NHTSA Complaint #10068384 — 1992 BMW 318IS

MAY 5, 2004 INCIDENT: DRIVER'S DOOR LATCH FAILS TO WORK ... SO THAT THE DOOR FLIES OPEN WHILE DRIVING ... AND CAN NOT BE COMPLETELY CLOSED AND/OR LOCKED WHEN PARKED. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 1992 BMW 318IS 2-DOOR SEDAN WITH ONLY 34,319 MILES. THE CAR HAS ONLY BEEN DRIVEN OCCASIONALLY OVER THE YEARS (ONLY BY MYSELF) AND HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. THE PROBLEM: I UNLOCKED AND DROVE MY CAR TODAY (MAY 5, 2004). I WENT TO TWO DESTINATIONS AND CLOSED AND LOCKED THE CAR EACH TIME WITHOUT A PROBLEM. AFTER MY SECOND STOP, I UNLOCKED THE CAR, ENTERED IT, AND CLOSED THE DOOR BEHIND ME WITHOUT REALIZING THERE WAS A PROBLEM. I DROVE AWAY AND WHILE MAKING A TURN, THE DOOR SUDDENLY FLEW OPEN. I WAS ABLE TO STOP IN A SAFE AREA WITHOUT HAVING AN ACCIDENT. I LOOKED AT THE DOOR'S LATCH AND WHERE IT CONNECTS WITH THE BODY AND SAW NOTHING WRONG ... BUT THE DOOR WOULD NOT CLOSE OR LATCH SECURELY. I CHECKED THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT DOOR AND IT LOOKED SIMILAR TO THE DRIVER'S SIDE. I THEN DROVE MY STICK-SHIFT CAR HOME, WHILE HOLDING THE DRIVER'S DOOR AS CLOSED AS POSSIBLE WITH MY (RECENTLY, SURGICALLY OPERATED ON) LEFT ARM. I THEN PHONED THE NHTSA. OBVIOUSLY, A CAR'S DOORS MUST CLOSE AND LOCK PROPERLY TO KEEP ITS PASSENGERS SAFE. A CAR DRIVEN OCCASIONALLY, WITH ONLY 34,319 MILES, CERTAINLY SHOULDN'T HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN. FORTUNATELY, I WAS JUST A FEW MILES FROM HOME AND THE CAR IS ALWAYS GARAGED. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR REVIEWING THIS CASE. SINCERELY, CHARLES DREYFUSS P.S. I'VE INDICATED '3 FAILURES' ONLY BECAUSE I'VE TRIED TO CLOSE AND LOCK THIS CAR SEVERAL TIMES ONCE I GOT IT IN MY HOME'S GARAGE WITH NO SUCCESS.