general problems of the 2007 BMW 328 - part 2

2007 328 I. Consumer writes in regards to valve heater safety recall.

The contact owns a 2007 BMW 328xi. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 17v676000 (electrical system) and 22v119000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had experienced an unstated failure and was no longer driving the vehicle. Parts distribution disconnect. The failure mileage was unknown.

I went in to have a routine oil change and was told to have a brake flush by the dealership. After leaving dealership I started experiencing problems with steering and brakes. They informed me to bring car back in to rectify the issue. As I was driving on the highway the brake system on the vehicle completely failed and the car has now become inoperable. They are refusing to fix it stating that the issue has nothing to do with the oil change and brake flush but would most likely be a persistent valve issues with this car. The car has two recalls in the past week and yet the dealership refuses to do anything about it. This car is unsafe to drive as I almost got into an accident on MD 495 heading toward silver spring. I have tried to work directly with BMW of silver spring and BMW of north America and they are refusing to address the issue.

The contact owns a 2007 BMW 328i. Upon starting the vehicle, the contact noticed smoke under the hood. The contact turned off the ignition and restarted the vehicle. The smoke cleared and he continued to drive the vehicle. Intermittently, the contact detected a burning plastic odor coming from the vents. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. Approximately one year ago, the check engine indicator illuminated and the vehicle shook. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle failed to start and was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a starter, valve cover, and ignition malfunction. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was 117,000.

We have taken the car to the dealership for the recall and was told they do not have the parts and also wouldn't know how to fix it. Every time the car turns on, you can smell the melting of the plastic. It smells bad and am worried every time im driving about a fire. Before the recall came out, we had asked about the unknown smell of something burning and was told it was "normal".

The contact owns a 2007 BMW 328i. While driving 70 mph, the instrument panel warning indicators illuminated and the windshield wipers started to activate independently. The contact also stated that the ignition had difficulty switching into the on position. The contact also stated that the door locks would also work independently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000.

Had the valve cover replaced and mechanic says it will need a engine the car only had 81000 miles bought it with 60000 miles on it only had it 2 years.

2007 BMW 328 xi with 67k miles on it, first the car wouldn't go in reverse then a few day later while driving on the autobahn the car stopped working. The engine stayed on but I was unable to get any power. Had the car towed over 150 miles back to my house only to find that I need a new transmission. I have called BMW and am waitng on a call back to see what they will cover. I have read a ton of compalints online about this issue, there was also a law suit filed back in 2008 against BMW for 2000-2006 models having bad transmission. If BMW doesnt resolve this issue in a timely manner, I will also take them to court!!.

Batterry sparks third. Time replacing, something clicks in the fuse box now the car won't. Start.

Owner of 2007 BMW 328i, start my car in the morning, but the car won't start it, it no sound when I try to start the car. But the window, locks and radio are all working well. Try to jump the batttery, it nothing wrong with the battery. Need tow my car to the dealership, over one days already, still waitting the reply from the dealer.

I was informed by a BMW representative that dealerships were told that all the ignition coils would fail around the same time. So if one failed in one cylinder, expect the rest to need replacement or else they will all fail soon after. This is a catastrophic mechanical failure that if left unnoticed would mean the end of the car. There should be a recall fix this known mechanical failure.

The contact owns a 2007 BMW 328xi. The contact stated while having an oil change performed at a local mechanic, the mechanic notice the head bolts to the engine were fractured. The mechanic advised the contact that the vehicle was not safe to drive. The mechanic replaced the head bolts. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer stated that there was nothing they could do to assist. The failure mileage was 60,000. The VIN was not available.

Upon trying to start car, control message came on said steering wheel locked, engine will not start. Turn wheel to start engine. This did not work, many tries!. Car is not running. In checking the internet, for a solution, I find many with the same complaint for the same model & even year BMW. Something sounds fishy. There was just a recall on the 3 series for some short involving fuse box to back of car written up in my local newspaper. BMW said my car is not involved. Could these two issues be related? I have maintained my car per recommended schedule! BMW of north America said the wheel lock problem is not warranteed nor is it a recall issue. Sounds like too many people having this same problem for this not to be a defect that should be fixed by BMW at no charge to the customer. Please investigate and advise!.

I tried starting my car and it would not start. Figured it was a dead battery so I bought a new one and had it replaced. The car worked fine for about 3 days then had the same problem as before. I contacted the dealer, had to have the car towed to them, and was told that it was the connections from the battery to the engine that were loose and causing the car to not start. I picked up my car the next day after paying $120 to have the problem (wiggling some wires) fixed. 2 days later. . . Same problem. It has been sitting now for over 2 weeks because I haven't had time to keep getting it to and from the dealership. After reading all of these other reported problems I am now terrified to drive it ever again.

Vehicle will not start, replaced battery and icon displaying electric steering lock (elv) shows in the dashboard. Vehicle will not start as steering wheel is locked and can not be released dealer says the steering wheel column needs to be replaced. This is an extremely common problem with these cars, dealer said the see about 3 cars a week with this problem.

2007 328i -- I was driving thru my neigborhood in nyc and the car suddenly shut down completely; no power, no brakes, absolutely nothing at all. . And the thing is no warnings ever showed up. . I hope everyone who's had problems like this reports them to bwm because this is unacceptable and extremely dangerous. I'm lucky I was driving locally and there weren't any cars around because it was the scariest thing I've ever experienced driving a car. Hope BMW steps up before something catastrophic happens, like Toyota had them.

I was left stranded in a parking lot with the steering wheel lock light showing. I was not able to start the car at all and I was upset because I could not move the car and had to be towed to the closest place which was an extreme burden on me financially.

The contact owns a 2007 BMW 328i. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 22v119000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that there was an abnormal burning plastic odor after starting the vehicle. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 100,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

On 12/15/07 I pulled onto the highway from the dirt median. The car engine lost power and the vehicle came to a virtual stop on the highway with high speed traffic quickly approaching. I was pushing the gas pedal to the floor but no power was being applied to the wheels and engine rpm did not increase. This lasted for many seconds. I had time to confirm I was still in first gear. I then depressed the clutch, revved the engine to high rpm and took off in second gear. My wife and I were almost killed due to the length of time we were on the highway with the vehicle virtually at a standstill.

4 days after car was lease brand new 2007 BMW 328i failed on the road where it completely halted with no warning system. It was on surface streets luckily not on the highway or it would have been a car accident with possible deadly consequences. After 3 days still not diagnostic result! brand new! not used.

The 2007 BMW 328xi coupe's "service engine soon" light comes on all the time, and the electronic engine oil dipstick (no manual dipstick in this car) often reports an incorrect reading of "add engine oil". These problems are dangerous as the engine service light can indicate any of a wealth of dangerous faults, and adding engine oil when the engine is full can create a hazard of splashing and/or burning of the skin. It seems that the engine oil is almost always full despite the warning. Nevertheless it is reasonable for an owner to wrongfully add oil and thereby injure himself as the manufacturer's specifications indicate that one quart of oil may need to be added every 750 miles. My conversations with BMW owners in similar positions indicate that this problem is not isolated but rather is an epidemic. When the car is brought into the BMW service department all they do is change the oil and reset the "service engine soon" light. I have been told by the BMW technician that BMW is aware of these problems in this model, but that the service department is only authorized to take these measures and not make any repairs. The same exact problem(s) reappear in part or in whole a few days later. This recurrence is also not an isolated circumstance, but rather borne by many owners of this particular model. Not only does this defect render the vehicle dangerous, it also severely limits the consumer's (myself included) use.