2015 BMW I3 Complaints

MY 2015 I3 REX JUST HAD THE STEERING GET REALLY HEAVY AS IF I HAD A FLAT AND IT PULLED TO THE LEFT. IT WAS DIFFICULT TO CENTER THE STEERING AS IF THE POWER STEERING HAD FAILED. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE ON VARIOUS INTERNET FORUMS FOR THIS MODEL, BUT IT IS INTERMITTENT AND THEREFORE HARD TO DUPLICATE FOR THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT. AFTER LETTING THE CAR SIT FOR A WHILE, IT WAS BACK TO NORMAL THE NEXT TIME I DROVE IT.

MY 2015 I3 JUST HAD THE STEERING GET REALLY HEAVY AS IF I HAD A FLAT AND IT PULLED TO THE RIGHT. IT WAS DIFFICULT TO CENTER THE STEERING AS IF THE POWER STEERING HAD FAILED. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE ON VARIOUS INTERNET FORUMS FOR THIS MODEL, BUT IT IS INTERMITTENT AND THEREFORE HARD TO DUPLICATE FOR THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT. AFTER LETTING THE CAR SIT FOR A WHILE, IT WAS BACK TO NORMAL THE NEXT TIME I DROVE IT.

IN LAST 4 WEEKS, ON TWO OCCASIONS STEERING BECAME VERY STIFF A & HARD TO TURN. BOTH TIMES THE STEERING WAS VERY STIFF IMMEDIATELY WHEN CAR STARTED TO MOVE FORWARD. IN FIRST OCCURRENCE, AFTER LEAVING PARKING LOT UNDER 10 MILES/HOUR, I DROVE 25-30 MILES/HOUR IN CITY TRAFFIC (STRAIGHT STREETS), THEN DROVE UP TO 65-70 MILES/HOUR ON INTERSTATE 95 (MOSTLY STRAIGHT AHEAD DRIVING). IN THE SECOND OCCURRENCE, AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE, I REVERSED STRAIGHT OUT OF THE DRIMVEWAY AT ABOUT 5-10 MILES/HOUR. I DIDN'T HIT ANY MANHOLE COVERS OR SIGNIFICANT UNEVENESS IN EITHER CASE.

THE CAR SUDDENLY SLOWS TO 5MPH UNDER SOME CONDITIONS. THIS CAN BE EASILY AVOIDED BY RETURNING PROGRAMMING TO INTERNATIONAL. WHILE DRIVING MY CAR HOME IN WINTER IN RAIN I NEED TO HAVE HEAT, WIPER AND DEFROSTER ON. MY HOUSE IS IN HILLS. UNFORTUNATELY ON RETURN TRIP MY BATTERY IN WINTER IS DEPLETED AND THE ONBOARD GAS ENGINE GENERATOR IS UNABLE TO KEEP UP WITH HILL CLIMB AND NEEDED HEATING AND WIPER. THE CAR WILL DROP FROM 55MPH TO 5MPH WITHOUT WARNING. THERE IS NO AUTOMATIC FLASHER OR ANY OTHER ITEM TO WARN OTHER DRIVERS OF MY PROBLEM. PLEASE ASK BMW TO RE-FLASH PROGRAMMING TO ALLOW MY TO MAINTAIN GREATER THAN 5% BATTERY LIKE THE REST OF THE WORLD HAS.

ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, AFTER POWERING-UP THE CAR, THE STEERING HAS BEEN VERY HEAVY AND PULLED TO EITHER THE LEFT OR RIGHT. THE CAR RESISTED BEING DRIVEN IN A STRAIGHT LINE AND IT FELT AS THOUGH SOME SELF-DRIVING FEATURE WAS TRYING TO WREST CONTROL. ON ALL OCCASIONS, EXCEPT FOR ONE, PARKING THE CAR, POWERING-OFF, PAUSING FOR A FEW SECONDS AND POWERING BACK ON HAS RESOLVED THE PROBLEM. IF THIS SITUATION WERE TO OCCUR ON THE HIGHWAY IT COULD EASILY THROW THE CAR INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. AN ONLINE BMW I3 FORUM HAS MANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS GOING BACK TO 2014. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER TWICE AND THEY CAN FIND NOTHING WRONG. IT WOULD SEEM TO BE A FIRMWARE ISSUE AND I FEAR BMW IS WAITING FOR A FEW FATALITIES TO SEE IF IT WORTH ADDRESSING.

THE I3'S POWER STEERING WENT OUT CAUSING THE CAR TO PULL TO THE LEFT RESULTING IN ME DRIVING INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND ALMOST OFF THE ROAD. (LOW SPEED, 15MPH). USING FORCE, I WAS ABLE TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL, WITHOUT THE USUAL POWER STEERING ASSISTANCE, STRAIGHTENING OUT THE VEHICLE'S DIRECTION AND GOT ME ON THE CORRECT SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CAR WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER. ADDITIONALLY, THE STEERING WHEEL WAS ALSO MOVING BY ITSELF CAUSING THE CAR TO DRIFT TO THE RIGHT. STRAIGHTEN OUT THE WHEEL AGAIN AND IT WOULD TURN ITSELF TO THE RIGHT AGAIN. THE I3 WAS IMMEDIATELY POWERED DOWN AND RESTARTED/REBOOTED AND THE ISSUE WENT AWAY. SINCE THIS OCCURRED AT LOW SPEED, THE RISK OF AN ACCIDENT WAS REDUCED. HOWEVER, IT THIS WERE TO OCCUR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, IT COULD BE DISASTROUS. NO ERRORS CODES WERE EVER DISPLAYED. I WILL BE INSTALLING A DASH CAMERA TO RECORD THE NEXT TIME THAT THIS HAPPENS. A SIMPLE INTERNET SEARCH RESULTS IN MANY OWNERS REPORTING SIMILAR DANGEROUS SITUATIONS.

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY OR SIDE STREETS MULTIPLE EPISODES OF INTERMITTENT HEAVY, SLUGGISH, OR LOOSE STEERING HAS OCCURRED REQUIRING THE VEHICLE TO BE STOPPED, SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED TO FIX THE PROBLEM.

STEERING HAS BECOME VERY STIFF REQUIRING A STRONG APPLICATION AT THE WHEEL TO KEEP VEHICLE STRAIGHT.

IN DECEMBER I HAD A PROBLEM WHERE THE CAR'S STEERING PULLED TO THE LEFT- AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS DUE TO A FLAT TIRE, BUT IT WAS NOT. I MADE A SHORT DRIVE- PARKED THE CAR FOR AWHILE AND CAR DROVE NORMALLY. PROBLEM REOCCURRED ON 2/14/19 - WITH THE CAR BECOMING HARD TO STEER- A SHORT PARKING OF THE CAR DID NOT FIX IT- BUT SITTING OVERNIGHT DID. HTTP://WWW.MYBMWI3.COM/FORUM/VIEWTOPIC.PHP?F=15&T=5065 AND A VIDEO ( NOT MINE) OF THE PROBLEM. HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=P9HJSA2YXOK&FEATURE=YOUTU.BE

THE CRUISE CONTROL RANDOMLY TURNS ITSELF OFF AND THE CAR IMMEDIATELY GOES INTO REGENERATIVE BRAKING. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND NO REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED BY THE DEALER. IT HAS HAPPENED UNDER MANY DIFFERENT DRIVING CONDITIONS, AND DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE DAY AND NIGHT ON FREEWAYS AND BACK ROADS.