2007 BMW 328I Complaints

I WAS DRIVING THE CAR AND THE ELECTRONIC STEERING WHEEL LOCK ICON ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH PANEL. IT KEPT GIVING THE WARNING THAT THE STEERING WHEEL WILL LOCK AND IF I TURN THE CAR OFF, I WON'T BE ABLE TO CRANK IT. I DROVE IT FOR ABOUT TWO WEEKS. WHEN I TURNED THE CAR OFF, I COULD NOT CRANK IT BACK UP. I HAD TO HAVE THE STEERING COLUMN REPLACED AT MY LOCAL BMW REPAIR SHOP. I HAVE KNOWN OTHER BMW OWNER'S WHO SAYS THIS HAS HAPPENED TO THEM MORE THAN ONCE. I AM WONDERING IF THIS IS A DEFECT IN THE BMW 328I MODELS BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THE STEERING WHEEL COULD ALSO LOCK IF A PERSON WAS DRIVING, ALSO. *TR

BMW STEERING WHEEL LOCK CANT START VEHICLE LEAVES YOU STRANDED. HAD DEALER REPLACED ALREADY ONCE IN PAST PROBLEM PERSISTS. *TR

STEERING WHEEL LOCKS UP UNEXPECTED AND CAR WILL NOT START. HAVE BEEN REPLACED ONCE BEFORE. THIS IS THE SECOND INCIDENT SINCE 12/28/09. CAR HAS TO BE TOWED FROM LOCATIONS. *TR

RED STEERING WHEEL AND PADLOCK WARNING INDICATOR LIGHT IS ON - STEERING WHEEL WILL NOT LOCK. THE MOST COMMON ISSUE WITH THIS FAULT CAN CAUSE A "NO START" CONDITION. THE "NO START" CONDITION CAN ARISE AND THE STEERING WHEEL COULD LOCK WHILE DRIVING. THIS IS THE SECOND FAILURE WITHIN 4 YEARS AND COMMON IN BMW'S (SEE THREAD: HTTP://WWW.BIMMERFEST.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=316722 *AND THREAD: HTTP://WWW.E90POST.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=147586)

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 BMW 328I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER AND WAS ABLE TO RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE PISTON VALVE AREA TIMING SYSTEM WAS DEFECTIVE. THE DEALER REPROGRAMMED THE ENGINE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 80,000.

THE DOOR LOCKS FAILED TO UNLOCK (WITH BOTH THE REMOTE ENTRY AND THE DOOR LOCK SWITCH LOCATED IN THE CAR) WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR. THIS RESULTED IN ALL PASSENGERS (INCLUDING SMALL CHILDREN) TO HAVE TO EXIT THE CAR THROUGH THE DRIVER'S DOOR. IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY THIS COULD CAUSE SAFETY ISSUES FOR ALL OCCUPANTS. THIS WAS REPAIRED BY INCREASING THE SIZE OF THE FUSE (TO A 20 AMP FROM A 15 AMP). AFTER RESEARCH, THIS APPEARS TO BE JUST A TEMPORARY FIX. I AM CONCERNED WITH THE SAFETY ISSUES THIS COULD CAUSE FOR OTHER FAMILIES. *TR

I OWN A 2007 BMW 328I WITH 21,000 MILES ON IT. IN JULY 2009 I WAS BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY WHEN THE CAR LOST ALL STEERING POWER, THE ACCELERATOR NO LONGER FUNCTIONED, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, & THE KEY WAS UNABLE TO BE EJECTED. A BMW DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE ISSUE, SO THEY SAID THERE WAS NOT A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR. IN AUG 2009, AFTER TURNING THE CAR ON, THE CAR BEGAN TO SHAKE AND IT POWERED DOWN. AGAIN, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, AND THE KEY WAS NOT ABLE TO BE EJECTED. THE SAME BMW DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, BUT THEY SAID THEY INSTALLED SOFTWARE UPDATES. IN SEPT 2010 I WAS DRIVING THE CAR AND AT A LOW SPEED WHEN THE CAR LOST ALL STEERING CONTROL, THE ACCELERATOR DID NOTHING WHEN I PUSHED DOWN ON IT. I HAD TO PUSH THE CAR OUT OF THE ROAD. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS STILL ON, AND THE KEY WOULD NOT EJECT ITSELF. MINUTES LATER, I WAS ABLE TO GET THE KEY OUT, AND AFTER I RESTARTED THE CAR, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT OFF. (I HAVE PHOTOS OF IT ON). THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DIFFERENT BMW DEALERSHIP--BUT ONCE AGAIN, THEY WERE UNABLE TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE. THEY TESTED THE FUEL--THE FUEL WAS FINE. THEY TOLD ME THEY HAD INCENTIVE TO FIND A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR SO THAT THEY COULD BE PAID. I HAVE CONTACTED BMW N. AMERICA SEVERAL TIMES, BUT TO NO AVAIL. AT ONE POINT, I ASKED WHAT IT WOULD TAKE FOR THEM TO FIX THE CAR-- PERSONAL INJURY? PROPERTY DAMAGE? THE BMW REP SAID NO--BUT AGREED THAT I'D JUST HAVE TO WAIT IT OUT AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS. AFTER SENDING A LETTER TO BMW N. AMERICA THE CUSTOMER SERVICE REP SAID I WOULD NEED A LOCAL DEALER TO CONSENT TO HAVING AN ENGINEER LOOK AT MY CAR. HE SAID HE WOULD CONTACT THE DEALER TO SEE IF THEY WOULD GRANT ME CONSENT. HE NEVER CALLED. I HAD TO CALL ON MY OWN AND BEG THEM TO HAVE AN ENGINEER LOOK AT MY CAR. THE ENGINEER WAS UNABLE TO EXPLAIN WHY MY CAR KEEPS POWERING DOWN. HE DID HOWEVER INSTALL A SOFTWARE UPDATE. BMW WON'T HELP ME, SO MY ONLY RECOURSE IS TO SELL IT. *TR

BMW 328I 2007. MY WHOLE FAMILY {4} OF US WERE LOCKED IN CAR. WE COULD NOT OPEN THE CAR FROM INSIDE. THAT IS MOST CRAZY THING EVER HAPPEN TO ME. THIS IS THE SAFETY ISSUE AND BMW NEED TO RECALL ALL VEHICLES AND FIX PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEBODY GETS REALLY IN TROUBLE. I MADE SOME RESEARCH AND FIND OUT THAT MORE PEOPLE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AS I HAD. I HAD TO PULL OUT MY CHILDREN TROUGH THE WINDOW TO GET THEM OUT OF CAR. WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF SOME BIGGER ADULT WAS SITTING IN THE BACK OF CAR OR IF WE HAD CRASH ON OUR WAY HOME. THIS ISSUE WITH THIS CAR NEED TO BE RECALLED!! *TR

DOOR ACTUATORS ON MY 2007 BMW 328I FAILED. IT BEGAN WITH JUST THE FRONT TWO DOORS AND THEN THE REAR DOORS. A VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR, MOSTLY LABOR EXPENSE. I AM THANKFUL THAT THIS DID NOT OCCUR WHEN AWAY FROM HOME AS LOCKING AND UNLOCKING THE DOORS WAS NOT POSSIBLE. ALSO, IF SOMEONE HAD BEEN IN THE BACKSEAT THEY MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET OUT. *TR

I HAD JUST PURCHASED A BRAND NEW BMW 328I. WE WERE DRIVING ON I-5 FROM LOS ANGELES TO SAN FRANCISCO. I WAS ACCOMPANIED BY MY HUSBAND AND TWO DOGS. WE WERE TRAVELING ~80 MILES PER HOUR IN THE LEFT LANE. ALL OF THE SUDDEN AND WITHOUT WARNING, THE ENGINE TURNED COMPLETELY OFF ON THE VEHICLE. I LOST POWER STEERING AND BREAKING AND HAD NO OTHER OPTION THAN TO GLIDE INTO THE CENTER MEDIAN. UNFORTUNATELY, THERE WAS NOT SUFFICIENT ROOM FOR THE VEHICLE, SO THE RIGHT TIRES WERE IN THE LEFT LANE OF TRAFFIC. WE CALLED BMW ASSIST, BUT THEY SAID THEY WOULD NOT PICK US UP BECAUSE WE HAD DOGS IN THE CAR. WE WERE STUCK IN THE MEDIAN FOR NEARLY ONE HOUR, AROUND A BEND IN THE FREEWAY, WHERE OTHER CARS COULD NOT SEE US WELL UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE. A CALIFORNIA STATE TROOPER TOGETHER WITH A TOW TRUCK FINALLY RESCUED US FROM THE CENTER MEDIAN. HE SAID WE WERE IN GRAVE DANGER, WHICH WE OBVIOUSLY KNEW. AFTER THE INCIDENT I CALLED THE BEVERLY HILLS BMW DEALERSHIP, WHERE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, AND SPOKE WITH THE MANAGER AND REPORTED THE ISSUE TO BMW ASSIST. I WAS FURIOUS THAT A VEHICLE WOULD TURN OFF AT THAT SPEED. THEY TOLD ME THEY WOULD DOCUMENT THE CLAIM BUT THAT NO OTHER INCIDENCES OF THIS HAD BEEN REPORTED. THE LATTER IS INACCURATE, AS MANY PEOPLE APPARENTLY HAVE HAD THE EXACT SAME ISSUE. *TR