2015 BMW I3 Complaints

I am the owner of my BMWi3. We live in a retirement community in Florida and it is the perfect vehicle for driving the short commutes of our daily activities. December 27, 2020 I ordered (from Amazon) SUNTUE Buckles Extender,Universal Fit for 7/8'' Metal Tongue, Extension Socket Connector with E11 Safety Certified -2 Pack. The purpose was to make it easier to fasten the seat belts. We are in our 70’s and it is difficult to reach down to fasten the belt. Our fingers are not as nimble as when we were young. I installed them in mid-January 2021 and a few days later the message appeared: “Driver restraint system malfunction. Continue wearing safety belt. Consult nearest service center.” Shortly after the warning appeared, I removed the extenders and thought the warning would go away. However, it continued to appear. After seeing the message for several months, I called BMW for an appointment to clear the message. September 23, 2021, I paid $160.10 for a diagnostic test, and the BMW Service Advisor told me the SRS – Airbag Driver Front: high resistance in driver airbag must be replaced. He assured me the problem is NOT related to the seat belt extenders. The advisor said the air bag would have to be ordered and gave an estimate of over $1,300. I had to sign papers stating the airbag is not safe. I searched on-line for other BMWi3 owners who have had similar experiences. I found that some other owners have had the airbag message. I then searched for “replacement of air bags” and was surprised to find that it is rarely necessary to replace the bags “because they won’t wear out.” My BMW has 35,600 miles; it is always garaged, and has not been in an accident, therefore, I do not understand what would cause my airbag system to indicate it must be replaced.

Power steering malfunctioned causing steering to be very stiff. This happened whenever the car exceeded about 25 MPH, and returned to normal at low speeds. The car wanted to veer out of the lane and required force to keep it in the lane. After turning the car off and back on, the car steering returned to normal. This event happens sporadically, about once a month. While the steering can be overpowered to keep the car on course, this can be very dangerous if you are not expecting it.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 BMW I3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE CHARGING PORT OVERHEATED WHILE CHARGING AND MELTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BMW OF ROCHESTER HILLS, 45550 DEQUINDRE RD, SHELBY CHARTER TWP, MI 48317, AND WAS DIAGNOSED BUT THE CONTACT WAS NOT AWARE WHAT WAS THE DIAGNOSTIC. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED DUE TO THE REPAIR FEE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 40,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

ONLY 5 YEARS OLD 41K MILES, MINT CONDITION, WHILE DRIVING THE LIGHT CAME ON SAYING "DRIVER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION. AFTER CHECKING ALL THE I3 BLOGS THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ONGOING ISSUE. I TOOK MY CAR OVER TO BMW TODAY, THEY LOOKED AT IT AND SAID THE AIRBAG HAS MALFUNCTIONED SAME THING AS THE BLOGS ARE OUTLINING. I WAS ADVISED BUT THE SERVICE PERSON THAT IT WOULD BE 1800.00 I TOLD HIM THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH THE I3 AND ITS ALL OVER THE BLOGS, HE ACKNOWLEDGED HIS AWARENESS, IN ADDITION AIRBAGS SHOULD BE GOOD FOR 10 YEARS / GUARANTEED? ANYWAY I EMAILED THE FOLLOWING BMW NORTH AMERICAN MANAGEMENT ASKING WHY THIS IS NOT A RECALL. BERNHARD KUHNT - PRESIDENT AND CEO OF NORTH AMERICA/BMW GROUP REGION AMERICAS RICHARD HART - WARRANTY DEPARTMENT HEAD NORTH AMERICA SHAUN BUGBEE - EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT BMW THE HAVE JUST BEEN ALLOWING PEOPLE TO FIX THEIR DEFECTIVE AIRBAG, AS THEY INSTALLED SUBSTANDARD EQUIPMENT ON A $50K CAR. ANYWAY THIS NEEDS TO BE LOOKED INTO I HAVE PICTURES OF THE WARNING BUT IT WILL NOT ALLOW ME TO UPDATE AS THEY ARE TOO BIG AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO COMPRESS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND SERVICE..

THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG INDICATOR ILLUMINATED UPON VEHICLE STARTUP. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS A FAULT IN THE SYSTEM AND THAT THE AIRBAG MIGHT NOT DEPLOY IN A COLLISION. THIS FAILURE MADE THE VEHICLE UNSAFE TO DRIVE.

WHILE DRIVING THE CONSOLE HAD A MESSAGE: "DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION". I WAS ABLE TO COAST OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BUT COULD ACCELERATE AFTER THE MESSAGE ON THE CONSOLE. VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. NO WARNING, ONCE THE MESSAGE APPEARED ON THE CONSOLE THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE.

THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL (ACC) IN THE I3 IS SINGLE CAMERA BASED, AND WILL DEACTIVATE DURING A NUMBER OF CONDITIONS (SUCH AS DRIVING INTO DIRECT SUNLIGHT WHICH BLINDS THE CAMERA.) THIS IS A DESIGN LIMITATION, BUT NOT THE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM IS WHEN ACC DEACTIVATES, THE CAR IMMEDIATELY GOES INTO FULL REGEN BRAKING WITHOUT WARNING. AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THIS IS A SUDDEN AND SIGNIFICANT DECELERATION THAT POSES A SAFETY HAZARD (BEING REAR ENDED).

STEERING BECOMES LOPSIDED, IT'S LOOSE TO TURN ONE WAY, AND HARD TO TURN THE OTHER WAY, AS IF ONE OF THE FRONT TIRES IS FLAT. THE CAR WILL TEND TO VEER LEFT OR RIGHT, AND I HAVE TO PULL HARD ON THE STEERING WHEEL TO KEEP IT GOING STRAIGHT. THERE IS NO CONSISTENCY AS TO WHETHER IT VEERS LEFT OR RIGHT, AND THE DIRECTION CHANGES INTERMITTENTLY. THIS PROBLEM HAPPENS ALSO INTERMITTENTLY, SOMETIMES EVERY FEW DAYS OR EVERY COUPLE OF WEEKS. TURNING THE CAR OFF AND THEN BACK ON RESOLVES THE PROBLEM, BUT THEN THE SAME PROBLEM EVENTUALLY OCCURS AGAIN SOMETIME LATER. THIS IS MOST LIKELY A SOFTWARE ISSUE. THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SAME BEHAVIOR ON I3'S ONLINE AND ON NHTSA WEBSITE. THIS IS CLEARLY A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE, AND BMW SHOULD ADDRESS IT RIGHT AWAY. *TR

INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING, IT FEELS LIKE THERE ARE TWO FLAT FRONT TIRES, BUT THEY ARE OF PROPER INFLATION. STEERING PULLS ONE WAY OR THE OTHER WITH NO CENTER FEEL. FEELS LIKE YOU ARE DRIVING AN OLD TRUCK WITH LOOSE STEERING LINKAGE. UNSETTLING AT HIGH SPEEDS OR CURVY ROADS. SENSORS ALERT ON THE DASH: PEDESTRIAN WARNING, STABILITY CONTROL, AND OTHERS. THIS HAPPENED ONCE BEFORE, AND DEALER LOOKED AT THE STEERING ANGLE SENSOR, AND DID AN ALIGNMENT, WHICH RESOLVED FOR TWO MONTHS.

STEERING BECAME NOTCHY AND FELT LIKE LOSS OF POWER STEERING AT SPEEDS ABOVE 25 MPH. IT ALSO FELT LIKE IT WAS PULLING TO THE LEFT WHILE ON CITY STREETS DRIVING STRAIGHT. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY AT BMW OF LAS VEGAS. I READ ONLINE WHERE MANY OTHER I3 OWNERS WERE EXPERIENCING SIMILAR ISSUES. MANY HAVE REPORTED THAT THE ISSUE MAY BE SOFTWARE RELATED AND DIFFICULT TO REPRODUCE AS IT HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY AND SHUTTING OFF THE CAR CAN RESET IT GIVING A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY UNTIL THE NEXT TIME IT HAPPENS.