2011 BMW X5 Complaints

THIS VEHICLE HAS NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE VANOS SYSTEM. AS I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WITH FULL TRAFFIC, MY ENGINE FAILED AT 70 MPH CAUSING TO ME ALMOST GET KILLED IN TRAFFIC AS I FOUGHT MY WAY THE THE SHOULDER. THE CAR WOULD NOT START, I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND IT SEEMS THAT THE VANOS BOLT BACKED OUT OF THE CAMSHAFT AND CAUSED CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. I WENT TO MY WARRANTY AND THEY WOULD NOT COVER THE DAMAGE DUE TO IT BEING THE BOLT THAT BACKED OUT. AS THEY DO NOT COVER BOLTS. NOW I AM PAYING FOR A CAR THAT I CANT DRIVE AND IS CURRENTLY SITTING AT BMW OF MT. LAUREL IN NEW JERSEY WITH AN 18K BILL. THIS CAN HAPPEN TO ALOT OF PEOPLE IN THESE VEHICLES. THAT VANOS UNIT IS DANGEROUS AND SHOULD BE RECALLED AGAIN WITH THE CORRECT BOLTS REINFORCED.

I WOULD LIKE TO REPORT A VANOS ISSUE THE CAMSHAFT BOLTS LOOSEN AND BREAK AND IT COULD BE CATASTROPHIC. MY BOLTS LOOSENED AND I CAUGHT IT IN TIME BUT IF I DIDN'T KNOW ANY BETTER I COULD'VE HAD A COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE. MY CODE ORIGINALLY CAME UP AS CAMSHAFT STICKING. WHEN THE PROBLEM ORIGINATED I WAS TRAVELING ON A MAIN CITY ROAD AND MY CAR WENT INTO REDUCED POWER MODE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW X5. WHILE DRIVING IN REVERSE, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME HARD TO TURN. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND FOUND THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP BOLT ON THE PULLEY FAILED, WHICH CAUSED THE STEERING WHEEL TO SEIZE AND THE ALTERNATOR BELT NOT TO FUNCTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 12V550000 (STEERING, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

PER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 12V550000 A REPLACEMENT OF THE IDLER PULLEY BOLT RECALL WAS CONDUCTED DUE TO GRAVE PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS. I CONSULTED BOTH BMW OF NORTH AMERICA AND MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP ABOUT THIS REPAIR, AND OF COURSE I AM TOLD THE ONLY RECALL OUTSTANDING FOR MY VEHICLE IS RELATED TO AIRBAGS AND THIS FIX WAS ALREADY IMPLEMENTED. ATTACHED TO THIS SAFETY REPORT IS A DIAGRAM OF THE CRANKCASE PULLEY DESIGN. ITEM '2' IN THE ATTACHED DIAGRAM WAS THE PART REPLACED TO CORRECT THE ISSUE.DESPITE THIS 'FIX' I HAVE RECENTLY EXPERIENCED A COMPLETE LOSS OF STEERING AND ELECTRIC POWER AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH, AS WELL AS THE ENGINE OPERATING AT OR ABOVE NORMAL RANGE. THIS OF COURSE IS DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE PRIMARY CRANKCASE PULLEY AFFECTS ALL OF THESE SYSTEMS INSTANTLY IF THIS ROTATING MASS COMES TO A HALT. INITIAL THOUGHTS AND INSPECTION ONE WOULD ASSUME A LOOSE, SLIPPING SERPENTINE BELT OR TENSIONER PULLEY BEING THE FAULT FOR THE INSTANT MULTIPLE SYSTEM FAILURES, HOWEVER FURTHER INSPECTION REVEALS A COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE 'VIBRATION' DAMPER PULLEY. THE TORQUE FROM THIS DIESEL ENGINE SHREDS THIS RUBBER PULLEY, COMPLETELY RIPPING IT OFF ITS METAL SLEEVE, DESPITE THE REINFORCEMENT OF THE HARDENED STEEL 'BOLT' REPLACEMENT. IN ALL MY DAYS OF OWNING A VEHICLE, I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF SUCH 'MAINTENANCE' REPAIR WORK OF REPLACING THE PRIMARY CRANKCASE PULLEY AS IT IS SEEN BY THE MANUFACTURER AS A 'WEAR AND TEAR' ITEM. IN MY EXPERIENCE, REPLACING THE CRANKCASE PULLEY WAS DELIBERATE TO GAIN AN EDGE AT THE DRAG STRIP, NOT FOR MY FAMILIES SAFETY.

DRIVING DOWN STREET STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP ,CAR SHUT DOWN,HAD IT TOWED TO BMW,THEY SAID ENGINE,POWERTRAIN FAILED,WARRANTY PEOPLE REFUSE TO PAY TO HAVE FIXED

DURING HARD ACCELERATION OF THE CAR WHILE GETTING ON THE FREE WAY RAMP, THE CAR WENT INTO LIMP MODE. THE ENGINE PERFORMANCE WAS DEGRADED AND I HAD TO PULL ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO RESTART THE CAR. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO BMW OF BELLEVUE NEXT WEEK AFTER INITIAL DIAGNOSIS OF A DME INTERNAL FAULT BY A SIGNATURE INDEPENDENT KIRKLAND. BMW OF BELLEVUE REPLACED AIR MASS FILTER AND OIL FILLER CAP. A FEW WEEKS LATER THE ISSUE HAPPENING AGAIN DURING REGULAR DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. BMW OF BELLEVUE DIAGNOSED THIS AS A VACUUM HOSE LEAK. A FEW WEEKS LATER THE CAR WENT INTO LIMP MODE AGAIN WHILE GETTING ON THE FREEWAY, BMW OF BELLEVUE DIAGNOSED THIS AS A HIGH PRESSURE FUEL SENSOR SHORT, BMW OF NORTH AMERICA OPENED A PUMA CASE, BUT DID NOT RECOMMEND REPLACING THE DME YET. RIGHT AFTER PICKING UP THE CAR I HIT THE ISSUE AGAIN WHERE THE CAR WENT INTO LIMP MODE WHILE ACCELERATING ON THE FREEWAY RAMP. BMW OF BELLEVUE WORKED WITH BMW OF NA TO REPLACE THE DME WHICH IS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. BEFORE HANDING THE CAR BACK THE SERVICE ADVISOR DID A TEST AND WAS ABLE TO STILL REPRODUCE THE CAR GOING INTO LIMP MODE GETTING ON THE FREEWAY, DIAGNOSIS IS STILL NOT KNOWN. IT HAS BEEN 3 MONTHS TODAY SINCE THE ISSUE FIRST HAPPENED AND THE CAR HAS BEEN OUT OF USE FOR MORE THAN A MONTH AND THERE IS STILL NO CONCLUSION ON THE ROOT CAUSE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW X5. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE INDICATED THAT THE ENGINE HAD OVERHEATED. UPON INSPECTION, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT HOT WATER HAD LEAKED FROM THE ENGINE AREA. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE LOCAL DEALER (UNITED BMW, 11458 ALPHARETTA HWY, ROSWELL GA) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE WATER PUMP AND THERMOSTAT HAD FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT WHILE LEAVING THE DEALER, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO VIOLENTLY SHAKE AND RATTLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE DRIVE SHAFT AND TRANSFER CASE FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW X5. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE CONTACT SMELLED A BURNING ODOR FROM THE AIR CONDITIONING VENTS, AND THE VEHICLE STALLED AND COULD NOT BE RESTARTED. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED BEFORE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER (BMW OF TULSA, 9702 S MEMORIAL DR, TULSA, OK 74133), BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE MANUFACTURER WAS WILLING TO PAY HALF FOR A REPLACEMENT ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND CONFIRMED WITH THE CONTACT THAT THEY WOULD PAY HALF OF THE COST FOR A REPLACEMENT ENGINE. THE MANUFACTURER OPENED A CASE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 69,000.

THE SERVICE ADVISER AT THE BMW DEALERSHIP MENTIONED THAT THE DMTL PUMP IN MY VEHICLE HAS FAILED. I FOUND THE BELOW DOCUMENT REGARDING THE DMTL PUMP. HTTPS://STATIC.NHTSA.GOV/ODI/TSBS/2012/SB-10051299-3508.PDF CAN YOU PLEASE CHECK THIS AND LET ME KNOW OF MY OPTIONS? THANKS [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

ENGINE MALFUNCTION LIGHT REDUCED POWER TO ENGINE IN THE CITY WHILE AT LIGHT. ALSO YOU CAN HEAR A FLAPPING SOUND COMING FROM FRONT OF VEHICLE. DEALER REPORTS AFTER DIAGNOSTIC THAT THE EXHAUST COOLER IS CRACKED. PREVIOUSLY THE CAR WAS SERVICED FOR METERING VALVE LEAK WHICH WAS UNDER SCR EXTENDED WARRANTY AND FRONT DRIVE SHAFT RECALL WITH BUSHING REPLACEMENT WITH WAS COVERED UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY.