2009 BMW M3

The contact owns a 2009 BMW M3. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the driver’s and passenger’s side turn signal failed to illuminate. Additionally, the headlights and dashboard lights would flicker on and off. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the electrical wiring insulation was frayed and damaged. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.

I RECEIVED A RECALL FOR THE AIRBAG ON MY CAR. I CONTACTED BMW TO REPLACE BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO REPLACE AT THAT TIME. I HAVE TRIED TO CONTACT THEM SINCE TO ARRANGE REPLACEMENT AND THEY HAVE NOT RETURNED MY CALLS.

VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AND ALL ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS WERE DEAD DESPITE A GOOD BATTERY. WAS SOLVED BY REMOVING GLOVE BOX AND FUS BOX AND PUSHING ON THE BATTERY CABLE THAT GOES INTO THE FUSE BOX TO GET A CONNECTION. THIS IS A KNOW ISSUE FOR BMW AND A RECALL WAS ISSUED ON OTHER 3-SERIES VEHICLES (2007 - 2011) WITH THE SAME PART NUMBERS, BUT WILL NOT COVER M3. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS LOSS OF POWER TO FUSE BOX WHILE DRIVING CAN SHUT DOWN THE CAR.

TAKATA RECALL DRIVING MY CAR FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES ON THE LOCAL STREET AND STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT, LIGHT TURNS GREEN, I TRY TO ACCELERATE AND ENGINE FELT SLUGGISH AND SHUTS OFF. TOWED THE CAR TO MRF ENGINEERING AND CAR NEEDED AN "ENGINE REPLACEMENT" AS MY ROD BEARINGS CAUSED THE ENGINE TO FAIL. COSTED ROUGHLY AROUND $19,000 IN PARTS AND LABOR.

TAKATA RECALL HASN'T HAPPENED. WHAT IS THE PROBLEM. I GUESS IF YOU WAIT WE WON'T BE ABLE TO COMPLAIN AFTER IT KILLS US IN AN ACCIDENT.

THE CAR SUDDENLY VIBRATED AND THE WHEELS LOCKED UP AND SKIDDED SLIGHTLY SIDEWAYS BEFORE GOING INTO A REDUCED POWER MODE. IF IT HAD BEEN RAINING OR SNOWING, OR AT A HIGHER SPEED ON HIGHWAY THE SITUATION COULD HAVE BEEN DEADLY. I HAD THE CAR TAKEN TO THE DEALER. I WAS TOLD A THE THROTTLE ACTUATOR VALVE WAS DEFECTIVE. THE CAR HAS ONLY 44K MILES BUT HAS SURPASSED THE 4 YEARS OF WARRANTY. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THOUSANDS OF CARS AFFECTED. BMW REFUSES TO RECALL AND REPAIR THE ITEM IF THE CAR IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. THE COST FOR REPAIR IS $3000.00 THE PART ALONE IS $1200.00 WHICH I WAS QUOTED. MY VEHICLE IS ALSO AFFECTED BY THE TAKATA AIRBAG RECALL.

TAKATA RECALL, REPLACEMENT AIR BAGS ARE NOT AVAILABLE. BMW HAS NO IDEA WHEN THEY WILL BE. THIS IS NOT RIGHT, I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO DRIVE THIS CAR WITH THIS DEFECT.

TAKATA RECALL HELLO MADAM/ SIR, I RECEIVED A SAFETY RECALL NOTICE - 16V-071 REGARDING FAULTY DRIVERS SIDE AIRBAGS IN MY 2009 BMW M3. THE NOTICE (ATTACHED) CLEARLY STATES THAT IN AN EVENT OF AIRBAG GETTING DEPLOYED, THE AIRBAG MIGHT EXPLODE CAUSING SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.BMW SAYS THAT THEY DON'T HAVE ANY INFORMATION OF WHEN NEW PARTS WILL BE AVAILABLE. TO AVOID ANY POTENTIAL ISSUE OF SOMETHING HAPPENING, I HAVE BEEN RENTING A CAR FOR A WHILE. I HAVE ALSO CONTACTED BMW AND HAVE BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL SO FAR TO RECEIVE ANY HELP. BMW TOLD ME THAT BMW DEALERSHIP OF ANN ARBOR WILL CONTACT ME FOR ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION AND THEN BMW OF ANN ARBOR TOLD ME THAT THEY ARE NOT SUPPORTING THIS RECALL. I HAVE JUST BEEN GOING BACK AND FORTH WITH BMW AND THE DEALERSHIP WITHOUT ANY ASSISTANCE. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DRIVE A VEHICLE WHEN THE RECALL CLEARLY STATES THAT EXPLOSION OF AIRBAG MIGHT EVEN CAUSE DEATH? I CAN'T JUST AFFORD TO CONTINUE RENTING A CAR. ANY HELP FROM NHTSA WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. I AM HAPPY TO PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION. KIND REGARDS, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

ERROR MESSAGE: FAULT IN - PASSENGER RESTRAIN SYSTEM AFFECTING AIRBAG, BELT TENSIONER, OR BELT FORCE LIMITER. THIS IS CAUSED BY FAULT SEAT MAT SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, WHICH MAY CAUSE THE AIRBAG NOT TO FUNCTION PROPERLY.

TAKATA RECALL - I HAVE BEEN WAITING 2 YEARS TO HAVE THIS RECALL DONE. I WAS ONCE SCHEDULED TO GET THE SERVICE AND THEN AFTER I DROPPED OFF THE CAR THEY CALLED ME BACK AND STATED THAT THEY DIDNT HAVE THE PART IN.

TAKATA RECALL - I RECEIVED NOTICE OF MY DRIVER SIDE AIRBAG AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR BUT THE BMW STILL DOES NOT HAVE THE PART. THIS CAR IS MY DAILY DRIVER AND I DO NOT HAVE THE LUXURY TO HAVE A SECOND CAR. I AM DRIVING A CAR THAT IS PUTTING MY LIFE AT RISK. BMW STATES THEY DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH, YET THEY HAVE PLENTY TO SELL MILLIONS OF NEW CARS. I FIND THIS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS! MY WIFE'S TOYOTA WAS ALSO RECALLED AND IT TOOK A FEW MONTHS TO GET REPLACED, BUT NOT BMW. I WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST A CHANGE TO RECALLS WHERE MANUFACTURES WOULD HAVE TO STOP OR REDUCE THE PRODUCTION NUMBERS OF NEW CARS FOR UNTIL ALL RECALLS HAVE BEEN SATISFIED FOR EXTREMELY DANGEROUS RECALLS. MAYBE THEN WE CAN HAVE MANUFACTURES TAKE THE ISSUE SERIOUSLY.

S65 V8 ENGINE IN A BMW M3 E90/92/93 AND M5'S WITH A V10 HAS TWO THROTTLE VALVE ACTUATORS THAT FAIL PREMATURELY AT 40-80K MILES. BOTH THE INTERNAL NYLON GEARS AND ELECTRONICS WILL FAIL, AFFECTING ACCELERATOR PEDAL RESPONSE AND CAUSING HESITATION, ESPECIALLY WITH THE DCT TRANSMISSION. THESE PARTS ARE NOT A MAINTENANCE ITEM. WHEN FAILED, THE ENGINE MALFUNCTION, EXCESS EMISSIONS, SKID CONTROL, AND ABS BRAKING WARNING LIGHTS ARE TRIGGERED. ENGINE GOES INTO LIMP MODE. THIS IS DANGEROUS WHEN IT HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING IN RAINY, SNOWY, AND ICY ROAD CONDITIONS. THE THROTTLE VALVE ACTUATOR DESIGN DEFECT SHOULD HAVE TRIGGERED A BMW RECALL. REPLACEMENT PARTS ARE $1000-1300 EACH PLUS $1000 LABOR AND HAVE NEVER BEEN REDESIGNED BY BMW/BOSCH. SO THE REPLACEMENT PARTS ARE ALSO DEFECTIVE AND WILL FAIL PREMATURELY. REPAIRS OCCURRED ON DEC. 2012 AT 80K MILES FOR $2000 AND ON JAN. 2016 AT 140K MILES FOR $3000. A BMW M3 AND M5 RECALL AND REDESIGNED PARTS ARE WARRANTED. BMW TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS SHOULD BE ISSUED FOR THIS DESIGN FLAW. 8YR/80KM FEDERAL EMISSIONS WARRANTY SHOULD COVER THESE REPAIRS AS WELL.

I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR OVER ONE YEAR FOR MY RECALL TO BE PERFORMED BY MY LOCAL BMW SERVICE CENTER. I RECEIVED A LETTER STATING IT WAS GOING TO BE TAKEN CARE OF IN MAY OF 2016 (LETTER WAS DATED MARCH OF 2016). I DRIVE MY CAR ON A DAILY BASIS AND RUN THE RISK OF INJURY DUE TO THE DEFECTIVE AIRBAG. I WILL NOT ALLOW FAMILY MEMBERS TO DRIVE MY DANGEROUS VEHICLE AND NOW WORRIED I HAVE TO SELL MY CAR. IF I SELL MY CAR I SHALL DIVULGE THAT THERE IS A RECALL BY BMW AND THAT IT HAS NOT BEEN PERFORMED. I CANNOT DRIVE THIS VEHICLE ANYLONGER.

VEHICLE LOST POWER WHILE TAKING A TURN. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART IT AND DRIVE TO A NEARBY PARKING LOT. I DROVE AROUND SLOWLY TO TEST AND NOTICED KNOCKING NOISE FROM THE ENGINE. I ALSO NOTICED ENGINE TEMPERATURE WAS ABOVE NORMAL, NOT QUITE TO THE NEXT MARKER, BUT CLOSE. AT THAT POINT, I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A BMW SERVICE SHOP. THEIR DIAGNOSIS WAS ROD BEARING FAILURE WHICH LED TO CRANKSHAFT DAMAGE, RESULTING IN AN ENGINE, WITH ONLY 57K MI, THAT IS NO LONGER REUSABLE. I AM NOW FACING ENGINE REPLACEMENT COSTS OF $15-25K.

WHILE TRYING TO EXIT MY E92 2009 M3 FROM INSIDE THE VEHICLE BY DOUBLE PULLING THE HANDLE IT WOULD NOT UNLOCK THE CAR. THE LOCKING BOLT STICKS UP PARTIALLY WHEN YOU PULL THE HANDLE BUT DOESN'T UNLOCK. I HAD TO HIT THE LOCK BUTTON FROM THE DASHBOARD TO UNLOCK THE CAR. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN IF YOU ARE PANICKED AND CAN'T GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE UNDER HEAVY STRESS. *TR

400 MILES OUT OF WARRANTY, THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAULT WARNING BEGAN TO COME ON. WHEN THIS HAPPENS ALL GAUGES BOTTOM OUT QUICKLY THEN RETURN TO NORMAL. SOMETIMES, THE RESTRAINT SYSTEM, EDC OR OTHER WARNINGS WILL START. I DON'T EXPERIENCE ANY PROBLEMS DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE BATTERY HAS BEEN REPLACED AND ALTERNATOR HAS BEEN TESTED AND IS PERFORMING AS IT SHOULD. WHEN CONNECTED TO THE BMW COMPUTER FOR ERROR CODES IT DOESN'T SHOW ANY CODES OR THAT THE WARNINGS HAVE GONE OFF. I HAVE DRIVEN IT FOR 18000 MILES TRYING TO FIND JUST ONE COMMON THING THAT WILL MAKE THIS HAPPEN. I HAVE FOUND NOTHING TO CAUSE THIS WARNING. IT MAY GO OFF CONSTANTLY ONE DAY AND NOT HAPPEN AGAIN FOR 2 WEEKS. SOMETIMES, AFTER GOING OFF FOR SEVERAL TIMES, THE GAUGES FOR RPM, TEMP WILL DROP TO THEIR LOWEST INDICATIONS AND THE SPEEDOMETER WILL STICK AT WHATEVER THE SPEED IS AT THE TIME. I HAVE EMAILED BMW OF NA AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE RECENT RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM DOES NOT INCLUDE THE M SERIES. I WAS TOLD THAT IT COULD COST UP TOWARDS $5000 TO FIND A LOOSE WIRE. DIDN'T THINK I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY THAT MUCH SINCE IT WAS JUST 400 MILES OUT OF WARRANTY. I DON'T THINK THAT IT IS A LOOSE WIRE BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE NOTICED THAT AS A COMMON FACTOR, LIKE HITTING A BUMP IN THE ROAD. AFTER READING MANY BMW FORUMS, THIS SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM ASSOCIATED WITH THE M3 AS WELL AS THE OTHER SERIES. *TR

SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING MY BMW 2009 M3, I NOTICED A RARE BUT VERY DISTURBING PATTERN ON TAKE OFF. I HAD CAR CHECKED IN DEALER AND I WAS TOLD IT WAS LIKELY SECONDARY TO MY DRIVING STYLE! THIS UNCONTROLLED TAKE OFF IS LIKE HI REV AND RAPID ACCELERATION PERIODICALLY ALTERNATING WITH DECELERATION FOR FEW SECONDS. I HAD THIS HAPPEN PROB A DOZEN TIME SO FAR(36K ON CAR). ON DAY OF MY ACCIDENT, IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC WITH SPEED LESS THAN 5 MILES PER HOUR, CAR LITERALLY WENT OFF ON ME. IT ACCELERATED TO HIT THE CAR IN FRONT AND THEN MANAGED TO PUSH THE CAR INTO ANOTHER 3 CARS IN FRONT, BEFORE IT CAME TO A STALL. I AM NOT SURE IF IT WAS EXACTLY LIKE MY PREVIOUS EPISODES BECAUSE THE DISTANCE BETWEEN MY CAR AND NEXT CAR WAS SHORT. WHAT I AM SURE IS THAT I HAD NO CONTROL ON CAR. *TR

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, I AM VERY HAPPY TO SEE YOUR ORGANIZATION TAKING AN INTEREST IN THIS ISSUE. IT IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE THAT BMWNA IS WELL AWARE OF, BUT INSISTS THAT IT IS "NORMAL BEHAVIOR" FOR MY CAR/TRANSMISSION. I BROUGHT THE CAR INTO THE DEALER, AND THEY WERE ABLE TO REPRODUCE IT, BUT THEY WERE TOLD BY BMW THAT THIS WAS "NORMAL BEHAVIOR." THE PROBLEM OCCURS WHEN YOU SLOW DOWN- LIKE FOR A TURN, BUT DO NOT COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE DCT TRANSMISSION SEEMS TO HAVE TROUBLE FIGURING OUT WHAT GEAR TO SELECT BECAUSE WHEN YOU STEP ON THE GAS TO ACCELERATE, THERE IS A VERY SIGNIFICANT DELAY IN THE ONSET OF POWER- UP TO 2-3 SECONDS. BY THIS TIME, THE DRIVER IS USUALLY REALLY DIGGING INTO THE THROTTLE. THE TRANSMISSION FINALLY PICKS A GEAR, WHICH RESULTS IN THE CAR SUDDENLY LURCHING FORWARD, SOMETIMES INVOKING THE ANTI-SKIP CONTROL. THE DANGER IN THIS BEHAVIOR OCCURS WHEN MAKING A TURN INTO ON-COMING TRAFFIC AFTER SLOWING DOWN TO AROUND 10-15 MPH. AFTER THE TURN, THE CAR IS POSITIONED IN THE TRAFFIC LANE, BUT YOU HAVE NO POWER TO ACCELERATE INTO THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC. THE ONCOMING CARS ARE NOW CLOSING IN ON YOUR CAR AT A FAST RATE, AND YOU'RE BASICALLY STUCK. THIS SITUATION IS MOST PRONOUNCED IN THE "AUTO" MODE OF THE DCT TRANSMISSION, BUT ALSO OCCURS TO A LESSER DEGREE WHILE IN THE MANUAL MODE WHEN YOU SELECT SECOND GEAR IN PREPARATION FOR THE TURN. IT IS ALSO VERY REPEATABLE IN BOTH MODES. THESE PROBLEMS STARTED OCCURRING AFTER A PREVIOUS RECALL ON THIS TRANSMISSION WHERE THE ENGINE WOULD STALL UNDER HARD BRAKING OR NOT SHIFT UNDER HARD BRAKING. THE RECALL FIXED THAT PROBLEM, BUT INTRODUCED THIS PROBLEM, WHICH OCCURS ALMOST EVERY DAY WHEREAS THE PREVIOUS PROBLEM ONLY OCCURRED DURING A SPECIFIC SITUATION. THANK YOU FOR LOOKING INTO THIS DANGEROUS MATTER. *TR

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) DEAR [XXX], I AM VERY HAPPY TO SEE YOUR ORANIZATION TAKING AN INTEREST IN THIS ISSUE. IT IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE THAT BMWNA IS WELL AWARE OF, BUT INSISTS THAT IT IS "NORMAL BEHAVIOR" FOR MY CAR/TRANSMISSION. I BROUGHT THE CAR INTO THE DEALER, AND THEY WERE ABLE TO REPRODUCE IT, BUT THEY WERE TOLD BY BMW THAT THIS WAS "NORMAL BEHAVIOR." THE PROBLEM OCCURS WHEN YOU SLOW DOWN- LIKE FOR A TURN, BUT DO NOT COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE DCT TRANSMISSION SEEMS TO HAVE TROUBLE FIGURING OUT WHAT GEAR TO SELECT BECAUSE WHEN YOU STEP ON THE GAS TO ACCELERATE, THERE IS A VERY SIGNIFICANT DELAY IN THE ONSET OF POWER- UP TO 2-3 SECONDS. BY THIS TIME, THE DRIVER IS USUALLY REALLY DIGGING INTO THE THROTTLE. THE TRANSMISSION FINALLY PICKS A GEAR, WHICH RESULTS IN THE CAR SUDDENLY LURCHING FORWARD, SOMETIMES INVOKING THE ANTI-SKIP CONTROL. THE DANGER IN THIS BEHAVIOR OCCURS WHEN MAKING A TURN INTO ON-COMING TRAFFIC AFTER SLOWING DOWN TO AROUND 10-15 MPH. AFTER THE TURN, THE CAR IS POSITIONED IN THE TRAFFIC LANE, BUT YOU HAVE NO POWER TO ACCELERATE INTO THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC. THE ONCOMING CARS ARE NOW CLOSING IN ON YOUR CAR AT A FAST RATE, AND YOU'RE BASICALLY STUCK. THIS SITUATION IS MOST PRONOUNCED IN THE "AUTO" MODE OF THE DCT TRANSMISSION, BUT ALSO OCCURS TO A LESSER DEGREE WHILE IN THE MANUAL MODE WHEN YOU SELECT SECOND GEAR IN PREPARATION FOR THE TURN. IT IS ALSO VERY REPEATABLE IN BOTH MODES. THESE PROBLEMS STARTED OCCURING AFTER A PREVIOUS RECALL ON THIS TRANSMISSION WHERE THE ENGINE WOULD STALL UNDER HARD BRAKING OR NOT SHIFT UNDER HARD BRAKING. THE RECALL FIXED THAT PROBLEM, BUT INTRODUCED THIS PROBLEM, WHICH OCCURS ALMOST EVERY DAY WHEREAS THE PREVIOUS PROBLEM ONLY OCCURED DURING A SPECIFIC SITUATION. THANK YOU FOR LOOKING INTO THIS DANGEROUS MATTER. *TR

1. WHEN SLOWING DOWN FOR A RED LIGHT THAT TURNS GREEN, THEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE BEFORE ACTUALLY STOPPING, THE CAR HESITATES OR LAGS. COULD GET REAR-ENDED OR T-BONED IF TURNING IN AN INTERSECTION. SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET KILLED DUE TO THIS ONGOING, IGNORED, SERIOUS SAFETY FLAW. 2. CAN ROUTINELY REPRODUCE THIS HESITATION/LAG. 3. BMW REFUSES TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM AND HAS TOLD IT'S DEALERS IT IS A NORMAL RESPONSE. *TR