUE ON THE 328I. I CALLED BMW AS I WAS WAITING FOR A TOW AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE'S A RECALL ON THE 335'S FUEL PUMP, BUT NOT ON THE 328I. I BELIEVE ONLY A DEATH WILL COMPEL THEM TO TAKE ACTION. AS FOR ME, I PAID THE BMW DEALERSHIP IN SUDBURY, MA $800 TO REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP AND DROVE THE CAR STRAIGHT TO A MAZDA DEALERSHIP AND TRADED IT FOR A CX-5 BECAUSE I BELIEVE THE BMW IS UNSAFE AND A POSSIBLE DEATH TRAP. *TR