2001 BMW X5 Complaints

THE COOLING FAN BEGAN TURNING ON AND BLOW AT MAXIMUM POWER BY ITSELF. THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES. I WAS NOT UNTIL WE TALKED WITH A ANOTHER PERSON WHO ALSO EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM, THAT WE FOUND IT THERE WAS A RECALL BY BMW. WE TOOK OUR VEHICLE TO THE DEALER (IN BUENA PARK,CA) AND WAS TOLD THAT WE HAD TO PAY FOR REPAIRS BECAUSE WE WAITED TO LONG TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN! REMEMBER - NEITHER SAVAGE BMW NOR BMW NORTH AMERICA NOTIFIED US ABOUT THE DEFECT! SO WE HAD TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS OUT OF POCKET AND THE DEALER REFUSED TO REIMBURSE US. *NM

MY 2001 BMW X5 DOOR LOCKS GET STUCK WHEN IT IS VERY COLD, USUALLY BELOW 15 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. THE KEY REMOTE DOES NOT WORK & IF I CAN GET THE KEY TO MANUALLY UNLOCK THE DOOR, AND GET INTO THE VEHICLE, WHEN I GO TO SHUT THE DOOR THE LATCH IS STUCK "OPEN" AND WILL NOT CLOSE, THEREFORE MAKING THE CAR UN-DRIVABLE BECAUSE THE DOOR WILL NOT LATCH CLOSE. I HAVE DISCUSSED THIS W/ BMW ON 8/16/05 & THEY REVIEWED IT. A BMW DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE SAID THAT THEY HAVE NOTICED THAT THE CURRENT "LATCHING/LOCKING" SYSTEM CAN ALLOW MOISTURE TO GET INTO THE LOCKS & MAKE THEM UNUSABLE. THEY OFFERED TO REPLACE ALL 4 LOCKING MECHANISMS BUT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY 1/2 PART & LABOR, COST TO ME $450.00 OUT OF POCKET. THIS SOUNDS LIKE AN ENGINEERING PROBLEM THAT BMW SHOULD RECALL. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THIS INVESTIGATED. *NM

1. HAD CAR SERVICED AT 60,000 MILES, ONLY 3 WEEKS LATER THE GREEN DASHES STARTED APPEARING AGAIN AND STAYING ON, AS IF I NEEDED TO HAVE CAR SERVICED. CALLED DEALER AND THEY SAID NOT TO WORRY, THIS HAS BEEN KNOW TO HAPPEN, JUST IGNORE IT. 2. VERY LOUD NOISE FROM SUN ROOF (CLOSED) WHILE TRAVELING ON FREEWAY AND LEAKS DURING CAR WASHES? DEALER SAID THEY CAN REPLACE THE SEAL AND THIS SHOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. 3. BRAKE LIGHT INDICATOR ON DASH COMES ON AND OFF, AS IF BULB IS OUT, BUT JUST REPLACED BULB, THEN REPLACED AGAIN, SOMETIMES THIS BRAKE LIGHT WORKS AND SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T. 4. WINDOW ON FRONT PASSENGER WINDOW WOULD NOT GO BACK UP AFTER OPENED, THEN A DAY LATER, THE DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN OR CLOSE. DEALER REPLACED THE WINDOW MECHANISM THAT CONTROLS BOTH THE DOOR HANDLE AND THE WINDOW AT MY COST MIND YOU THE REAR WINDOW AND DOOR HAD BEEN DONE ONLY A YEAR BEFORE. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THIS HAPPENS ON ALL GERMAN CARS, DOESN'T MATTER THE AGE OF CAR OR MAKE. HOW FRUSTRATING - SPEND $45,000 AND KNOW WINDOWS WILL EVENTUALLY QUIT WORKING?? 5. FRONT RIGHT HEADLAMP GETS MOISTURE IN IT AND IT TAKES 3-5 DAYS TO CLEAR UP. 6. DRIVER CUP HOLDERS, WHAT IS UP WITH THAT - CAN ONLY PUT ONE CUP IN IT, WHEN TRY TO PUT 2 IN, THEY OVERLAP, VERY FRUSTRATING WHEN DRIVING. 7. STORAGE IN FRONT MINIMAL AND A HASSLE, YOU HAVE TO REACH BACK AND SORT OF BEHIND YOU TO GET INTO COMPARTMENT - DANGEROUS WHILE DRIVING. 8. LEATHER SEATS ARE VERY HARD, NEED A PLUSHIER LEATHER. 9. WHEELS, BRAKE "DUST" GETS ALL OVER THE WHEELS MUCH MUCH MORE THAN ANY OTHER LUXURY CAR I HAVE EVER HAD. 10. CARGO COVER IN REAR NEEDS WORK, CHECK OUT THE ONE LEXUS USES IN RX30. 11. NEED MORE CARGO SPACE - COMPARED TO RX330 AND THE VOLVO X90, SPACE IS EXTREMELY SMALL. 12. DISAPPOINTED IN MY CAR - WANT TO SELL IT, WILL NOT BUY ANOTHER BMW. *NM

ELECTRONIC DOOR LOCKS FAIL, NO ENTRY IN TO THE VEHICLE. WAS REPAIRED AND THEN FAILED AGAIN. *JB

DT: CONTACT STATD BMW X5 2001 CAUGHT ON FIRE ON JULY 21, 2005. THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE WAS AT HOT, THE CAR STARTED TO LOSE POWER, THE TACHOMETER WAS OVER 4 AND WHITE SMOKE STARTED TO COME OUT OF THE ENGINE AREA WHILE HE WAS DRIVING THE CAR ON THE HIGHWAY GOING APPROX. 30 MPH. AS THE SMOKE GOT WORSE, HE PULLED OFF AND THE SMOKE BECAME VERY WHITE AND DENSE AND THEN IGNITED INTO A FIRE. THE FIRE DEPT. DID COME OUT. THE FIRE DID ORIGINATE FROM UNDER THE HOOD. PRIOR TO THIS HE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR HEATING UP. THE CAR WAS TOTALED. *AK

THE WINDOW REGULATOR FAILED. AS A RESULT, THE REAR DRIVER SIDE WINDOW FELL INTO THE DOOR. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE SAME THING HAPPENED WITH ALL THE WINDOWS. THE CAUSE HAS YET TO BE DETERMINED. *AK THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE REAR DRIVERS SIDE WINDOW SUDDENLY FELL INTO THE DOOR. *SC *JB

AFTER EXPERIENCING PREVIOUS HESITATION WHEN ACCELERATING AND AFTER DEALER INSPECTION, NO FAULTS WERE FOUND AND NO CORRECTIVE ACTION WAS TAKEN BY THE BMW DEALER. WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGH SPEED EXPRESSWAY, THE X5 SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING SHUT DOWN ALL SYSTEMS AND ALL WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. AFTER FINALLY GETTING OFF THE ROAD, THE CAR WAS TOWED TO MY HOME. THE NEXT DAY, THE CAR WAS ABLE TO START AND, ALTHOUGH THE CAR WAS NOT ABLE TO GO OVER 30 MPH, I DROVE TO MY BMW DEALER. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM QUICKLY AND INFORMED ME THAT A SERVICE BULLETIN WAS ISSUED IN AUGUST, 2003 ON THIS PROBLEM. THE ENTIRE WIRING HARNESS AND THROTTLE HAD TO BE REPLACED AND BECAUSE THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, BMW ASSUMED NONE OF THE COST WHICH WAS ABOUT $1,200.00. I BELIEVE THAT OWNERS SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED OF THIS PROBLEM WHEN IT WAS RECOGNIZED BY BMW. THE SERVICE BULLETIN STATED THAT THE PROBLEM SHOULD ONLY BE CORRECTED "UPON A CUSTOMER'S COMPLAINT" WHICH I BELIEVE IS TOTALLY IRRESPONSIBLE AND JEOPARDIZES THE SAFETY OF OCCUPANTS.

WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 80 MPH STEERING GEAR BROKE. THIS HAPPENED WITH NO WARNING. VEHICLE LOST STEERING CONTROL. OWNER HAD THE BMW ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE TOW THE VEHICLE TO THE BMW DEALERSHIP. THIS IS WHEN THE OWNER WAS INFORMED AS TO WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO THE VEHICLE. OWNER WAS TOLD BY THE MANUFACTURER THAT AN ENGINEERING TEAM WOULD BE OUT TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE. AS OF TODAY THAT NEVER HAPPENED. *AK

I PURCHASED MY 2001 BMW X5, NEW IN SEPT OF 2000. I BEGAN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH IT PRETTY QUICKLY. THE MOST PLAUGING PROBLEM WAS THE GAS GAUGE. IT TOOK BMW 5 TIMES TO FINALLY FIX IT. 2/26/01 14461 MILAGE, 3/9/01 14512 MILAGE, 5/16/01 18566 MILES, 8/29/01 24493 MILES, AND FINALLY 2/26/02 37268 MILES. THERE WERE A NUMBER OF OTHER ISSUES WITH THE CAR, WATER PUMP, LOWER CONTRO ARM (TWICE), AND VARIOUS OTHER NON-ESSENTIAL ITEMS. I TRIED TO ENACT THE LEMON LAW, BUT SINCE THE 3RD TIME ON THE FUEL GAUGE WAS AT 18500 MILES, I WAS TOLD IT DIDN'T APPLY. NOW AFTER 4 AND A HALF YEARS, I HAVE 114,000 MILES ON THE CAR AND I WAS JUST TOLD THAT THE MOTOR IS SHOT AND WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $11,500. I CAN'T SINK THAT KIND OF MONEY INTO A CAR WITH THAT MANY MILES BUT I CAN'T SELL IT WITH A BAD MOTOR AND I CAN'T MAKE PAYMENTS ON TWO CARS. THIS CAR HAS BEEN ONE PROBLEM AFTER ANOTHER AND BMW HAS REFUESED HELP ME. THE ONLY OFFER THEY MADE WAS TO GIVE ME $5000.00 OFF ON A NEW CAR WHEN I HIRED A LAWYER TO TRY TO ENACT THE LEMON LAW, BUT WITH THE MILAGE I HAD ON THE CAR ALREADY I STILL WOULD HAVE OWED THEM MONEY ON THE TRADE-IN. THERE HASN'T BEEN ONE INCIDENT. IT'S JUST BEEN ONE THING AFTER ANOTHER SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR. I HAVE PAID BMW OVER $3600.00 FOR SERVICE AND REPAIRS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY SINCE I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE. NOW IT'S GOING TO COST ME OVER $11,000 MORE TO GET THE CAR RUNNING AGAIN. I HAVE ALL THE SERVICE RECORDS AND HAVE ALWAYS PAMPERED THE CAR. I ONLY USED THE BEST GAS, NEVER MISSED ANY SCHEDULED SERVICES. I CAN'T BELIEVE BMW IS NOT STANDING BEHIND THEIR PRODUCTS BETTER THAN THIS.*AK

I HAVE A 2001 BMW X5 WHICH HAS PROBLEMS WITH FREEZING FRONT DOORS (BMW HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THE DESIGN DEFECT, REFERENCE # 200503100195, SI 510204, AND S.I. 51 51 02 DATED MARCH 2002.) THAT POSE A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY HAZARD, AND HAVE NOT RECEIVED AN ADEQUATE RESPONSE IN DEALING WITH THE MATTER. I HAVE FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE NHTSA. I AM AN ACTIVE DUTY ARMY OFFICER STATIONED IN GARMISCH, GERMANY. THE CAR WAS WITH US IN CALIFORNIA AND KANSAS FROM 2001 TO 2004. THE CAR DID NOT HAVE THE DOOR FREEZING PROBLEMS WHILE UNDER WARRANTY; WE KEPT IT IN A GARAGE AND THE BOWDEN CABLES DID NOT GET WET DURING COLD WEATHER. WE HAVE NO GARAGE HERE, AND ANY TIME THE WEATHER GETS A FEW DEGREES BELOW FREEZING, THE FRONT DOORS CEASE TO OPERATE. ONE MUST RUN THE CAR BETWEEN 15 MINUTES TO 1.5 HOURS BEFORE THE DOORS OPERATE NORMALLY. WHEN THE CAR COOLS DOWN, THE DOORS FREEZE AGAIN. THE PROBLEM WITH THE DOORS HERE IN GERMANY IS SEVERE AND POSES A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY RISK; DOES BMW REALLY WANT TO RISK LITIGATION FOR SOMEONE TRAPPED IN THE CAR IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT? I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THE CAR WAS NOT RECALLED FOR SUCH A SERIOUS AND ACKNOWLEDGED SAFETY DESIGN DEFECT. OUR LOCAL DEALERSHIP IN GARMISCH IS UNABLE TO LOCATE THE BELOW SI IN HIS DATABASE. HE DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I AM ALSO DISTURBED THAT I WILL HAVE TO PAY UPWARDS OF $1000 TO FIX THE PROBLEM---THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIXED WHEN THE CAR WENT UNDER SERVICES IN LATE WINTER OF 2004 (AND ALSO HAD OTHER SI WORK DONE, SUCH AS A FAULTY RADIATOR FAN THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THE CAR TO BURN----HECK OF A COMBINATION IF THE FREEZING DOORS HAD BEEN ACTING UP AT THE SAME TIME!).*AK