2009 BMW 328I Complaints

SOON AFTER PURCHASING MY 2009 BMW 328I (WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION), I HAD THE DEALER INSTALL BMW CUSTOMIZED 328I RUBBER FLOOR MATS. THE MATS HAVE A FITTED SLOT FOR THE GAS PEDAL AND ANCHORS TO PREVENT THEM FROM MOVING AFTER INSTALLATION. UNFORTUNATELY, THE LENGTH OF THE MAT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE IS TOO SHORT FOR A VEHICLE WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSION. WHEN YOU DEPRESS AND RELEASE THE CLUTCH, IT CATCHES THE TOP EDGE OF THE MAT AND LIFTS IT UP, COVERING THE CLUTCH AND THE BRAKE PEDAL. WHEN YOU PUT YOUR FOOT BACK DOWN, YOU END UP STEPPING ON THE MAT, PARTIALLY DEPRESSING THE BRAKE AND/OR CLUTCH WHILE THE CAR IS IN GEAR AND MOVING. I'VE TAKEN THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES TO HAVE THEM ADJUST THE INSTALLATION BUT THEY CAN ONLY MOVE IT A FEW INCHES BECAUSE OF THE GAS PEDAL SLOT, SO THE PROBLEM WASN'T FIXED. I DON'T DRIVE THIS VEHICLE VERY OFTEN BUT LAST MONTH (9/2012) I FINALLY GOT FED UP AND CONTACTED BMW TO LET THEM KNOW THEIR RUBBER MAT DESIGN HAS A SAFETY FLAW AND THAT I WAS FILING A COMPLAINT WITH NHTSA. THEY RECORDED MY COMPLAINT BUT SAID THERE WOULD BE NO ADDITIONAL FOLLOW-UP. SO, FOR SAFETY REASONS, I HAVE NOW REMOVED THE DRIVER'S MAT FROM THE VEHICLE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BMW 328I. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE AIR CONDITIONING UNIT ACTIVATED INDEPENDENTLY AND THE CONTACT COULD NOT TURN THE UNIT OFF MANUALLY. IN ADDITION, THE RADIO WOULD ACTIVATE WITHOUT ENGAGING THE CONTROL DEVICE. THE TRUNK LID OPENED INDEPENDENTLY ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS WHILE THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING. THE FAILURE RECURRED WHEN DRIVING AT ANY GIVEN SPEED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER EIGHT TIMES AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. MOST RECENTLY, THE COMPUTERIZED SYSTEM WAS UPDATED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED AFTER THE REPAIR. THE CONTACT WAS IN THE PROCESS OF TAKING THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000.

I BEGAN TO FEEL STRONG RAPID PULSATING AND AUDIBLE VIBRATIONS THROUGH STEERING WHEEL EVERY TIME WHEN I PARK THE CAR. ONCE I EXPERIENCED THE SAME WHILE DRIVING AT ABOUT 25 MPH WHILE MAKING LANE CHANGE TO THE RIGHT. AND THESE VIBRATIONS AND NOISE STILL CONTINUE TO BE FELT SINCE THEN. *TR

WHILE HAVING NEW TIRES INSTALLED, INSTALLER IDENTIFIED A CRACK IN THE RIM OF THE RIGHT REAR TIRE. TOLD ME HE HAD SEEN THIS ON SIMILAR BMWS BEFORE, TOLD ME TO RETURN IT TO DEALER RIGHT AWAY, WHICH I DID. *TR

2009 BMW 328I. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ISSUES WITH VEHICLE TIRES *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE CAME EQUIPPED WITH THE EXTRA COST SPORT PACKAGE WHICH INCLUDED 18 INCH SPORT WHEELS AND LOWER PROFILE TIRES THAN THE BASE CAR. THE TIRES WERE MICHELIN RUN FLAT TIRES WHICH WERE INSTALLED BY BMW SO THAT THEY COULD AVOID THE WEIGHT OF THE SPARE TIRE. THERE WAS NO SPARE TIRE, JACK, INFLATION DEVICE OR OTHER BACKUP. THE TIRES HAD ROUTINELY FAILED DUE TO AN INHERENT DEFECT, BEFORE THEIR NORMAL SERVICE LIFE WAS COMPLETE. THE TIRES FAILED IN AS LITTLE AS 8,00 MILES AND A COUPLE HAVE LASTED UNTIL THEY WERE AT 3/32, STILL BEFORE THE NORMAL SERVICE LIFE WAS COMPLETE. THE REASON FOR THE FAILURE, WAS DUE TO A SIDEWALL BULGE THAT DEVELOPED IN THE AREA BETWEEN THE TIRE BEAD AND THE SIDEWALL. AFTER THE BULGE BEGAN, A TEAR DEVELOPED AND AFTER THE TEAR BEGAN, THE TIRES AT THAT POINT OF THE BULGE BECAME UNSAFE TO DRIVE ON AT ANY SPEED. THE CONSUMER HAD TO REPLACE ALL FOUR TIRES AND THE RIGHT REAR TIRE TWICE. *JB

MAKE : 2009 BMW 328I SEDAN E36 PROBLEM : 11/11 : ENGINE STOP RUNNING, LOSE POWER ASSIST FOR STEERING AND BRAKES. TRIED TO RE-STARTED MY CAR BUT COULD NOT - LONG-CRANK ENGINE STARTING TIMES ALONG WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT. TOWED TO BMW OF SAN DIEGO. 1 WEEK REPAIR AND HAD BEEN TOLD FUEL PUMP MODULE NEED TO BE REPLACED. PAID $730.68 FOR REPLACEMENT. 01/12 : SAME PROBLEM - ENGINE STOP RUNNING, LOSE POWER, LONG-CRANK. TOWED TO BMW OF SAN DIEGO AGAIN. HAD BEEN TOLD FUEL PUMP BROKEN AND CAUSE FUEL PUMP MODULE BURNING. PAID AGAIN $7XX FOR REPLACEMENT FOR SAME PROBLEM. *TR

AFTER ONLY 16,000 MILES OF USE, THE WINDSHIELD FIRST APPEARED TO BE COMPLETELY "SANDBLASTED" WITH TINY INDENTATIONS. WHEN DRIVING INTO THE SUN THE GLARE BECOMES SO INTENSE THAT YOU CAN NO LONGER SEE THE ROAD. YOU EFFECTIVELY BECOME BLINDED AND CERTAINLY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO REACT TO AN EMERGENCY SITUATION. THE SAME SITUATION OCCURS AT NIGHT WHEN DRIVING TOWARDS ONCOMING HEADLIGHTS. THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE IS RARELY DRIVEN ON HIGHWAYS AND IS ALWAYS GARAGED. BMW DOES NOT CONSIDER THIS TO BE A SAFETY ISSUE, WILL NOT REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD UNDER WARRANTY AND CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT A REPLACEMENT WINDSHIELD WILL NOT PERFORM IN THE SAME MANNER.

I PURCHASED A 2009 BMW 238I. I TOOK IT TO GET AN OIL CHANGE ON 30 SEPT 11. I DROPPED IT OFF, GOT A LOANER, AND WENT TO WORK. BEFORE I DROPPED IT OFF THAT MORNING THE CAR RAN GREAT, IT HAD NO TICKING, NO ENGINE LIGHTS NOR LOSS OF POWER. I HADN'T HEARD FROM BMW SO I CALLED THEM, THEY SAID THAT THEY HAD TALKED TO BMW NA AND I NEED TO AGREE TO THEM REMOVING MY VALVE COVER, AT MY EXPENSE $700. I SAID THAT I ONLY WANTED AN OIL CHANGE. HE TOLD ME THEY TERMINATED MY WARRANTY. MY WARRANTY WAS FOR 4YR/50,000 MILES, IT HAD NOT EXPIRED. I WAS VERY UPSET AND MADE MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO CALL BMW NA AND THE SUPERVISOR TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO GO WITH WHAT THE SERVICE CENTER SAID AND THERE WAS NO ONE ELSE TO TALK TO. DISAPPOINTED, I PICKED MY CAR UP. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND WHILE I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY THE CAR MADE SOME LOUD TICKING NOISES AND THE CAR SEEMED TO BE EXPERIENCING SOME POWER LOSS, IN THE MIST OF HIGH TRAFFIC. I WAS IN THE MIDDLE LANE WHEN IT STARTED AND I IMMEDIATELY GOT OVER TO GOT OFF THE HIGHWAY. AND AS I PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY THE CAR SUDDENLY SHUT OFF (NO POWER), I BARELY MADE IT OFF THE ROAD. IT JUST SHUT OFF! I HAD TO CALL FOR A TOW. THAT WEEKEND THE CAR CRANKED UP AND IT SEEMED TO BE NOTHING WRONG. I TOOK IT AROUND THE BLOCK TO SEE IF IT WAS OKAY. THE TICKING RETURNED AND THE CAR SHUT OFF AGAIN AND I HAD TO COAST IT OFF THE ROAD ONTO CHURCH GROUNDS AND CALL A TOW TRUCK AGAIN. AND NOW IT WILL NOT CRANK AT ALL. THIS IS MY ONLY CAR AND I HAVE TO RENT A CAR. I DID SOME RESEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND SEVERAL RECALLS, FOR EXAMPLE: BMW HIGH-PRESSURE FUEL PUMP VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS RECALL AND VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS AND SAFETY RECALLS AND TONS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT SAFETY AND HOW BMW TERMINATES A LOT OF PEOPLE'S WARRANTIES PRIOR TO THEIR EXPIRATION DATE. BMW SEEMS TO BE PUTTING ALL OF OUR LIVES AT RISK AND TERMINATING WARRANTIES AT WILL. *TR