NHTSA Complaint #10402595 — 2008 BMW 5 SERIES

VEHICLE IS 2008 528I SEDAN. THE TIRE MONITOR PRESSURE INDICATOR WAS DISPLAYED. I TOOK THE CAR TO A BMW DEALERSHIP TO CHECK THE TIRE PRESSURE. THEY SAID THE TIRE PRESSURE WAS OK ON ALL 4 TIRES. HOWEVER, IT CONTINUED TO DISPLAY THE TMP INDICATOR. THEN FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS, WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, VARIOUS ALERT INDICATORS WOULD DISPLAY BRIEFLY AND THE DATE AND TIME WERE NOT SET. I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY DETERMINED FLUID (REFERRED TO BY BMW AS 'AN OUTSIDE INFLUENCE') LEAKED FROM INSIDE THE TRUNK OF VEHICLE INTO THE RDC (COMMUNICATION) MODULE, WHICH IS LOCATED UNDER THE TRUNK. THE SERVICE ADVISOR STATED THE SUBMERGED FLUID SHORTED OUT THE MODULE AND MELTED THE HARNESS. THE RDC MODULE AND THE HARNESS WERE REPLACED. THE TRUNK WAS NOT WET SO I DID NOT REALIZE ANYTHING HAD LEAKED NOR WAS I AWARE THERE WERE CRITICAL ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS LOCATED DIRECTLY UNDER THE TRUNK, WHICH WERE NOT PROPERLY PROTECTED. TO PLACE THE RDC MODULE IN AN AREA WHERE LIQUIDS CAN PENETRATE (I.E. OPEN DRUNK WHILE RAINING, GROCERIES SPILLING'), IS EXTREMELY POOR VEHICLE DESIGN. SINCE THE PROBLEM WAS A RESULT OF 'AN OUTSIDE INFLUENCE' IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND IT COST ALMOST $1000 TO FIX. *TR