NHTSA Complaint #10228333 — 2003 BMW 530I

PROBLEMS THROUGHOUT OWNERSHIP OF VEHICLE WITH PLASTIC PARTS AND WIRING OF VEHICLE, A 2003 BMW 530I. WIRING TO BRAKE LIGHTS WHICH WERE REPAIRED EARLY ON UNDER WARRANTY. THE VEHICLE NOW HAS APPROXIMATELY 97,000 MILES. MOST OF THESE ISSUES HAVE BEEN GOING ON SINCE THE 50,000 MILE MARK. I DRIVE 20,000 MILES PER YEAR TO AND FROM WORK. ANOTHER PROBLEM INCLUDED THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY DROPPING ACCELERATION TO JUST A FEW MILES PER HOUR. WITH MY PEDAL TO THE FLOOR, I MADE IT UP A HILL AND PULLED OVER. AFTER SHUTTING DOWN THE ENGINE AND RESTARTING, MY VEHICLE PERFORMED NORMALLY. THE SERVICE ADVISOR AT THE DEALERSHIP INDICATED THAT THE UNDERWIRE HARNESS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND PRESENTED A SAFETY ISSUE. THE COST OF THIS SERVICE WAS AROUND TWO-THOUSAND DOLLARS. I'VE YET TO DO THE SERVICE AND HAVE PUT MANY THOUSANDS OF MILES ON THE VEHICLE SINCE. THE CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS WERE FOUND TO BE CRACKED AT JUST OVER 50, 000 MILES AND THEREFORE NOT COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY. I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT THEY SHOULD LAST LONGER. THEY'VE NEVER BEEN REPLACED THOUGH STEERING SEEMS TO BE AFFECTED. AN INTERIOR LIGHT CONSOLE SIMPLY FELL OUT OF THE BODY AND DANGLED BY ITS WIRING. THE PLASTIC AROUND THE CLIPS APPEARS TO BE DECAYED OR MELTED BY THE HEAT OF THE BULBS. I WROTE TO BMW NORTH AMERICA DESCRIBING ALL THESE ISSUES AND WAS TOLD THAT THE LIGHT WOULD BE REPLACED. I ASKED FOR THIS IN WRITING. THIS WAS NEVER DONE. AFTER SEVERAL PHONE CONTACTS, I WAS TOLD THAT THE SERVICE MANAGER AT MY DEALERSHIP WOULD BE MY CONTACT. HE INDICATED THAT HE HAD RECEIVED COMMUNICATION THAT I SHOULD RECEIVE A FREE OIL CHANGE (ALREADY COVERED UNDER MY CURRENT EXTENDED WARRANTY). WEEKS OF MY MESSAGES AND NO RETURN CALLS MADE ME SUSPICIOUS THAT SOMETHING MORE WAS GOING ON. THE LAST MESSAGE I LEFT WAS THAT A NHTSA COMPLAINT WOULD BE FILED AND FINALLY ELICITED A RESPONSE. NO RECALLS HAVE EVER OCCURRED ON THIS VEHICLE. *TR