10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 1 / 2
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 3 / 1
- Average Mileage:
- 72,667 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
This car has been totaled out by my insurance company due to the frame being waped radiator busted suspension warped electrical issues with the blower motor this was the 1st first of my 4 bmws to leave me owing money on a vehicle that isn't drivable location and issue unknown
- Aurora, WV, USA
The key fobs in the 2008 bmws are glued and the battery soldered into place, making it difficult for owners to replace the batteries in the key fobs when the battery dies. Once the key fob battery dies, the vehicle is inoperable. BMW should offer a replacement key fob for all model years where the battery is not able to be changed by the owner.
- Jacksonville, FL, USA
Was driving on highway going 80 and the car just shut down, was unable to steer, left me and my 9 year old stranded for about 30 minutes untill it started back up, everyday everytime I drive it no matter what the speed it shuts down and have to pray that I don't get hit by a car or am able to glide to safety, very unsafe not knowing when the car will shut down on me, took to mechanic there were no codes no check engine light or anything, therefore couldn't be fixed, something is not right with car, car only started doing this from April 2019 to present, it doesn't matter if I'm on highway, street, stopped has always happened, like I said I don't know when it's going to happen.im going to get killed one of these days or seriously injured
- West Islip, NY, USA
There are (3) current recalls for this model, 2008 BMW 328I. Only (1) recall has a 'remedy' available. According to my local BMW dealership, the 'remedies' for the other (2) recalls, both of which could potentially cause a fire even in a non-running parked situation, are 'not yet available'. these recalls are: NHTSA #17V76 and NHTSA #17V683. BMW usa has 'recommended' that the affected vehicles always be 'parked outside'. I do not consider this an acceptable solution to these dangerous and serious recall issues, as I live in a 'marginal' neighborhood prone to auto theft and weather damage. My question is, when/how soon will NHTSA (federal government) force this auto mfr (BMW) to quickly and adequately address and provide permanent mechanical solutions for these (2) recalls. In fact, just recently (4/28/18) a house was destroyed by a fire by one of these BMW model recalls, parked in the garage and not running. BMW said they would contact owners of all affected vehicles when a solution has been found, but 'have no idea when that will be'. not acceptable. These are a serious safety issues that affects one million+ vehicles and the health and safety of millions of american families. Please advise what you intend to do to protect these car owners?
- Raymore, MO, USA
BMW recall campaign no. 17V-676: Blower motor wiring. According to recall could lead to fire. According to BMW notice as of December 2017there is no remedy. February 12th 2018, no remedy. April 4th 2018, no remedy. At what point do they have to do something about this?
- Napa, CA, USA
Recently I got a letter from BMW that my vehicle was recalled for two issues which I have been experiencing since a year. 1 overheating 2. plastic burning smell inside the compartment. I brought this to their BMW's notice many times which they ignored. And recently when I got this recall letter from BMW I gave them a call(princeton BMW), they gave me an appointment saying they will fix that. I told them crystal clearly that I was there for the two recall issues only and nothing else. And to my shock, let alone repairing the mandatory recall issues, they gave a big list of other things, which I did not even ask for, and they charged me around 170 dollars(attached copies). I am bringing this to your notice for solely one reason, and that is there are millions of unsuspecting people who are unaware of this malpractice who will be falling into this kind of trap. BMW is trying to make money out of this situation too. I am attaching all the copies. Please look into this matter and please make them realize there is an authority watching. I felt like somebody stole money from me. Hope to get a response from the department. Thank you very much.
- Bensalem, PA, USA
Motor system connectors recall
- Hillside, NJ, USA
I got locked in my car several times and it will not unlock.this can cause death on a hot day.the vehicle was stationary
- Highland Hgts, KY, USA
Purchased car August 29 2015. On September 15 2015 after fueling and turning on car the brake, ABS, traction control and service engine light appeared. Was unable to accelerate vehicle out of gas station parking lot. Lights went away but intermittently would come on while driving which caused sudden inability to accelerate while driving in traffic. Vehicle feels like it cannot switch and gear and is being pushed back.when this happens the resr lights stop working so drivers behind could crash into me because of sudden decrease in speed.took to dealer September 22. Said they fixed control module. But problem continues
- Freeport, NY, USA
Car was parked in the driveway, drove it earlier that day for about an hour, parked it 3pm and 2 hours later neighbor came knocking saying car was smoking. Ran outside and car was on fire. Interior was smoked out. Keyless entry was dead. Broke the window to get the car open, turned the garden hose on to try and stop the car from burning. Called 911 fire dept arrived and had to pry the truck open because it was still sizzling. Fire dept cut the battery cables and said it looked like an electrical fire under the dash. Glove box and passenger side front seat was completely charred. After 22 days, a BMW engineer and allstate ins called it a total loss. BMW engineers report still has not been published. Total loss on a parked vehicle; clearly this vehicle was unsafe and a design fault. Manufacturers are suppose to engineer cars to withstand fires.
- Ontario, CA, USA
Passenger safety restrain system malfunctions, when a passenger is sitting in the passenger seat, the system malfunctions. This means the airbag will not deploy should there be a crash. This very issue is a cause of a recall by BMW in 2008, but this model is not currently covered despite this being a very common issue with this model.
- Los Angeles, CA, USA
2008 BMW 335I coupe purchased on July 15th, 2013 from carmax. Currently drivable but has major mechanical problems. The extended service contract is still under coverage and is valid at the BMW dealer or any carmax nationwide. When carmax can't fix the car it's hauled over to the BMW dealership to complete the repair and a check would be written by maxcare to the BMW dealer. The only problem is that I've had to take this vehicle in for major repairs several times and I'm not counting maintenance visits. Most of these major repairs were repetitive major jobs such as oil leaks, fuel pressure system, injectors. At one time my car ping ponged between carmax and BMW for close to 2 months. Consider the time I've owned this car for and how long and how many times it's been out of my possession. I was paying a car note for a BMW but driving around in a a base model rental car most of the time. I've got invoices/estimates where the car went in for major repair or diagnosis during these dates: 07/22/2013 05/30/2014 06/13/2014 07/01/2014 11/05/2014 06/25/2015 the repair invoice/estimate on 11/05/2014 was the biggest one. I was very frustrated with the amount of work being done on the vehicle so I got the car appraised to sell back to carmax and they told me $10,000 which I thought was ridiculous. The work done on that car amounted to almost $7,000 or more just on that one invoice which is 70% of the car value. Also, while the car was in the shop I acquired the history of the vehicle directly from BMW. The history stated that the car had oil leak repair at the pan and gasket and the automatic transmission had a leak in 03/06/2013 and the mileage for this record was completely off. As you can see the date of this diagnosis was a few months prior to me purchasing the vehicle.
- Murfreesboro, TN, USA
To whom it may concern: I am writing this letter in effort to make a formal complaint regarding a known safety issue occurring on certain BMW vehicles. On Friday, August 31st, I had taken my car (2008, 335I) to the dealer for an oil change. While leaving the dealership, I noticed all my settings were lost. Later, within the hour, I noticed that I could no longer unlock the doors with the remote door opener or from within the vehicle. I could only enter and exit (via the driver door) using the manual key. In attempting to diagnose the problem, I had reviewed numerous sites/blogs and discovered this is known issue with the actuator causing a fuse to continue to blow. I had taken my car back to the dealership on Tuesday (9/4). They were too busy to schedule me the next day. On Tuesday, the dealership confirmed the problem with the door lock actuator (as many have reported). The dealership also confirmed there have been a lot of complaints. I am very surprised there has not been a recall for this problem. This defect is a serious safety issue. Incase of an accident, water hazard and/or fire, only the driver is able to exit the vehicle. All other passengers would have to climb over the seats to exit out the driver door. In case of a fire, this is a serious problem.
- Raleigh, NC, USA
- Philadelphia, PA, USA