The doors will not unlock. The lights flash on the outside but even when pushing the unlock button from the inside of the car the doors stay locked. Wife had to exit my car was by crawling out of the window. Able to use the key for manual unlock of driver door only; gas tank door remains locked so I cannot put gas in my car and, therefore, cannot drive my car.

- Baltimore, OH, USA

Driver's side door would not open because it remained locked. It could not be unlocked using the inside or outside door handle, the key fob unlock button, or the door lock switch on the front dash. I had to physically insert and turn the key from the outside to unlock the car. I understand this may be a fuse or a door lock actuator problem. It is an enormous safety issue if I cannot get out of my car because of an electrical failure.

- Yardley, PA, USA

The doors will not unlock. The lights flash on the outside but even when pushing the unlock button from the inside of the car the doors stay locked. I'm being told it is a fuse, but literally none of the doors will lock or unlock. The only way I was able to exit my car was by crawling out of my window.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

One of the electric door lock actuators failed and caused a fuse to blow. When this occurred the driver door could only be unlocked with the metal key and not by the electronic lock remote. What was so dangerous is that none of the other 3 passenger doors could be opened either from outside or even from the inside with the door handle. Essentially all the passengers were trapped in the car and had to climb out through the driver door which could be opened from the inside with the door handle. Had there been an accident or fire or other emergency it could have taken too long to exit the vehicle. The 3 passenger doors did not begin working until the fuse and door lock actuator was replaced at a cost of nearly $700. BMW is aware of this problem. Si B51 19 07 factory service bulletin.

- San Diego, CA, USA

Door locks wouldn't open or close. Inside unlock capabilities not working either. Only access in or out is through the keyed entry. Cannot even open the other three doors.

- Aurora, IL, USA

Driver exited car to pump gas. Passengers remained in vehicle. Gas door could not be opened as main door lock was engaged (though drivers door was unlocked). Key fob unlock function would not work to unlock car / gas cap. Driver pushed key fob buttons to attempt unlock, drivers door became locked during this activity. Now no doors could be unlocked. Due to failure all doors experienced "2 pull" door unlock system failure, this "2 pull" system, that is supposed to ensure doors can be opened from inside if lock is engaged apparently require same power as general locking system. Driver could only enter car by using emergency key and unlocking driver's door. Passenger and rear doors remained lock (and are still locked / inoperable due to system failure). Power failure in door lock system (or other associated fault) made door operation impossible. All doors were completely inoperable from the inside. Passengers could not exit vehicle as doors were locked and handles did not work. Driver could not enter vehicle by key fob unlock function. Drivers door experienced intermittent operation until some kind of manual override, or some other system change, made drivers door functional by "2 pull" door unlock / open method. If driver had not been present (ie: In store paying for gas or for some other reason) passengers would have been trapped in car. If any passenger had been physically disabled and unable to crawl out of car via drivers door there would have been no way for passenger to exit car !!!!!. door lock system remains inoperable, passenger and rear doors still locked closed with no way to open them.

- San Jose, CA, USA

The door lock actuators failed on my car, this caused the remote fob and also inner central locking button to stop working, the only way to get out of the car was to roll down the drivers window and take the key fob apart to reveal the metal key inside, this could then be used from the outside to open the door by putting your arm out the window however all other doors remain locked from inside or outside, the other doors do not have a keyhole and the inner door handles were disconnected and would not work. My passengers then had to crawl over the front seats to escape the car thru the drivers door and in an accident or fire they would have been stuck. I think this is extremely dangerous and from searching online I see it is a common problem on this model.

- Plano, TX, USA

The contact owns a 2008 BMW 320I. The contact stated that the electronic keys failed and passenger side doors would not lock; the driver side door was the only one to unlock. The passengers had to exit from the driver side. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the vehicle was repaired (repairs were unknown) under warranty. The manufacturer had not been notified. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

- Los Altos, CA, USA

2008 BMW, electronic door locks stuck in locked position, must open driver side door with valet key. Remaining doors stuck in locked position, making it impossible for passengers to leave vehicle in an emergency situation. Related problem is that gas cap (which locks when doors are locked) will also not open.

- Houston, TX, USA

Https://www-ODI.NHTSA.dot.gov/IVOQ/complaint.cfm.

- Palo Alto, CA, USA

We have two remotes for key-less entry into our 2008 BMW 335I convertible. The car has a proximity sensor and can automatically unlock the door when I put my hand on the door handle, without requiring me to press any key on the remote. Both my wife and I had a remote each, and it seems both of us put our hands on the driver and passenger side door handles simultaneously. The doors unlocked, we both got in but apparently the driver side door didn't shut at all on closing. There was no indication on the dashboard that the door is open. As soon as I took a turn, the door swung open freely. I tried to close the door, but it wouldn't latch on. I stopped the car, shut off the vehicle, locked the car with the remote and unlocked it again, and everything went back to normal. This has happened once. The BMW service reps said that they can't diagnose and fix the problem without it actually occurring again in front of them.

- Issaquah, WA, USA