NHTSA Complaint #10416371 — 2011 BMW 335I US

MY REAR TIRE SLOWLY STARTED TO LOSE AIR PRESSURE DURING FREEWAY COMMUTING IN LOS ANGELES AREA. SAVAGE BMW IN ONTARIO COULDN'T AT FIRST DETERMINE THE CAUSE AND SUGGESTED IT WAS A TIRE LEAK AND TO TAKE IT TO A TIRE SHOP. THE TIRE SHOP FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE TIRE AND SAID TO TAKE IT BACK TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER FINALLY FOUND THE PROBLEM BY DUNKING IT INTO A WATER TANK....A CRACKED RIM...CRACKED ON THE INSIDE....THIS WAS CAUSING THE AIR TO LEAK OUT MORE AND MORE AS I DROVE. IT WAS TO THE POINT THAT I WAS FILLING UP AIR EVERY DAY. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT I PROBABLY HIT A POTHOLE AND THAT IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, SO I FIGURED THEY WERE RIGHT AND PAID FOR THE NEW RIM. NOW SEVERAL MONTHS LATER (AND DOING VERY CAREFUL DRIVING TO ENSURE I DON'T HIT ANY POTHOLES OR ROUGH SURFACES), I FOUND THE OTHER REAR TIRE DOING THE SAME THING. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK IT TO CREVIER BMW AND TOLD THEM I SUSPECTED IT MIGHT BE CRACKED TOO. THEY RETURNED THE CAR TO ME WITHIN A COUPLE OF DAYS AND TOLD ME IT JUST NEEDED AIR, AND EVERYTHING WAS OK. TODAY (THE VERY NEXT DAY), I DROVE TO WORK AND MY TIRE PRESSURE SENSOR SAID THE SAME TIRE WAS LOW. I IMMEDIATELY ADDED AIR 46 PSI PER BMW DOOR LABEL...AND GOT ON FWY TO GO HOME. WITHIN 5 MINUTES ON THE FWY, MY WHEEL WAS MAKING A HORRIBLE VIBRATION AS IF IT WAS ABOUT TO COME APART. I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF FWY AND GOT A TOW TRUCK TO TAKE ME BACK TO DEALER. AFTER A HEATED DEBATE WITH BMW SERVICE MANAGER, THEY SAID THEY WOULDN'T PAY FOR MY TOW, NOR THE WHEEL (IF IT IS CRACKED)...AND THAT ITS DUE TO MY DRIVING HABITS. PREPOSTEROUS! I BABY MY CAR, ESPECIALLY AFTER PAYING FOR THE 1ST RIM. I AM FURIOUS THAT BMW IS IGNORING AN OBVIOUS DEFECT IN THE WHEEL DESIGN. I'VE OWNER SEVERAL BMW CARS AND OTHER LOW PROFILE TIRE/WHEEL AUTOMOBILES...DRIVEN ON THE SAME ROADS....AND NEVER HAD THIS ISSUE. IM VERY CONCERNED THAT 1) A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD IS BEING IGNORED AND 2) THAT IM NOT RECEIVING FAIR TREATMENT. I WILL RETRIEVE THE RIM AND TIRE FOR PROOF. *TR