NHTSA Complaint #10378205 — 2008 BMW 5 SERIES

MY BMW 535XI STARTED HAVING FUEL PUMP ISSUES STARTING AROUND 14 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE, AT 12,000 MILES. THE FIRST TIME IT WENT INTO SAFETY MODE, CASING IT TO SLOW DOWN TO A SNAILS PACE. A NEW FUEL PUMP WAS INSTALLED. THE SECOND TIME IT WOULD NOT START IN A PARKING LOT AFTER TURNING IT OFF FOR 10 MINUTES AFTER A 20 MINUTE DRIVE. I CALLED ROAD SIDE ASSIST AND THEY SENT A TECHNICIAN WHO WAS ABLE TO GET IT STARTED. HE TOLD ME TO TAKE TO THE DEALER BUT IT SHOULD BE FINE TO DRIVE HOME. I LEFT THE LOT AND WITHIN 3 MINUTES IT COMPLETELY SEIZED AND LOST ALL POWER WHILE ACCELERATING IN THE LEFT LANE. MY 11 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND I WERE IN THE CAR. I AM THANKFUL WE SURVIVED. I CALLED THE TECHNICIAN BACK AND HE CONVINCED ME TO DRIVE THE CAR WITH HIM FOLLOWING TO THE DEALER (APPROX 3 MILES). WHEN I COMPLAINED TO BMW THEY DID NOT SHOWED NO CONCERN THAT WE WERE PUT IN HARMS WAY. IN THIS INSTANCE THE FUEL TEMPERATURE SENSOR/PRESSURE SENSOR HAD A PERMANENT FAILURE. AT 19,000 MILES, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON AND I TOOK IT IN TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THEY SUSPECTED THE FUEL PUMP BUT COULD NOT REPLICATE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, SO CORPORATE WOULD NOT ALLOW REPLACEMENT. AGAIN AT 20,370 MILE, CHECK ENGINE PLUS "COLD START NOT RUNNING ON ALL CYLINDERS" NO ACTION BECAUSE NOT TRIPPING CORPORATE SPECIFICATIONS. AT, 21,092, HIGH PRESSURE PUMP PERMANENT MALFUNCTION. ENGINE WAS FLOODED WITH FUEL. FIVE DAYS AND 100 MILES LATER, THE ENGINE FLOODED AGAIN. THIS TIME THE FUEL INJECTOR WAS LEAKING AND ALL THE SPARK PLUGS WERE SOAKED WITH GAS AND HALF WERE NOT WORKING. AT THAT TIME (NOV. 2010) I ASKED BMW TO TAKE THE CAR BACK. BMW AGREED TO A "TRADE ASSIST" THAT WILL COST US AN ADDITIONAL $33,000 TO BE GET A NEW CAR. WE DO NO UNDERSTAND HOW AFTER ALMOST KILLING US WE CANNOT GET OUT OF THIS CAR WITHOUT SPENDING MORE MONEY. WE REFUSE TO SELL OUR PROBLEM TO SOMEONE ELSE. *TR