2003 BMW 745I Complaints

FACSIMILE FROM SENATOR ON BEHALF OF CONSTITUENT, REGARDING BRAKE FAILURE OF HIS 2003 BMW 745I. CONSTITUENT IS ASKING FOR REVIEW/INVESTIGATION OF BMW OF SAN FRANCISCO AND THE BMW 7 SERIES AUTOMOBILES. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED THE BRAKES FAILED WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH. THE CONSUMER STATED A MESSAGE FLASHED ON THE DASHBOARD WHICH SAID WARNING-BRAKE-FLUID- PLEASE STOP SAFELY. SHORTLY AFTER THAT READING, ANOTHER MESSAGE FLASHED BRAKE FAILURE. THE CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT THE PREVIOUS DEALER NEGLECTED TO TIGHTEN THE CALIPER BLEEDER SCREW. THIS ALLOWED ALL OF THE BRAKE FLUID TO LEAK OUT. THE CONSUMER STRUCK A STATIONARY OBJECT AS A RESULT OF THE DEALERS NEGLIGENCE. *JB

2003 BMW 745I WITH BRAKE FAILURE. CONSUMER STATES THAT TWO WARNING LIGHTS FLASHED AND THEY WERE "WARNING-BRAKE FLUID-PLEASE", AND "BRAKE FAILURE". HE STATES THAT THE DEALER TIGHTENED THE CALIPER BLEEDER SCREW. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED THE PREVIOUS DEALER WHO WORKED ON HIS VEHICLE NEGLECTED TO TIGHTEN THE CALIPER BLEEDER SCREW FOR THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL, WHICH RESULTED IN A LOSS BRAKE FLUID. THE CONSUMER HIT A CURB IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE, THERE WAS SOME DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE.*JB

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A SET OF FOUR 22" SEVAS S-10 WHEELS FOR MY 2003 BMW 745I. I LIVE IN HAWAII AND ORDERED MY WHEELS FROM DNJ WHEELS IN CALIFORNIA. DNJ SHIPPED MY WHEELS AND TIRES TO ME MOUNTED AND BALANCED, SO WHEN I RECEIVED THEM I TOOK THE SET TO MY LOCAL TIRE STORE (LEX BRODIE) AND HAD THEM INSTALLED. AS SOON AS I LEFT THE LEX BRODIE TIRE STORE I NOTICED A SHAKING IN THE CAR. I FELT IT IN THE STEERING WHEEL AS WELL AS THE SEAT I WAS IN. I TOOK THE CAR BACK AND ASKED THE MAN THAT INSTALLED THE WHEELS TO CHECK THE LUG NUTS AND MAKE SURE THEY WERE ALL TORQUED TO SPEC. HE VERIFIED THAT THEY WERE, AND I REPORTED THE PROBLEM I WAS HAVING. HE SAID THAT IT MIGHT BE A PROBLEM WITH THE BALANCING AND OR THE ALIGNMENT. SO I HAD ALL FOUR WHEELS RE-BALANCED AND HAD A FOUR WHEEL COMPUTER ALIGNMENT DONE AS WELL. AFTER ALL THIS WAS COMPLETE I LEFT THE LEX BRODIE ONLY TO FIND THE PROBLEM WITH MY NEW WHEELS REMAIN. THIS IS WHEN I JOINED THE BMW FORUM (BIMMERFEST.COM) AND NOTICED THAT THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHERS WHO WERE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH THE SEVAS WHEELS. THERE ARE ALSO SEVERAL PEOPLE WHOSE WHEELS HAVE ACTUALLY SEPARATED WHILE DRIVING! ALL PEOPLE WHOSE WHEELS HAVE SEPARATED REPORTED THAT THEIR CAR WAS SHAKING, AS MINE IS NOW, BEFORE THEIR ACCIDENT. THIS WORRIES ME TO SAY THE LEAST. I USE MY CAR DAILY TO GET TO AND FROM WORK MOST OF THE TIME TRAVELING ON BUSY HIGHWAYS. I DO NOT WANT TO SEE MYSELF, MY PASSENGERS, OR MY FELLOW DRIVERS GET INVOLVED IN A POTENTIALLY FATAL CRASH BECAUSE OF AN ISSUE WITH A WHEEL THAT DOES NOT MEET PROPER SAFETY STANDARDS. I AM FILING THIS COMPLAINT IN CONJUNCTION WITH SEVERAL OF MY FELLOW BMW 7-SERIES FORUM MEMBERS WHO HAVE ALSO PURCHASED THE SEVAS S-10 WHEEL. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION AND WOULD LIKE TO HELP IN ANY WAY THAT I CAN. VERY RESPECTFULLY. *JB

I AM THE FIRST AND ONLY OWNER OF A 2003 BMW 745I. AT FOUR HUNDRED MILES THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED DUE PROBLEMS SHIFTING ETC. AT ROUGHLY 7500 MILES THE CAR WHILE SITTING AT A STOPLIGHT LAUNCHED ITSELF INTO THE REAR END OF A SUV CAUSING VEHICLE DAMAGE TO THE FRONT END OF MY CAR. MY FOOT WAS FIRMLY ON THE BRAKE YET IT STILL MOVED. THREE WEKS AGO WHILE COASTING DOWN A STEEP FREEWAY DECLINE, THE ENGINE REVVED TO 5000 RPM- MY FOOT WAS NOT ON THE GAS PEDAL AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS IN GEAR. BMW HAS HAD THE CAR FOR THEE WEEKS AND CAN FIND NO PROBLEMS AND WISHES TO RETURN IT TO ME. I HAVE LOST ALL CONFIDENCE IN THE VEHICLE AS IT IS A DANGER TO ME, MY FAMILY AND THE PUBLIC AT LARGE. I AM NOT SURE OF THE EXACT DATES AS I DO NOT HAVE MY PAPER WORK WITH ME, BUT CAN PROVIDE.*AK

WHILE WAITING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION. THE CONSUMER HAD BOTH FEET ON THE BRAKE. HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO SURGE FORWARD RESULTING IN TOTAL LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE DAMAGING 5 OTHER VEHICLES IN THE PROCESS. PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *JB

WHILE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IT SLIPPED INTO NEUTRAL. THIS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO MOVE AND HIT A WALL. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

NEW BMW 745I WAS PURCHASED ON OCTOBER 29, 2003. SINCE JANUARY 2004, VEHICLE HAS ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS EXHIBITED TRANSMISSION FAILURE. ON EACH OCCASION, THE VEHICLE WOULD EXHIBIT VERY HARD SHIFTING, FOLLOWED BY VIOLENT JERKING, HALTING AND DOWNSHIFTING WHILE TRAVELING AT SPEED ON THE STREET OR HIGHWAY, THROWING THE PASSENGERS FORWARD VIOLENTLY. MULTIPLE TRANSMISSION WARNING SOUNDS AND MESSAGES ARE DISPLAYED. LOUD METALLIC GRINDING AND RATTLING NOISES COME FROM THE TRANSMISSION AREA. THE CAR THROWS ITSELF INTO PARK AS THE CAR SLOWS TO MAKE A STOP. MOST RECENTLY, THE CAR THREW ITSELF INTO PARK AT 15 MPH ALMOST CAUSING A REAR END COLLISION WITH THE VEHICLE FOLLOWING BEHIND. EVENTUALLY, THE CAR PUTS ITSELF INTO PARK AND CANNOT BE MOVED. EACH TIME THE CAR HAS HAD TO HAVE BEEN TOWED AWAY. TWICE THE CAR HAS STOPPED IN AN INTERSECTION AND COULD NOT BE MOVED. ON EACH OCCASION, THE DEALER HAS DENIED THERE WAS A PROBLEM, ONLY TO CLAIM UPON MY INSISTENCE THAT THEY LOOK AGAIN THAT THE PROBLEM IS A SOFTWARE OR COMPUTER PROBLEM. ON THE LAST OCCASION, THE DEALER ADMITTED THAT THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED.

STEERING MECHANISM ON THE VEHICLE WOULD LOCK UP AT THE END OF THE STEERING ROTATION. (NAR) *PH NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEM, RADIO, BUMPER AND WINDOWS WERE DEFECTIVE. *CB

CAR ROLLS BACKWARD ALTHOUGH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION AND ENGAGED IN FORWARD DRIVE GEAR. THIS HAS CAUSED NUMEROUS CLOSE CALLS BY MY CAR ROLLING BACKWARDS INTO THE ONE BEHIND ME. CARS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS DO NOT ROLL BACKWARD.

A DAY AFTER VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED, TWO RED LIGHTS WOULD COME ON TO WARN CONSUMER THAT RESTRAINT SYSTEM WAS DEFECTIVE. *LA *MR