← NHTSA complaints

2007 BMW 530I — ENGINE

fire · 987072 · 2013-06-18

Vehicle

Make
BMW
Model
530I
Year
2007
Manufacturer
BMW of North America, LLC
Component
ENGINE
Miles at failure
82,585

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
0
Fire
Yes
Crash
No
Police report
No
Medical attention
No
Vehicle towed
No

Narrative

MY 2007 BMW 530I ENGINE CAUGHT FIRE ON APRIL 15 THE MOMENT CAR WAS IGNITED IN THE EARLY MORNING. I WAS WITH MY WIFE AND 2.5 YEARS OLD SON AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT. IT COULD HAVE BEEN A MAJOR DISASTER OR EVEN BLAST IF WE WERE NOT HOME OR WITH FIRE EXTINGUISHER TO CONTROL THE FIRE ON TIME. WE REPORTED ABOUT THIS LIFE-THREATENING INCIDENT TO BMW NA MULTIPLE TIMES BUT THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE FROM CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS BETSY HOHMANN CALLED OUR CONCERNS AS HYPOTHETICAL UNLESS THERE WERE PERSONAL INJURIES INVOLVED. BMW OF FREMONT SERVICE CENTER IDENTIFIED THAT PCV HEATED HOSE SHORTED OUT AND BURNT OTHER COMPONENTS. THE WIRE HARNESS AND INTAKE MANIFOLD WERE BURNT OUT AND MELTED. THE DEALERSHIP VERBALLY ACCEPTED THIS ISSUE A DESIGN FLAW THAT CAUSED ALMOST 6-9 INCHES FLAMES INSIDE THE ENGINE. BMW NA CUSTOMER SERVICE OFFERED A DEAL TO FIX THE PROBLEM AS LONG AS WE SIGN A CONFIDENTIAL NDA TO HIDE THE FACTS. BMW NA ALSO RECOMMENDED US TO SELL THIS CAR AFTER REPAIRS BUT WE DON'T WANT TO RISK ANYONE ELSE'S LIFE BY NOT DISCLOSING THE FIRE EVEN IF WE AGREE TO BMW NA'S PROPOSED RESOLUTION. OUR CONFIDENCE IN BMW BRAND HAS ALREADY SHAKEN FROM THE OUTCOME OF OUR CONVERSATIONS BECAUSE AFTER ALL THIS IS THE MATTER OF CUSTOMER LIFE, SAFETY, TRUST AND BRAND. *TR

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
10520343
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown