2004 BMW 5 SERIES Complaints

BMW 2004 545I ACTIVE STEERING PROBLEM. MY STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY SHIFTED TO THE RIGHT. THE ACTIVE STEERING LIGHT WENT ON. NOW THE CAR DRIVES STRAIGHT WITH THE STEERING WHEEL TILTED TO THE RIGHT. THIS IS CAUSED BY THE BATTERY VOLTAGE DROP. CAR STARTS TO SHUT DOWN MAJOR COMPONENTS ACTIVE STEERING, TRANSMISSION, NAVIGATION, AND I-DRIVE SYSTEM WHICH CONTROLS THE WHOLE CARS ELECTRONICS. SCARY WHEN YOU HAVE A 8 MONTH OLD KID IN A CAR. *TR

I OWN A 2004 545I AND THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON. I HAVE NEVER HAD AN ACCIDENT OR ANYTHING IN THIS CAR. I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL AUTO SHOP TO HAVE IT DIAGNOSED AND IT SHOWED THAT THE PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT WAS FAULTY. WHEN I RESEARCHED IT ON THE INTERNET, I FOUND A RECALL FOR THE PASSENGER AIRBAG SENSOR WHICH SPECIFICALLY FIT MY 2004 545I BMW. WHEN I CALLED THE BMW DEALERSHIP THEY CLAIMED THAT MY CAR WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AND IT WOULD COST ME ABOUT $1200.00 TO FIX! HOW CAN THIS BE WHEN THE RECALL SPECIFICALLY FITS THE DESCRIPTION OF MY VEHICLE? PLEASE HELP!! *TR

HAD MY CAR 2004 545I (78,250 MILES) SERVICED AT BMW DEALERSHIP IN LONG ISLAND FOR A DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION PAN LEAKING AT FLUID. DEALERSHIP REPLACED AND TEST DROVE BEFORE I PICKED IT UP BUT ALSO DENOTED THAT THERE WAS AN OIL LEAK ATTRIBUTED TO VACUUM PUMP/VANOS SEALS WHICH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED SOON. AS I WAS DRIVING IT BACK TO NJ FROM LONG ISLAND DEALERSHIP I NOTICED A TRANSMISSION 'KICK/JERK/SURGE' AS CAR DECELERATED SEVERAL TIMES. DROVE THE CAR TO THE MARKET ON SUNDAY (7/25/2010) AND ON THE WAY BACK WARNING ENGINE MALFUNCTION STATING 'ENGINE OPERATING AT REDUCED OUTPUT'. EMAILED THE BMW SA IN LONG ISLAND THAT REPLACED DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION PAN/AT FLUID AND HE FELT IT MAY BE ATTRIBUTED TO OIL LEAK AND BAD VACUUM PUMP/SEALS AND HAVE IT LOOKED AT ASAP. MY LOCAL BMW SA IN NJ JUST EMAILED ME TODAY (7/28/2010) STATING: "LOOKS LIKE THE TRANS IS BAD WAITING FOR BMWNA TO GET BACK TO US WE SENT THEM ALL THE FAULTS SORRY FOR THE BAD NEWS" REPORTS OF THESE TYPE OF TRANSMISSION 'SURGE' IS NOT ISOLATED TO 2004 545I MODEL BUT TO MANY 5-SERIES UP TO 2008 AS NOTED IN THE FOLLOWING FORUM: HTTP://WWW.BIMMERFEST.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=401524 THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED NOT ON A LOCAL DEALERSHIP BUT ON A CORPORATE, WITH GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT, LEVEL AS IT POSES SERIOUS RISKS TO ALL DRIVERS. *TR

1. I IDENTIFIED A PROBLEM WITH THE 2004 BMW 545I WHICH I HAVE. I RESEARCHED THE ISSUE, WHICH I WILL EXPLAIN BELOW (IN SECTION 2 AS REQUESTED), ONLINE, AND FOUND THAT HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE. I FOUND THAT IN SOME INSTANCES, BMW CORRECTLY DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE, HOWEVER IN MANY INSTANCES, THEY DID NOT (IN SECTION 3, AS REQUESTED). 2. "THE CAR WOULD SHIFT INTO 5TH GEAR & THEN BETWEEN 35-40MPH AT A VERY LOW 1200RPM OR SO I WOULD GET THE SURGING OR SLIPPING OF THE TRANSMISSION. IT WAS A VERY LIGHT REPETITIVE HESITATION. IT ALMOST FELT LIKE THE ELECTRONICS WERE TRYING TO DECIDE WHETHER IT SHOULD STAY IN 5TH OR SHIFT BACK TO 4TH BECAUSE OF LOW RPM'S. IT WOULD HAPPEN WITH AN EXTREMELY LIGHT ACCELERATOR PRESSURE. IF YOU GAVE IT A LITTLE MORE GAS IT WOULD GO AWAY. A COUPLE TIMES I'D GET A REALLY HARSH SURGE ALMOST LIKE THE "SLAM". THE MANNER THAT THE CAR BEHAVES CAN REALLY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT WITH THE SURGE IN THE TRANSMISSION, & THE DISTRACTION THAT IT CAUSES TO THE DRIVER. IT HAS BECOME A DISTRACTION TO ME, BEING THE DRIVER, & ALSO NOTICED BY PASSENGERS IN THE VEHICLE, WHEN THEY FEEL THE CAR SURGE, & THEIR IS ANOTHER VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. 3. I TOOK THE CAR TO A BMW DEALERSHIP, & DESCRIBED THE ISSUE. THE SERVICE ADVISOR (REPRESENTATIVE) STATED THAT THEY WOULD LOOK AT THE VEHICLE, AS THEY HAD OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS, AS WELL. HE SAID THAT THEY WOULD PROBABLY NEED TO DO A SOFTWARE UPGRADE, OR REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. I RECEIVED THE CAR BACK, & WAS TOLD THAT THE SOFTWARE WAS UPGRADED, & TO TAKE THE VEHICLE AND SEE HOW IT DROVE. I DROVE THE VEHICLE HOME, & THE ISSUE WAS STILL THERE. THE REPAIR INVOICE SAYS THE SOFTWARE WAS NOT UPDATED. IT ALREADY HAD THE LATEST VERSION. I TOOK THE CAR BACK, AND THEY STATED THE OPERATION OF THE CAR IS NORMAL. IT IS NOT NORMAL. YOU MAY REFERENCE HTTP://WWW.BIMMERFEST.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=401524 FOR OTHER WHO HAVE HAD THE ISSUE. THE MECHATRONICS UNIT WAS REPLACED ON SOME, AND ALWAYS RESOLVED THE ISSUE. *TR

TRANSMISSION SLAMS INTO GEAR WHEN TAKING OFF FROM AN ALMOST STOPPED POSITION CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO JUMP FORWARD VIOLENTLY. THIS HAS LAUNCHED ME INTO INTERSECTIONS AND CAUSED ME TO ALMOST REAR-END SEVERAL VEHICLES. THIS HAPPENS ON A WEEKLY BASIS OF DAILY DRIVING. THE DEALERSHIP WANTS TO REPROGRAM THE TRANSMISSION COMPUTER AT A COST TO ME(VEHICLE OUT OF WARRANTY) EVEN THOUGH THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM. *TR

WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 45 MPH AND DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE BRAKES WOULD NOT FULLY ENGAGE. THE VEHICLE DECREASED IN SPEED BUT WOULD NOT STOP. SHE WAS ABLE TO MOVE THE VEHICLE FROM THE HIGHWAY AND ENGAGED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. MECHANIC ADVISED THE BRAKE BOOSTER AND VACUUM HAD FAILED. MILEAGE 60,000. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW 545. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS ENGAGED, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHUDDER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO RECOMMENDED THAT THE TRANSMISSION BE REPLACED; AND OFFERED TO PAY FOR HALF OF THE REPAIR COST. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED WHEN THE COMPLAINT WAS FILED. ADDITIONALLY, PRIOR TO THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER IN REGARDS TO A BURNING ODOR AND A TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAK IN WHICH THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 73,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 74,100.

CAR SUDDENLY AND VIOLENTLY LUNGES FORWARD FROM A STOP, SLOW SPEEDS OR WHEN AT LOW RPMS. IT OCCURS SEVERAL TIMES PER DAY AND IT FEELS AS IF BEING REAR ENDED.

I HAD MY 2004 BMW 525I IN THE DEALER FOR THE AIR BAG SEAT MAT RECALL IN MARCH '09 AND HAD NO PROBLEMS BEFORE WITH THE AIR BAG SYSTEM BEFORE THIS RECALL WAS PERFORMED. ON DECEMBER 23, 2009 THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AT A LOCAL MALL WHILE WE WERE DOING SOME CHRISTMAS SHOPPING. COME OUT FROM SHOPPING AND START THE VEHICLE TO FIND THE PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF LIGHT ILLUMINATED, AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON CLUSTER, AND THEN THE I-DRIVE STATED FAULT IN PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG SYSTEM. I CONTACTED THE DEALER AS THE PREVIOUS REPAIRS WERE ONLY COMPLETED 9 MONTHS AND 4K MILES AGO, VEHICLE HAS 62K ON IT NOW. DEALER STATES FRONT CRASH SENSORS ARE BAG AND THE BILL WILL BE $700. THE REPAIRS REQUIRED THE REMOVAL OF THE BUMPER, REMOVE AND REPLACE AIR BAG SENSORS, AND PROGRAMMING. UNDER THE RECALL NHTSA STATES BMW WILL EXTEND THE WARRANTY FOR 10YRS UNLIMITED MILEAGE, THINK AGAIN BECAUSE I HAD TO PAY THIS BILL OUT OF POCKET. THE EXTENDED RECALL ONLY COVERS THE SEAT MAT I'M TOLD. I CONTACTED BMW CUSTOMER SERVICE WHO WAS NO HELP AT ALL WITH THIS PROBLEM. I DID SOME INVESTIGATING MYSELF AND FOUND MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE FRONT CRASH SENSORS FAILING IN THESE VEHICLES AND WONDERING WHEN THIS WILL BE LOOKED INTO BY NHTSA? IF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SAME PROBLEM EMAIL ME. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW 525. THE CONTACT STATED THAT TWO AIR BAG LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON MAY 18, 2009. THE LIGHTS INDICATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG FAILED AS WELL AS THE RESTRAINT FOR THE AIR BAG. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS EXCLUDED FROM NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 08V384000 (AIR BAGS:FRONTAL), ALTHOUGH THE FAILURES WERE IDENTICAL. THE VEHICLE WILL BE TAKEN IN FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 46,000.