2007 BMW 3 Series
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Electrical system is the leading concern among 1,040 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 2nd highest complaint count among 21 3 Series model years with reports.
Of the 2007 reports, 29 involved a crash and 61 involved a fire. 24 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Engine and engine cooling, exhaust system, emission control, crankcase (pcv)Mar 2, 2022
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2008-2013 1 Series Coupe (128i); 2007-2013 3 Series Coupe (328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive); 2007-2010 X3 SAV (X3 3.0si, X3 xDrive30i); 2008-2013 1 Series Convertible (128i); 2006-2011 3 Series Sedan (325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 330i, 330xi); 2006-2012 3 Series Wagon (328i, 328i xDrive); 2007-2013 3 Series Convertible (328i); 2006-2010 5 Series Sedan (525i, 525xi, 528i, 528xi, 530i, 530xi); 2006-2007 5 Series Wagon (530xi); 2007-2010 X5 SAV (X5 3.0si, X5 xDrive30i); 2006-2008 Z4 Coupe (Z4 3.0si); and 2006-2011 Z4 Roadster (Z4 3.0i, Z4 3.0si, Z4 sDrive30i) vehicles. The heater for the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve may short circuit.
An electrical short can cause the PCV valve heater to overheat, increasing the risk of a fire while driving or, soon after driving when parked.
This recall supersedes and expands previous NHTSA recalls 17V-683 and 19V-273. Dealers will install an electrical wiring harness with fuse protection for the PCV Valve heater in potentially affected vehicles, free of charge. This recall supersedes and expands previous NHTSA recalls 17V-683 and 19V-273. Vehicles previously repaired under the prior recalls will need to come back for the new recall remedy. The remedy is currently being developed. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed on April 1, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 22, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Campaign 22V119000 on NHTSA.gov
Engine and engine cooling, cooling system, fanAug 10, 2012
This recall involves aftermarket parts sold by Valeo. Valeo is recalling certain engine cooling fans, part numbers 696121, 696273, and 696275, used as service replacement parts for model year 2008-2011 BMW 1-Series, 2006-2011 BMW 3-Series, 2000-2009 BMW 5-Series, 2004-2005 BMW 6-Series, and 2006-2007 BMW 7-Series vehicles. A metal-oxide semiconductor may overheat due to insufficient screwing of the semiconductor on the aluminum heat sink. This primary failure could cause adjacent components on the fan assembly motor circuit board to overheat and short.
This condition could cause the fan motor to become inoperative, or cause the motor circuit board in the assembly to overheat, potentially leading to a fire in the engine compartment.
Valeo will notify owners and replace the fans free of charge. The safety recall began on August 22, 2012. This recall is being conducted by Valeo, not by BMW. For further information, owners may contact Valeo at 1-888-718-2536.
Campaign 12E029000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
1,040 reports, newest first.
Fuel system, Gasoline, Aug 26, 2010
LONG CRANKS TO START UP ENGINE AND MISFIRES UPON COLD START UP ALMOST EVERY DAY. OFTEN GETS CEL BUT DEALER DENIES WARRANTY/RECALL WORK ON HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP (HPFP HEREON) BECAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE EXACT CODE THEY ARE SEEKING FOR. THEY CONFIRMED THE SYMPTOM BUT "UNLESS CAR BREAKS DOWN ON THE ROAD OR GET THE EXACT CODE, THEY WILL NOT REPLACE FAILED PART". BASICALLY SAYING THEY WILL NOT VOLUNTARILY RESOLVE PROBLEM UNLESS THEY ARE FORCED TO. HPFP FAILURE ON BMW N54 ENGINE PLATFORM IS ALREADY WELL KNOWN FACT HENCE BMW PUT EXTENDED WARRANTY ON HPFP. BUT IT'S NOT A RECALL AND MANY TIMES DEALER DENIES TO REPLACE ALTHOUGH THEY CONFIRM THE SYMPTOM AND POSSIBLE DANGER ASSOCIATED WITH THE FAILED PARTS ON VEHICLES. ALL THEY DID WAS UPDATING THE DME PROGRAM THAT SUPPOSEDLY FIX THE PROBLEM BUT LONG CRANK STILL HAPPENS EVERYDAY. *TR
Fuel system, Gasoline, Aug 26, 2010
2007 BMW 335I HPFP FAILED ON THE HIGHWAY CAR STALLED AND CAME TO A STOP AS I ROLLED OFF THE SHOULDER. A SECOND HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP IS INDICATING THAT ITS GOING TO FAIL AND I AM SERIOUSLY CONCERNED ABOUT DRIVING IT. THE CAR ONLY HAS 16,000MILES AND DEALER REFUSE TO SWAP THE PUMP UNTIL THERE IS ACTUALLY FAILURE EVEN THOUGH I HAVE EXHIBITED ALL THE SIGNS THAT THE PUMP IS ABOUT TO FAIL AGAIN. THEY ONLY PROVIDED ME A SOFTWARE UPDATE. I AM SERIOUSLY CONCERNED FOR MY SAFETY AND AS A RESULT AM NOT DRIVING THIS CAR LONG DISTANCES OR ON THE HIGHWAY.. I THINK ITS ABOUT TIME AUTHORITIES STEP UP AND FORCE BMW TO DEAL WITH THIS VERY SERIOUS VEHICLE HAZARD, WHICH THEY ARE ABUNDANTLY AWARE OF, BUT REFUSE TO DO NOTHING ABOUT. *TR
Latches/locks/linkages, Aug 16, 2010
DOOR ACTUATORS ON MY 2007 BMW 328I FAILED. IT BEGAN WITH JUST THE FRONT TWO DOORS AND THEN THE REAR DOORS. A VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR, MOSTLY LABOR EXPENSE. I AM THANKFUL THAT THIS DID NOT OCCUR WHEN AWAY FROM HOME AS LOCKING AND UNLOCKING THE DOORS WAS NOT POSSIBLE. ALSO, IF SOMEONE HAD BEEN IN THE BACKSEAT THEY MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET OUT. *TR
Electrical system, Latches/locks/linkages, Aug 10, 2010
HAVE YOU INVESTIGATED WHY BMW HAS NOT OFFERED A FIX FOR TRAPPING THEIR CUSTOMERS IN THE CAR WHEN A DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR FAILS AND BLOWS A FUSE? THIS IS A COMMON EVENT ON THE 2007 328 MODEL. WHAT HAPPENS IS A POWER DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR FAILS DURING THE UNLOCK PROCESS AND THE INCREASE IN AMPERAGE CAUSES 2 FUSES TO BLOW. THIS PREVENTS ANY OF THE CAR'S DOOR LOCKS FROM OPENING, THEREBY TRAPPING OCCUPANTS IN THE VEHICLE. THERE IS NO WAY TO UNLOCK THE DOORS FROM INSIDE THE VEHICLE. OCCUPANTS MUST EITHER CLIMB OUT OF A WINDOW OR HAVE SOMEONE UNLOCK THE CAR USING A MECHANICAL KEY FROM OUTSIDE OF THE CAR. PLEASE ADVISE. *TR
Fuel system, Gasoline, Aug 5, 2010
THE BMW 335I HAS PROBLEM WITH THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP FAILURES WHICH WAS ACKNOWLEDGED BY BMW N/A WITH A EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THIS PART FOR 10 YEARS OR 120K MILES. MY BMW 335I HAS HAD 3 FUEL PUMP FAILURES IN 24,000 MILES, EACH TIME THE CAR HAS COMPLETELY STALLED LEAVING ME STRANDED IN VERY DANGEROUS SCENARIOS. THE MOST RECENT TIME I WAS STRANDED ON A BUSY ROAD WITH NO SHOULDER WHICH MY SAFETY WAS JEOPARDIZED BY THIS CARS DEFAULT. NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS TO CONTACT BMW N/A HAVE BEEN MADE, TO NO AVAIL. *TR
Fuel system, Gasoline, Aug 3, 2010
HI, I PURCHASED A 2007 CERTIFIED PRE OWNED BMW 335I FROM WEATHERFORD BMW IN BERKELEY, CA JUST ONE WEEK AGO. SINCE THE PURCHASE, I HAVE HAD AN ENGINE MALFUNCTION, LOSS OF POWER LIGHT COME UP OVER 10 TIMES. IT ALWAYS COMES UP WHEN I ACCELERATE ON THE HIGHWAY. IT LEADS TO A DRASTIC REDUCTION IN POWER, VIBRATION OF THE CAR, AND CAUSES ME TO GO SIGNIFICANTLY BELOW THE SPEED LIMIT. I AM AFRAID THE CAR IS GOING TO STALL ON ME AND THAT SUDDENLY DROPPING THE SPEED WILL RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT. IT IS PARTICULARLY RIDICULOUS THAT THIS WAS LABELED A "CERTIFIED" CAR WHEN IT STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS THE VERY NEXT DAY. I TOOK IT TO A DEALERSHIP TO GET IT REPAIRED AND THEY CLAIM THE HIGH-PRESSURE FUEL PUMP NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. PRIOR TO TAKING IT IN, I NOTICED TURNING THE CAR OFF AND THEN ON SEEMED TO "RESET" IT AND MAKE THE LIGHT GO AWAY. STILL NO PEACE OF MIND WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. I AM AWAITING REPAIR OF THE VEHICLE TO SEE IF THE ISSUE HAS BEEN FIXED, BUT READING OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET HAS LEFT ME PESSIMISTIC THAT ANYTHING IS GOING TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS. *TR
Fuel system, Gasoline, Jul 27, 2010
I HAD JUST PURCHASED A BRAND NEW BMW 328I. WE WERE DRIVING ON I-5 FROM LOS ANGELES TO SAN FRANCISCO. I WAS ACCOMPANIED BY MY HUSBAND AND TWO DOGS. WE WERE TRAVELING ~80 MILES PER HOUR IN THE LEFT LANE. ALL OF THE SUDDEN AND WITHOUT WARNING, THE ENGINE TURNED COMPLETELY OFF ON THE VEHICLE. I LOST POWER STEERING AND BREAKING AND HAD NO OTHER OPTION THAN TO GLIDE INTO THE CENTER MEDIAN. UNFORTUNATELY, THERE WAS NOT SUFFICIENT ROOM FOR THE VEHICLE, SO THE RIGHT TIRES WERE IN THE LEFT LANE OF TRAFFIC. WE CALLED BMW ASSIST, BUT THEY SAID THEY WOULD NOT PICK US UP BECAUSE WE HAD DOGS IN THE CAR. WE WERE STUCK IN THE MEDIAN FOR NEARLY ONE HOUR, AROUND A BEND IN THE FREEWAY, WHERE OTHER CARS COULD NOT SEE US WELL UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE. A CALIFORNIA STATE TROOPER TOGETHER WITH A TOW TRUCK FINALLY RESCUED US FROM THE CENTER MEDIAN. HE SAID WE WERE IN GRAVE DANGER, WHICH WE OBVIOUSLY KNEW. AFTER THE INCIDENT I CALLED THE BEVERLY HILLS BMW DEALERSHIP, WHERE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, AND SPOKE WITH THE MANAGER AND REPORTED THE ISSUE TO BMW ASSIST. I WAS FURIOUS THAT A VEHICLE WOULD TURN OFF AT THAT SPEED. THEY TOLD ME THEY WOULD DOCUMENT THE CLAIM BUT THAT NO OTHER INCIDENCES OF THIS HAD BEEN REPORTED. THE LATTER IS INACCURATE, AS MANY PEOPLE APPARENTLY HAVE HAD THE EXACT SAME ISSUE. *TR
Fuel system, Gasoline, Jul 27, 2010
OWNER OF A 2007 BMW 335I COUPE. NOTICED A PROBLEM WITH ROUGH IDLES AND LONG CRANKS AT START-UP. AS TIME WENT BY, THE LONG CRANKS AND ROUGH IDLES BECAME MORE FREQUENT. WHILE DRIVING ONTO THE FREEWAY VIA FREEWAY ON RAMP, FUEL PUMP FAILED WHILE I WAS MERGING AND ENGINE WAS CUT TO HALF POWER "LIMP-MODE." CAR HAD SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF POWER AND I WAS ALMOST REAR-ENDED BY A SEMI THAT WAS DRIVING IN THE SLOW LANE. *TR
Power train, Jul 27, 2010
I PURCHASED A USED 2007 BMW 328XI COUPE WITH THE ZF 6-19 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. (NOT THE ZF 6-19 TU) TWO WEEKS AFTER THE PURCHASE I WAS TRAVELING AT A STEADY 45 MPH & HAD TO BRAKE QUICKLY TO ABOUT 5 MPH. I THEN IMMEDIATELY HIT THE GAS TO ACCELERATE AWAY, AND THE CAR DID NOT RESPOND FOR AN UNACCEPTABLE PERIOD OF TIME. DEALERSHIP COULDN'T FIND THE PROBLEM. I TESTED THE CAR & DETERMINED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN TOP (6TH) GEAR, AND WAS BRAKED RAPIDLY DOWN TO A SPEED NEEDING A SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER GEAR, THE TRANSMISSION REMAINS IN 6TH. WHEN THE DRIVER ATTEMPTS TO ACCELERATE THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS ONE GEAR AT A TIME, TAKES ABOUT 0.8 SECONDS PER GEAR CHANGE, AND DOES NOT PROVIDE ANY ACCELERATIVE FORCE UNTIL IT HAS MADE IT TO THE CORRECT GEAR. IN AN INCIDENT WHEN DECELERATING FROM TOP GEAR TO 10 MPH OR LESS AND THEN IMMEDIATELY ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE, THE CAR TAKES ABOUT 4 SECONDS TO BEGIN TO RESPOND. ONCE I DEMONSTRATED IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY LOOKED INTO IT FURTHER. BMW'S RESPONSE WAS "THE VEHICLE IS OPERATING AS DESIGNED." FURTHER COMPLAINTS RESULTED IN "CUSTOM SOFTWARE" FOR THE TRANSMISSION WHICH DROPPED THE DELAY FROM ABOUT 4 SECONDS TO ABOUT 3.75 SECONDS, AND ALLOWED THE TRANSMISSION TO TRANSFER SOME POWER TO THE WHEELS AS IT WAS WORKING DOWN THE GEARS. IT WAS AN EXTREMELY LIMITED IMPROVEMENT, STILL FAR FROM SAFE. A FOUR SECOND DELAY BEFORE A DRIVER CAN MOVE THE CAR EFFECTIVELY AFTER BREAKING IS UNSAFE. I AM FORTUNATE IN THAT I DISCOVERED THIS PROBLEM IN A SITUATION WHERE I WANTED TO ACCELERATE, BUT DIDN'T HAVE TO, IN ORDER TO AVOID A COLLISION. HAD THIS HAPPENED ON THE 75 MPH FREEWAYS IN IDAHO WHERE I LIVE, I COULD EASILY BEEN HURT OR KILLED. THIS WAS REPORTED TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND BMW NORTH AMERICA. NEITHER ENTITY INDICATED THAT THEY BELIEVED THERE WAS ANY SAFETY ISSUE. *TR
Fuel system, Gasoline, Jul 27, 2010
HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP (HPFP) FAILED WHILE DRIVING MY 2007 BMW 335I. CAR SHUTTING DOWN WHILE IN THE FAST LANE ON THE HIGHWAY. VERY DANGEROUS AND CAN CAUSE REAR END COLLISIONS! *TR
Fuel system, Gasoline, Jul 27, 2010
HPFP FAILED FOR THE 2ND TIME IN MY 2007 BMW 335I. *TR
Fuel system, Gasoline, Jul 27, 2010
FAILED HPFP FOR THE 3RD TIME IN MY 2007 BMW 335I. *TR
Fuel system, Gasoline, Jul 26, 2010
WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH WHEN MY CAR STARTED TO SHUTTER. MY BMW STARTED TO SLOW DESPITE ME DEPRESSING THE GAS PEDAL. I HAD TO PULL OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS NOT A GOOD SPOT TO STOP. BMW ATTEMPTED TO FIX IT ONCE BY UPDATING THE CAR'S SOFTWARE. HOWEVER, THEY ENDED UP REPLACING THE FUEL PUMP. IT TOOK TWO SERVICE SESSIONS TO FIX THE PROBLEM. *TR
Fuel system, Gasoline, Jul 25, 2010
HAD A HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP (HPFP) FAILURE WHILE DRIVING WHICH RESULTED IN THE CAR GOING INTO LIMP MODE (REDUCED ENGINE POWER) WHILE DRIVING. THIS LIMP MODE IS POTENTIALLY A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE IN THAT IF YOU ARE ON THE HIGHWAY, MERGING, PASSING, OR AROUND TOWN DRIVING AND YOU GET THIS LIMP MODE YOU CAN BE INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THE VEHICLE NOT RESPONDING AS YOU, OR OTHER DRIVERS, WOULD EXPECT. SYMPTOMS OF THIS ISSUE ARE LONG STARTING CRANK PERIODS BEFORE THE VEHICLE TURNS OVER. BMW HAS KNOW THIS IS A PROBLEM FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS YET HAVE NOT SPENT THE APPROPRIATE EFFORT TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. I HAVE HAD TWO HPFP FAILURES IN THE PAST 11 MONTHS (MAY 2009 AND FEB 2010). *TR
Fuel system, Diesel, Jul 24, 2010
HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP FAILING ON BMW 335I. *TR
Fuel system, Gasoline, Jul 24, 2010
CAR SUDDENLY LOSS ANY POWER WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, CAR WAS SHAKING AND UNABLE TO GAIN SPEED. *TR
Fuel system, Gasoline, Jul 24, 2010
PROBLEM WITH LOST ENGINE POWER IN MY 2007 MODEL BMW 335I CONVERTIBLE CAR FIVE TIMES IN 2009. ONE INSTANCE INVOLVED A FUEL LINE SEPARATION ON AN EXPRESSWAY OUTSIDE CHICAGO. EACH TIME THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO BMW DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE. FUEL INJECTORS WERE REPLACED. POLLUTION CONTROL DEVICES WERE REPLACED. BUT PROBLEM WAS NOT CORRECTED. FINALLY, THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL INJECTION PUMP WAS REPLACED AND THE WARRANTY ON IT WAS EXTENDED TO 100,000 MILES. THE PROBLEM APPEARED TO BE RESOLVED. *TR
Engine and engine cooling, Fuel system, Gasoline, Jul 23, 2010
2007 BMW 335I -HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP FAILURE- CAR IS ON ITS FOURTH PUMP (ORIGINAL PLUS THREE REPLACEMENTS) IN LESS THAN THREE YEARS AND 30,000 MILES. FIRST FAILURE AFTER 8 MONTHS AND 7,300 MILES. FIRST FAILURE WAS ON HIGHWAY 66 BETWEEN ARLINGTON AND MCLEAN VIRGINIA AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. HAS SUBSEQUENTLY FAILED AT 25 MONTHS AND 20,900 MILES AND AGAIN AT 35 MONTHS AND 29,200 MILES. *TR
Latches/locks/linkages, Jul 17, 2010
THE DOOR LOCKS SUDDENLY STOP WORKING. THEY LOCK AND STAY LOCKED. YOU CANNOT OPEN THEM FROM THE INSIDE, EXCEPT THE DRIVER'S DOOR. ALL THREE REMAINING DOORS DO NOT OPEN! THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM IN BMW 3-SERIES E90S. *TR
Latches/locks/linkages, Jul 14, 2010
2007 BMW 328XI. ELECTRONIC DOOR LOCKS WOULD NOT UNLOCK. NO DOOR COULD BE UNLOCKED FROM INSIDE VEHICLE. NO DOOR COULD BE OPENED FROM INSIDE VEHICLE. PULLING THE INTERNAL DOOR LATCH REPEATEDLY FAILED TO UNLOCK OR OPEN DOOR. PUSHING ELECTRONIC LOCK/UNLOCK BUTTON ON DASHBOARD FAILED TO UNLOCK DOORS. LOWERING WINDOW AND USING MANUAL KEY IN EXTERIOR LOCK UNLOCKED DOOR BUT AS SOON AS KEY WAS ROTATED TO REMOVE FROM LOCK DOOR IMMEDIATELY ELECTRONICALLY RELOCKED. KEY HAD TO BE HELD IN UNLOCK POSITION WHILE INTERIOR DOOR LATCH WAS USED TO OPEN THE DOOR IN ORDER TO OPEN DOOR TO EXIT CAR. SUBSEQUENTLY EXCEPT FOR DRIVER'S DOOR ALL DOORS REMAINED INOPERABLE LOCKED BUT DRIVERS DOOR COULD BE OPENED ONLY MANUALLY WITH MANUAL KEY FROM EXTERIOR OR LATCH FROM INTERIOR WITHOUT AUTOMATICALLY RE-LOCKING. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND REPAIRED. DEALER REPORTED THAT A "SHORT" HAD CAUSED FAILURE OF ABILITY TO UNLOCK. EVENT HAS NOT OCCURRED AGAIN IN ONE MONTH. *TR
Fuel system, Gasoline, Jun 5, 2010
DRIVING HOME MY 2007 BMW 335 ALL OF SUDDEN LOST HORSE POWER. ERROR MESSAGE STATED "ENGINE MALFUNCTION-REDUCED POWER". THIS OCCURRED ON AN ENTRY TO AN EXPRESSWAY WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE. IT OBVIOUS THE DANGERS THAT COULD HAPPEN WHEN THE VEHICLE LOSES POWER. I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO PULL OVER AND LIMP TO NEXT EXIT. THE DEALER SHIP STATED THE PROBLEM WAS HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP (HPFP) THE IS THE 2ND TIME THE HPFP HAS BEEN REPLACED ON MY VEHICLE. MY VEHICLE ONLY HAS 38K MILES. I DID FURTHER RESEARCH AND THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM. BMW NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS BEFORE ANYONE GETS INJURED AS A RESULT OF THIS ISSUE. *TR
Fuel system, Gasoline, May 24, 2010
2007 335I FUEL PUMP IS FAILING ON THE ROAD. MY MESSAGE SAYS "ENGINE MALFUNCTION REDUCED POWER" ON THE ROAD. THIS CAN BE DANGEROUS TO OTHER CARS ON THE ROAD. *TR
Latches/locks/linkages, May 19, 2010
ON SATURDAY EVENING, MAY 15, 2010, THE DOOR ACTUATORS OF MY 2007 BMW 335I BLEW OUT A FUSE. AS A RESULT, NONE OF THE DOORS WERE CAPABLE OF BEING OPENED, EXCEPT FOR THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR. THE CAR'S KEY FOB COULD NOT UNLOCK THE DOORS. THE LOCK BUTTON ON THE DASH WOULD NOT WORK. IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO OPEN ANY OF THE DOORS MANUALLY. THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO WAY A PASSENGER COULD HAVE EXITED THE CAR, EXCEPT BY CLIMBING THROUGH THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR OR BY CLIMBING OUT THE WINDOWS. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND PRESENTS PARTICULAR DANGERS TO DISABLED PASSENGERS. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN WELL-DOCUMENTED FOR 2007 3-SERIES VEHICLES ON THE WEB. SEE HTTP://WWW.ABOUTAUTOMOBILE.COM/COMPLAINT/2007/BMW/335I/LATCH,+LOCK+AND+LINKAGE AND HTTP://WWW.ABOUTAUTOMOBILE.COM/COMPLAINT/2007/BMW/328I/LATCH,+LOCK+AND+LINKAGE. THIS VIDEO ON YOUTUBE REPRESENTS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CAR: HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=3V04L-ISYCS. I UNDERSTAND THAT BMW HAS A SERVICE BULLETIN FOR DEALERS REGARDING THE PROBLEM. DEALERS FIX THE PROBLEM ONLY BY CHANGING THE FUSE. STAFF AT BMW SAN FRANCISCO, WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR (CERTIFIED USED) SIX WEEKS AGO, TOLD ME TODAY (MAY 19, 2010) THAT EVEN WITH A NEW FUSE, THE PROBLEM COULD RECUR. I FURTHER UNDERSTAND THAT BMW HAS WILLFULLY REFUSED TO ISSUE A RECALL. THE FUSE BOX IS LOCATED IN THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT INSIDE THE CAR. WERE THE DOOR ACTUATORS TO CAUSE A FIRE AND THE PASSENGER DOORS INCAPABLE OF BEING OPENED, PASSENGERS COULD VERY WELL SUFFER SERIOUS INJURIES OR EVEN DEATH. THE 335I MANUAL INDICATES THAT MEDDLING WITH THE CAR'S FUSE BOX COULD RESULT IN A FIRE. *TR
Electrical system, May 14, 2010
IN OCTOBER OF 2009 MY LEASED VEHICLE DID NOT START, I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A DEALER FOR SERVICE IN DETROIT. I WAS TOLD THAT THE VEHICLE DID NOT START BECAUSE OF THE BATTERY. BATTERY WAS REPLACED AT THIS TIME. IN JANUARY OF 2010 THE VEHICLE DID NOT START AGAIN, AFTER TESTING IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN WAS DEFECTIVE. THIS WAS REPLACED AT MY EXPENSE. IN APRIL OF 2010 THE VEHICLE DID NOT START FOR A THIRD TIME. I CONTACTED A DEALER TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED IN; AFTER 5 DAYS THE DEALER IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM AS A FAULTY NEGATIVE BATTERY CABLE. I CONTACTED BMW NA AS I FELT THAT THIS MAY HAVE BEEN THE ORIGINAL ISSUE AND REASON FOR THE VEHICLE NOT STARTING. AFTER TWO WEEKS OF "INVESTIGATION" BMW NA CONTACTED ME AND STATED THAT DUE TO MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE NO ASSISTANCE WOULD BE GRANTED THE VEHICLE IS STILL UNDER LEASE AND WAS SOLD TO ME AS A DEMO VEHICLE WITH ROUGHLY 9000 MILES ALREADY ON IT AT TIME OF LEASE INCEPTION. *TR
Latches/locks/linkages, May 13, 2010
THE DOORS ON MY 2007 BMW 328I WOULD NOT OPEN WITH THE PUSH BUTTON LOCK. I REMOVED THE MANUAL KEY AND WAS ABLE TO OPEN THE DOOR FROM THE OUTSIDE. WHEN I RETURNED TO MY HOUSE, I REVIEWED THE OWNERS MANUAL AND CHECKED TO SEE IF THE SETTING WAS WRONG WITH THE KEY. PUSHING THE KEY, OPEN-CLOSE BUTTON THE DOORS LOCKED BUT WOULD NOT OPEN. I HAD THE FORESIGHT TO ROLL MY WINDOW DOWN PRIOR TO CHECKING THE LOCK. IF I HAD NOT DONE SO, I WOULD HAVE BEEN LOCKED IN THE VEHICLE. THIS HAPPENED IN FLORIDA AND COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL IF LOCKED IN THE CAR WITHOUT A WAY OUT IN THE FLORIDA HEAT. ALSO, THE GAS DOOR WAS LOCKED SHUT AND I WAS UNABLE TO PUT GAS IN THE VEHICLE. I CONTACTED THE BMW DEALERSHIP (QUALITY IMPORTS- FT WALTON BEACH) AND TOOK THE CAR TO THEM FOR REPAIRS. IT TOOK TWO DAYS INSTEAD OF THE TWO HOURS THAT I WAS PROMISED. ALSO, I FOUND OUT THAT THEY HAD A TECHNICAL REPAIR BULLETIN THAT HAD BEEN ISSUED REGARDING FAULTY LOCKS ON THIS MODEL VEHICLE. BESIDES THE SAFETY COMPLAINT I FEEL THAT I WAS CHARGES WHEN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN CARE OF (NO COST TO THE CONSUMER) SINCE THIS VEHICLE'S PROBLEM WAS A SAFETY ISSUE. I HAVE TALKED WITH CORPORATE BMW AND WAS TOLD THAT ANY ISSUE COULD BE CONSIDERED A SAFETY ISSUE. (I FELT THAT I WAS BLOWN OFF). I WOULD LIKE FOR THE FAULTY DOOR ACTUATORS TO BE CONSIDERED A SAFETY ISSUE AND NOT A TECHNICAL BULLETIN ISSUE. WHEN ASKING THE DEALERSHIP WHAT THEY MEANT BY A TECHNICAL BULLETIN, THE RESPONSE WAS THAT THEY KNEW ABOUT THE PROBLEM BUT THERE WAS NO SAFETY PROBLEMS IDENTIFIED. I DISAGREE. *TR