2014 BMW I3 Complaints

A SMALL PIECE OF PLASTIC EASILY PUNCTURED THE TIRE AND MADE IT FLAT. THE TIRES ON THE BMW I3 ARE PRONE TO FLATS AND EASILY GET PUNCTURED. THESE ARE NEW TIRES BY BRIDGESTONE THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN TESTED IN OTHER VEHICLES AND THERE ARE LOTS OF FLATS BY OWNERS ON THIS SPECIFIC CAR.

GETTING OUT OF A PARKING LOT AT VERY LOW SPEED OF 2-3 MILES PER HOUR TOUCHED A CURB AND THE TIRE WENT FLAT IMMEDIATELY THAT HAD TO BE REPLACED. 5 DAYS LATER, A PIECE OF PLASTIC PUNCTURED ANOTHER TIRE. OTHER TIRES WOULD HAVE DEFLECTED THIS PLASTIC PIECE BUT THE NEW BMW I3 TIRES ARE EASY TO GET PUNCTURED AND HAVE FLATS. MANUFACTURER DOES NOT INCLUDE SPARE OR JACK.

FLAT TIRE, TIRE UNREPAIRABLE BIG HOLE AND RUPTURED AFTER NORMAL DRIVING. NO JACK GIVEN, NO SPARE TIRE GIVEN MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS ABOUT SAME CAR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 BMW I3. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND REMAINED STUCK CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO CRASH INTO A BRICK WALL. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED CHEST AND NECK INJURIES, WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 9,000.

NEAR CRASH (CRASH AVOIDED BY MANUAL EMERGENCY BRAKING INTERVENTION) THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL WAS FOLLOWING A BLACK SUV AT 8:30AM SOUTHBOUND ON CA101 (VEHICLE PRESENT INDICATOR ILLUMINATED). THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL FAILED SO NOTICE THAT THE VEHICLE WAS SLOWING DOWN. THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL KEPT PACE AND WOULD HAVE COLLIDED INTO THE VEHICLE IF I HAD NOT TAKEN OVER. ONLY ABOUT TWO YARDS FROM THE VEHICLE, THE SYSTEM NOTICED THE SUV HAD SLOWED DOWN, BUT THIS WAS AFTER I ALREADY HIT THE BRAKES. CONDITIONS WERE GOOD. NO ADVERSE CONDITIONS. WELL ILLUMINATED, NO GLARE.. *TR

I BOUGHT BMW I-3 IN 9/14. IT RAN FINE UNTIL LAST WEEKEND IN NOV. ON SAT. 11/29/14 WE WERE DRIVING ON I-5 NORTH AT ABOUT GORMAN EXIT CAR WENT ON GAS EXTENDER AND ALL OF SUDDEN SPEED DROPPED FROM 60-65 MILES TO 30 MILES AND BELOW AND WILL NOT GO FASTER THAN THAT ON FREEWAY DESPITE ME FLOORING THE GAS PEDAL. WE TOOK NEXT EXIT OF FRAZIER PARK DRIVING IN RIGHT MOST LANE WITH HAZARD LIGHTS ON AND ALL THE WAY UPTO PINE MOUNTAIN CLUB SAME THING HAPPENED. WE CHARGED THE CAR OVERNIGHT TO FULL CAPACITY AND DROVE BACK TO PORTER RANCH NEXT DAY. I WENT TO MY WORK ON 11/30/14 LATER IN AFTERNOON AND COMING BACK FROM PANORAMA CITY TO PORTER RANCH AGAIN CAR CAME ON GAS THIS TIME AT THE RAMP FROM I-405 NORTH MERGE WITH 118 WEST AND THIS TIME CAR COMPLETELY STOPPED ON THE RAMP IT WAS AT ABOUT 3.45 PM IT WAS RAINING IN THE VALLEY. I WAS SO AFRAID THAT SOMEBODY WILL HIT ME FROM BACK. FORTUNATELY ENOUGH AFTER LONG-LONG FEW MINUTES I WAS ABLE TO START MY CAR AND TOOK NEXT EXIT ON 118 WEST (HAYVENHURST) AND DROVE BACK HOME ON STREET WITH HAZARD LIGHTS ON IN THE RAIN. SEEMS, CAR GOING ON GAS EXTENDER ON FREEWAY IS A"DEATH TRAP". I DONOT REMEMBER ANY BODY WARNING US OF THAT PRIOR TO PURCHASE OF THIS VEHICLE. *TR

ADAPTIVE SPEED CONTROL WILL UNEXPECTEDLY QUIT AUTOMATICALLY TRIGGERING UNEXPECTED BRAKING FORCE. THIS GREATLY INCREASES THE RISK OF BEING STUCK FROM THE REAR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 BMW I3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE CRUISE CONTROL WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,000.

BMW SHOULD IMMEDIATELY RECALL OR WARN DRIVERS ABUT THE I3 RANGE EXTENDER MODEL. SOMEONE COULD BE KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED IN AN ACCIDENT CAUSED BY A DEADLY FLAW IN THE CAR THAT I EXPERIENCED. YESTERDAY MORNING, THE BATTERY WAS LOW IN POWER AND I WAS IN REX MODE AND DRIVING UP THE CONEJO GRADE RETURNING TO LA FROM SANTA BARBARA. I WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 65 MILES PER HOUR IN THE FAST LANE. I AM NOT SURE ABOUT THE PRECISE SPEED BECAUSE I WAS DRIVING INTO THE SUN AND THE CRUISE CONTROL WOULD NOT OPERATE (SEE BELOW). SUDDENLY, AND WITHOUT WARNING, THE CAR LOST POWER. DESPITE HAVING MY FOOT PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR DOWN TO THE FLOOR, THE CAR QUICKLY DROPPED SPEED. AS THE CAR DROPPED SPEED ALL THE WAY TO ABOUT 35 MILES PER HOUR, I QUICKLY MOVED OVER LANE BY LANE TO THE RIGHT WHERE I FINALLY HAD TO LIMP ONTO THE RIGHT SHOULDER. SEVERAL CARS MOVING UP ON MY REAR HAD TO SWERVE TO AVOID HITTING ME. FORTUNATELY, IT WAS EARLY IN THE MORNING AND TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT. NORMALLY, THIS STRETCH OF THE FREEWAY IS FULL OF FAST MOVING CARS AND TRUCKS. AS I LIMPED TO THE TOP OF THE GRADE, THE CAR REGAINED POWER AND DROVE AS USUAL. EARLIER, ON THE DRIVE, I EXPERIENCED ANOTHER DEFECT IN THE CAR, I WAS DRIVING ALONG AT SUNRISE ON CRUISE CONTROL AND WHEN THE SUN CAME UP THE CAR SUDDENLY TURNED OFF THE CRUISE CONTROL AND RELEASED THE ACCELERATOR. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE ACTIVE CRUISE CONTROL MY NOT FUNCTION UNDER CERTAIN LIGHT CONDITIONS. HOWEVER, THE CAR SHOULD WARN THAT IT IS NO LONGER IN ACTIVE MODE, BUT SHOULD CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN SPEED - NOT JUST SUDDENLY TURN OFF AND RELEASE THE ACCELERATOR WHICH AT HIGHWAY SPEED IS DANGEROUS.

DATE 09/05/2014 MILEAGE 4,078. ON BOARD DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM INDICATED "FAULT IN AIRBAG, BELT TENSIONER OR BELT FORCE LIMITER." THE DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE TENSIONER FAULT. ADDITIONALLY THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED AIR BAG FAULT WAS CAUSED BY HIGH RESISTANCE IN A COIL SPRING AND REPLACED THE COIL SPRING. WARNING REPEATED AGAIN ON 09/15/14 AT 4,424 MILES. THE DEALERSHIP UPON TESTING FOUND FAULT CODE 9030BE3 AND PERFORMED TESTING UNDER THIS FAULT PROTOCOL. THE DEALERSHIP THEN TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE REPORTING THAT THE WARNING DID NOT REAPPEAR. THE DEALERSHIP THEN CAUTIONED THAT SHOULD THE FAULT WARNING RE-APPEAR, THERE WAS THE REMOTE POSSIBILITY THAT THE VEHICLE MEMORY WOULD HAVE TO BE WIPED AND THE SOFTWARE RE-INSTALLED. UPDATED 08/24/15. *JB