10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 7
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
77,574 miles

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problem #84

Jan 052023

330

  • miles
All door lock actuators (including the fuel cap door cover) stopped working after driving the vehicle. The passenger and both rear doors were able to open via the inside door handle, but the driver side door could not be unlocked via the key fob, console lock button, or manually pulling the inside door handle. The fuel cap door cover could only be opened via the emergency release pull in the trunk. After inspecting the fuse box, I found that fuse 57a was blown. I replaced the fuse and the locking mechanisms started functioning again. weeks later the same issue occurred, only replacing the fuses remedied the problem for only a day or two. The fact that the driver's side door could not be opened by ANY means from inside or outside the vehicle poses a severe safety risk in situations where the driver of the car needs to exit the vehicle themself or be evacuated carefully in the event of injury. There are NO warnings, messages or warning signs before this occurs. This appears to be a common issue on my model and others, originating from issues with the door lock actuators. BMW even has a service information bulletin about it: "SI B51 19 07". The fact that the driver-side door can spontaneously become unopenable from inside or outside while the driver is in the car is a HUGE safety risk.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #83

Aug 092022

330

  • miles
BMW has issued a recall with no resolution. My engine is making noises from the crankcase and no alternative has been offered at this moment. The dealer does not want to address the issue.

- Kissimmee, FL, USA

problem #82

Aug 012022

330

  • 190,000 miles
The contact owned a 2006 BMW 330i. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, the air conditioning unit suddenly shut off and smoke began to come out of the air conditioning vents. After the contact exited the vehicle flames were present coming from under the passenger side dashboard. The fire and police departments were called to the scene and the flames were extinguished. During the incident, the vehicle was destroyed. A fire and a police report were taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The local dealer was notified of the incident. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 190,000.

- Mobile, AL, USA

problem #81

Mar 252019

330

  • miles
My car was just sitting in my driveway and my roommate noticed she said is there is your car supposed to be on fire and we went out there had to break the windows and it was already on fire and totally ruined from any repair. I didn't receive a recall until a year after it had already caught on fire. The car is totaled in my backyard. And is beyond repair because of the fire

- Cloverdale, CA, USA

problem #80

Apr 022021

330

  • 160,640 miles
Going through my newly purchased, used 2006 330xi, I found several warnings for front headlight malfunctions. Further investigation showed adaptive functions were disabled and the left low beam was stuck pointing left. While the bulbs themselves were still functioning, the light was pointed directly at oncoming traffic and did not illuminate the road in front of me. Opening the access panel at the rear of the headlight assembly showed multiple bare wires inside of the sealed housing, the insulation had simply started to flake off of the wires rendering all centering and leveling functions of the light inoperable. Research has shown this is a widespread problem with BMW headlights, for additional documented data and cases please reference the following forum thread : https://www.bimmerfest.com/threads/

- Verdi, NV, USA

problem #79

Dec 152020

330

  • 25 miles
E90 BMW reverse light stop working do to car computer system fault, this poses a high risk when vehicle is in reverse other driver are not notified. This can cause a potential accident.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #78

Aug 252019

330

  • 98,000 miles
Air bag. Warning sensor, adaptive headlights warning, power steering leaking, brakes clumping, blower heater motor and module had to replace.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #77

Aug 132019

330

  • 164,129 miles
Complete loss of power, shut car off for a few minutes, when tryi G to restart vehicle noticed zero power to any components

- Mesa, AZ, USA

problem #76

Feb 222019

330 6-cyl

  • 90,000 miles
I have a 2006 BMW 330I E90, the VIN# is [xxx]. my PCV valve has failed and absolutely melted through. The plastic housing is entirely melted, and the electrical connector and wires are melted through. Luckily I live in Colorado and it is very cold here in February and the car did not catch on fire. I started doing research on the internet on the part and found BMW recall 17V-683. I found the attached recall document and highlighted the relevant section in green, where on page 11 ( or page 1 of the faq section) it says the recall is for E90 models produced starting in July 2006; my car was produced June 13, 2006. I called BMW customer service center and was told that my car was not in the recall and it was a coincidence that the exact same part melted, as what was being recalled for cars built only two weeks later. I don't think so. How can BMW say that because my car was built two weeks prior that they know for a fact, that a good PCV valve was installed in my car? what we do know is that the bad PCV valves are melting. And I can certainly prove that mine has melted. So, a responsible company would see this as a safety concern and not a coincidence. I guess we will see how BMW handles but since they now have documented proof that this issue affected a vehicle built prior to July, I urge them to change the recall date from July 2006 to June 2006. Beside me wanting my car repairs covered, there could be other 2006 vehicles built mid-June that will have this issue and seeing the amount of melting this did to my car, it could cause a fire in the vehicle and cause harm to innocent people. I am more than happy to take the car to a BMW dealership for them to confirm the failed/melted PCV valve. I just want my car fixed and the recall date change to June 2006 from July 2006, so that others are made aware of the danger. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Castle Rock, CO, USA

problem #75

Feb 072019

330

  • 213,000 miles
While driving the vehicle the glove box department caught on fire.

- Portage, IN, USA

problem #74

Feb 092019

330

  • 146,000 miles
I was receiving a imagine on the on board computer saying that my headlights were not working. Upon inspection inside the headlight's casing, I saw that all of the wiring's protection had completely fell off (probably due to the humid southern climate of North Texas) leaving almost all of the wiring on both sides of my headlights (driver and passenger side) completely exposed. The copper wiring inside is almost all exposed. Obviously this is causing the headlights to short and leaving me with no visibility while driving at night. This is a model without angel eyes, so my drl do not work what so ever. These headlights are completely stock, so this is a factory fault. Very unhappy with this. Thanks BMW for the "fantastic" engineering! should be covered under a recall.

- Sanger, TX, USA

problem #73

Dec 202018

330

  • miles
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 330I. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 17V676000 (electrical system) by BMW bay ridge (6223 2nd avenue, brooklyn, NY 11220); however, the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted, but could not be reached. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #72

Oct 012017

330

  • 6,000 miles
Recall 17V-676: Blower motor wiring burning hot air from the vent is in with or without fan on (motion or parking). It is overdue and no response from BMW of America, llc as I kept on calling the office many times since 12/16/2017 letter received. 1/19/2018 6/5/2018 8/20/2018 10/12/2018 to NHTSA 11/5/2018

- Cupertino, CA, USA

problem #71

Aug 162018

330

  • 1,000,000 miles
I just had my 2006 BMW 330I repaired due to a steering wheel lock warning light which appeared on the odometer causing my car not to start.this occurred when I was ready to leave the parking lot at my job. The car would not start and the red steering wheel lock warning light was on the odometer. The shop replaced the battery and ibs sensor cable. I drove the car for one day without any warning signal and when I adjusted the steering column by releasing the lever, the yellow steering wheel lock warning light lit up on the odometer. The repairs cost me $1,391.82. This car also was in the shop due to a recall on the airbag on the steering column. A local BMW dealership replaced this part two months before this problem with the steering wheel lock occurred. What other problems will I have with this BMW series? I believe BMW should refund my money for these repairs.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

problem #70

Jul 232018

330

  • 120,000 miles
Electronic steering wheel lock. This is in the steering column when it fails the car will not start. It seems to be a pretty common problem. I was hoping there was a recall for this issue, but can not find one.

- Spencer, NY, USA

problem #69

Oct 252017

330

  • miles
Recall was ordered in Oct 2017 and has still not been remedied. Safety recall 17V-676. I believe we have been patient. We cannot sell the car as is because it can catch fire.

- Cape Coral, FL, USA

problem #68

May 182018

330

  • miles
The blower motor wiring overheats and causes the vehicle to catch on fire. This recall has been out for several months now, and they have not had a fix for it yet. I don't need my car catching on fire, I have a one year old, it is not easy to get them out of the car.

- Cortland, NY, USA

problem #67

Oct 252017

330

  • miles
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 330xi. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 17V676000 (electrical system); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact called a local dealer (BMW of murray, 4735 S state St, salt lake city, ut 84107) and was informed that the parts were not available. The manufacturer was notified and did not assist. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Ogden, UT, USA

problem #66

Apr 182018

330

  • miles
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2006 BMW 3 series. When the contact purchased the vehicle from one source motors (10633 northland dr ne, rockford, mi 49341, (616) 951-7068), he was not informed that the vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 16V071000 (air bags) and NHTSA campaign number: 17V676000 (electrical system). Sharpe BMW (1010 28th St SE, grand rapids, mi 49508, (616) 452-5101) scheduled an appointment and indicated that the air bag repair had been completed, but did not address the repair for the electrical system. The manufacturer stated that the part was unavailable and had not provided a time frame to provide the part to the dealer. In addition, the air bag warning indicator remained illuminated, which was a safety concern. Sharpe BMW diagnosed that the floormat sensor needed to be replaced. The dealer and the manufacturer both stated that the vehicle was not included in any air bag recalls to cover the floormat sensor failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not available. VIN tool confirms parts not available for NHTSA campaign number: 17V676000 and parts distribution disconnect for NHTSA campaign number: 16V071000.

- Kentwood, MI, USA

problem #65

Apr 202018

330

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 330I. When the engine was started and the defroster was activated, a popping noise was heard under the hood and an unusual odor emitted from the vents. The contact immediately turned the engine off and exited the vehicle. Within seconds, flames appeared under the hood. The fire department was called and extinguished the fire. A fire report and a police report were filed. The contact stated that the fire spread and damaged the plastic tail light cover and paint of another vehicle parked in the driveway. The fire department determined that there was an electrical failure near the motor. The vehicle was driven from the scene. There were no injuries. An unknown dealer stated that parts were unavailable to repair the vehicle per NHTSA campaign number: 17V676000 (electrical system:wiring). The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 100,000.

- Greeneville, TN, USA

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