2007 BMW 328I Complaints

I TOOK THE CAR INTO THE SHOP FOR A BATTERY CHANGE AND UPON PICKING UP THE CAR THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT WARNING LIGHT WENT ON. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE SHOP AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS CON-INCIDENTAL THAT IT HAPPENED ON THAT DAY AND WOULD COST OVER $1000 TO FIX. I GOT A SECOND OPINION AND WAS TOLD BY DEALERSHIP THAT THE MAT SENSOR IS BROKE AND MAY DEPLOY IN ACCIDENT WHETHER OR NOT SOMEONE IS SITTING IN THE SEAT. I LOOKED ON THE INTERNET AND SAW THAT A RECALL WAS ISSUED BY YOU FOR MODELS 2006 AND EARLIER FOR THE SAME ISSUE. AFTER SPEAKING WITH BMW CORPORATE, I WAS TOLD TO REGISTER A COMPLAINT WITH YOU THAT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO UNLESS THE NHTSA ISSUES A RECALL. *TR

STEERING WHEEL LOCK DISPLAYED ON CAR DASH BOARD. IT WILL NOT START AND CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. I HAVE FOUND SEVERAL COMPLAINTS OF THIS SAME ISSUE ONLINE. BMW NEEDS TO PAY FOR THIS ISSUE I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER BMW THE REST OF MY LIFE. PLEASE CHECK INTO THIS. *TR

STEERING WHEEL LOCKED WILE DRIVING - VERY SIMILAR TO NHTSA CASE # 10194169. MY DAUGHTER WAS TURNING RIGHT INTO A PARKING LOT WHEN SHE NOTICED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL CAME TO A HARD STOP. WHEN SHE REALIZED THAT SHE WOULD NOT MAKE THE TURN, SHE TRIED TO TURN IT BACK TO THE LEFT BUT IT IMMEDIATELY LOCKED HARD IN PLACE. SHE PULLED FORWARD IN THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL AND WAS ABLE TO STOP IN THE GRASS ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. AFTER SHE STOPPED SHE NOTICED THAT THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" WARNING MESSAGE WAS ILLUMINATED. SHE THEN TURNED THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON AND EVERYTHING WORKED NORMALLY AND SHE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR ABOUT A MILE TO THE HOUSE. WE HAD IT TOWED TO THE LOCAL BMW DEALER - THE DEALER KEPT THE CAR FOR 3 DAYS WHERE THEY REVIEWED FAULT CODES (FOUND NONE), TRIED TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM (COULD NOT DUPLICATE), AND TOOK THE STEERING COLUMN APART (BUT FOUND NO PROBLEM). THE DEALER DID IMPLEMENT NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 13V044000, BUT SAID THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF A PROBLEM WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. NEEDLESS TO SAY I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT MY DAUGHTER DRIVING THIS VEHICLE, BUT HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE AT THE TIME. CAN THE NHTSA PROVIDE ANY FURTHER ASSISTANCE WITH THIS SITUATION. *TR

I'M A RETIRED U.S. NAVAL OFFICER WHO CURRENTLY WORKS IN FORT DETRICK, MARYLAND. I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING AT ABOUT 45 MPH ON A BUSY RUSH HOUR FREEWAY IN I-270 NORTH. IMMEDIATELY I TURNED ON THE EMERGENCY LIGHTS AND MADE EVERY EFFORT TO MAKE IT TO THE LEFT SHOULDER WITH A STALLED (DEAD) ENGINE. THE CAR BEHIND ME IMMEDIATELY NOTICED THE PROBLEM AND SLOWED DOWN, AS WELL AS THE OTHER CARS BEHIND HIM. MY CAR CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP WITH HALF OF THE BODY STILL IN THE FREEWAY. I WAS SHAKING DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS, BUT WHEN I SHIFTED THE GEAR TO "PARK" AND PUSHED THE "START" BUTTON, IMMEDIATELY THE CAR STARTED WITH NO PROBLEM AT ALL. ON A SEPARATE OCCASION ABOUT FOUR MONTHS AGO, MY SON WAS DRIVING THE CAR ON A ONE-LANE ROAD AT ABOUT 30 MPH. WITHOUT WARNING THE ENGINE STALLED AGAIN AND THERE WASN'T ANY SHOULDER HE CAN SAFELY TURN TO BECAUSE OF A CONCRETE PAVEMENT. THE CARS BEHIND STOPPED TO HELP HIM MOVE TO THE SIDE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, BUT WHEN HE SHIFTED TO "PARK" AND PUSHED "START", THE CAR IMMEDIATELY STARTED WITHOUT ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. I AM FILING THIS COMPLAINT DUE TO THE RECENT RECALL YOU HAVE IDENTIFIED FOR BMW 3-SERIES 2007 COUPE. BMW WILL NOT FIX MY PROBLEM EVEN THOUGH IT IS VERY IDENTICAL TO THE NHTSA'S IDENTIFIED RECALL, DUE TO THE REASON THAT MY CAR WAS MANUFACTURED ON NOVEMBER 6, 2006 AND DID NOT MEET THE RECALL REQUIREMENT OF MARCH 2007 THROUGH JULY 2011. THEY WANT ME TO PAY FOR THE EXPENSIVE REPAIR. I AM ASKING FOR YOUR HELP IN EXTENDING THE DATES TO COVER MY CAR (IT WAS ON IT'S VERY EARLY STAGE OF PRODUCTION). MY CAR HAS NOT BEEN MODIFIED AT ALL AND IS STILL ALL ORIGINAL SPECIFICATION. I'M NOT SURE WHEN THE NEXT OCCURENCE MAY HAPPEN. IF IT INVOLVES A FAST FREEWAY COMMUTE, THERE IS A VERY BIG POSSIBILITY THAT OUR LIVES COULD BE IN DANGER. I NEED YOUR HELP FOR OUR SAFETY AND WILL NOT BUY BMW ANYMORE. *TR

I PURCHASED MY BMW IN GERMANY!!! THERE WAS A RECALL FOR 2006 (I DRIVE A 2007) MODELS OF THIS VEHICLE FOR THE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR MAT IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. WHEN THIS MAT BECOMES DEFECTIVE, IT DISABLES AIRBAG SYSTEMS IN THE VEHICLES. THIS HAS BEEN A KNOWN PROBLEM SINCE 2008 (WHEN THE RECALL WAS ISSUED), HOWEVER THESE CARS WERE PRODUCED FROM 2006-2008+ BEFORE THE RECALL WAS ISSUED. THE RECALL ONLY COVERS 2006 MODELS WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS. IF THE SAME EXACT VEHICLE CONTINUES TO BE PRODUCED WITH THE SAME DEFECTIVE PART THAT HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM, BUT YOU ONLY COVER ONE YEAR OF IT BEING PRODUCED WHEN THERE WERE THREE, WHAT GOOD IS THAT? WHY IS IT THAT I HAVE TO DRIVE AROUND IN A CAR THAT HAS A KNOWN DEFECTIVE AIRBAG SYSTEM BECAUSE OF THE DEFECTIVE DETECTION MAT AND BET ON MY LUCK THAT I DON'T GET IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT AND BE CAUGHT WITH NO AIR BAGS FOR SAFETY. THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM... *TR

THE PASSENGER SIDE OCCUPANCY SENSOR IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND I BELIEVE THAT THE WARRANTY EXTENSION HAS NOT COVERED ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES. MY BMW 2007 328 CONVERTIBLE HAS THE IDENTICAL PROBLEM AS IDENTIFIED BELOW. I HAVE REPAIRED IT AND IT HAS CONTINUED TO MALFUNCTION NUMEROUS TIMES SINCE, WHILE DRIVING AND WHILE STOPPED, CREATING A SAFETY ISSUE FOR ANYONE IN THE PASSENGER SIDE SHOULD THERE BE AN ACCIDENT. I BELIEVE THIS FAULTY PART MUST HAVE BEEN USED IN MY 2007 328 CONVERTIBLE. AUGUST 2008 -- BMW IS RECALLING 200,000 MY 2006 3 SERIES (SPORT SEAT), MY 2004-2006 5 SERIES (STANDARD AND SPORT SEAT), AND MY 2004-2006 X3 PASSENGER VEHICLES. A FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT CAN OCCUR. IF THIS HAPPENS, THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAGS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE HEAD PROTECTION SYSTEM, WILL BE DEACTIVATED AND THE AIR BAG WARNING LAMP AS WELL AS THE PASSENGER AIR BAG "ON-OFF" LAMP WILL BE ILLUMINATED. IN THIS SITUATION THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY EVEN IF A SUFFICIENTLY SEVERE ACCIDENT WOULD OCCUR AND OCCUPANT PROTECTION PROVIDED BY THE SYSTEM WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE. BMW WILL ALSO EXTEND THE WARRANTY ON THESE VEHICLES TO 10 YEARS FROM FIRST REGISTRATION WITHOUT ANY MILEAGE LIMIT. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-525-7417. BMW IS EXTENDING THE WARRANTY TO 10 YEARS FROM FIRST REGISTRATION WITHOUT ANY MILEAGE LIMIT TO THE FOLLOWING VEHICLES: MY 2006 6-SERIES, 3-SERIES (STANDARD SEAT), MY 2004-2005 Z4, MY 2004-2006 7-SERIES, MY 2006 X5, AND MY 2004-2006 5-SERIES (COMFORT SEAT). UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY PROGRAM, THE OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT IN A VEHICLE THAT EXPERIENCES THIS SPECIFIC ISSUE WILL BE REPLACED AT NO CHARGE TO THE CUSTOMER. THIS RECALL WAS THE SUBJECT OF AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS, EA08-001, CONDUCTED BY THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION. 08V384. *TR

THE VEHICLE ENGINE SHUT-OFFS IN MOTION. THE FIRST OCCURRENCE, THE VEHICLE WAS GOING 15MPH & THE ENGINE FAILED WHILE TURNING INTO A BLOCK (RESIDENTIAL AREA), AFTER IDLING ROUGH AND HIGH PITCH NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE 2ND OCCURRENCE, THE ENGINE FAILED AFTER EXITING THE FREEWAY. THAT TIME, THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED ON A HILL WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE 3RD TIME, THE VEHICLE WAS AT A STOP WHEN THE ENGINE FAILED. ONCE THE FAILURE OCCURRED, THE VEHICLE WAS PLACE IN PARK MODE & RE-STARTED. THE ENGINE STARTED AGAIN & THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN HOME. NOTE: SINCE JANUARY 2012, THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE BMW SERVICE DEPARTMENT SEVERAL TIMES FOR IDLING ROUGH AND HIGH PITCH NOISE FROM ENGINE COMPLAINTS. THE ISSUE NOW HAS PROGRESS TO ENGINE FAILURE IN MOTION. *TR

WENT TO UNLOCK DOORS WITH KEY FOB. ALL UNLOCKED BUT DRIVERS DOOR. HAD TO USE MANUAL KEY. ONCE INSIDE, RELOCKED DOORS AND THEN COULD NOT OPEN DRIVERS DOOR. ONLY WAY TO OPEN DRIVERS DOOR IS WITH MANUAL KEY FROM OUTSIDE. HUGE SAFETY ISSUE BMW! AND APPARENTLY A WELL KNOWN ONE. *TR

I JUST DISCOVERED THAT THE LEFT REAR RIM ON MY 2007 BMW 328 CONVERTIBLE IS CRACKED. MY CAR HAS LESS THAN 38K MILES ON IT. THE TIRES ARE 225/45 17' RUN-FLATS. I HAD FOUR NEW TIRES PUT ON ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO. I GOT THE LOW TIRE PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT ABOUT A WEEK AGO WHEN I STARTED THE CAR. I CHECKED, DIDN'T NOTICE ANYTHING, AND RESET THE TPM SUCCESSFULLY. SINCE IT WAS A COLD MORNING, I FIGURED THE SENSOR WAS JUST REACTING TO PRESSURE CHANGE DUE TO THE TEMPERATURE CHANGE. A FEW DAYS LATER, IT CAME AGAIN. I DECIDED TO CHECK, AND FOUND THE PRESSURE WAS DOWN TO ABOUT 25 PSI. I FILLED THE TIRE TO RECOMMENDED PSI. I DROVE ABOUT 260 MILES ON SUNDAY, MOSTLY FREEWAY SPEEDS. WHEN I WAS ABOUT 30 MILES FROM HOME, THE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. AT THAT TIME I WAS ON A FREEWAY, GOING ABOUT 70 MPH. ONCE I GOT TO HOME, I FILLED THE TIRE (AGAIN IT WAS ABOUT 25 PSI), AND THE WARNING STOPPED. YESTERDAY THE LIGHT CAME ON, AND I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL TIRE SHOP. THEY DIDN'T FIND A PUNCTURE; BUT REMOUNTED IT AND FILLED IT. I DROVE HOME, AND A FEW HOURS LATER, THE WARNING CAME ON AGAIN. THIS MORNING, I TOOK IT BACK TO THE SHOP, AND THEY AGAIN REMOVED THE TIRE. THIS TIME THEY DID A VERY CLOSE INSPECTION AND FOUND THE CRACK IN THE RIM. THEY ARE ORDERING ME A REPLACEMENT RIM. FROM WHAT I HAVE SEEN ON THE INTERNET, THERE SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH THE BMW RIMS AND RUN-FLAT TIRES. THIS IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE, IF THE RIM WOULD HAVE A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE WHILE THE CAR WAS TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THIS COULD BE DEADLY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 BMW 328I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, THE VEHICLE STARTED AND OPERATED AS DESIGNED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED ONCE BEFORE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED NO CAUSE FOR FAILURE COULD BE FOUND. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE 54,000.