NHTSA Complaint #10402745 — 2005 BMW 7 SERIES

BMW NA SUBMITTED TO NHTSA A NOTICE THAT UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES THERE MAY BE A POWER BRAKING LOSS DUE TO A LEAKING VACUUM PUMP. BMW NA HAS NOT INSTITUTED A CONSISTENT RECALL POLICY ACROSS ITS DEALERSHIPS RELATED TO THIS RECALL. DEALERSHIPS ARE LEFT TO THEIR DEVICES IN COVERING THE RECALL WORK WITH SOME DEALERSHIPS REPLACING VACUUM PUMPS, AND OTHERS CHARGING OWNERS FOR THE REPLACEMENT. OUR 745 EXPERIENCED THE BARE MINIMUM OF RECALL WORK IN DECEMBER 2010, BUT THE LEAKING VACUUM PUMP WAS NOT REPLACED, NOR WERE WE NOTIFIED THAT IT WAS LEAKING BY THE DEALERSHIP. 5 MONTHS LATER VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN INTO A COMMERCIAL STRIP MALL AND AS THE VEHICLE WAS BEING PARKED, IT DID NOT STOP. VEHICLE JUMPED PEDESTRIAN WALK WAY AND DAMAGED THE ENTRANCE OF A RESTAURANT. I HAVE LEARNED THROUGH RESEARCH THAT BMW NA IS ALL OVER THE BOARD REGARDING THIS RECALL. THOUGH EXTREMELY SHAKEN, NO PEDESTRIANS WERE INJURED, BUT BMW THROUGH NHTSA COMPLAINTS AND OWNER INPUT KNOWS THIS PROBLEM EXISTS. *TR