NHTSA Complaint #10464539 — 2007 BMW 3 SERIES

FIRST OCCURRENCE OF PROBLEM HAPPENED BACK IN MAY 2012. ME AND MY FIANCEE WERE EXITING THE VEHICLE BUT ONLY MY DRIVER DOOR WOULD OPEN. MY FIANCEE WAS FORCED TO CLIMB OVER THE MIDDLE CONSOLE OF THE VEHICLE AND EXIT THROUGH MY DOOR, WITH A SHORT DRESS ON. I LATER LOOKED ONLINE ON A BMW FORUM TO FIND THE CULPRIT TO BE THE LOCK ACTUATORS BLOWING FUSE 56. I REPLACED FUSE 56 WITH THE APPROPRIATE FUSE, INCREASING THE 15 AMP TO A 20 AMP AT THAT TIME. ON 30 JUNE 2012 I EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE WHILE ON VACATION IN OGUNQUIT, ME. ONCE AGAIN MY PASSENGERS WERE ALL LOCKED IN THE VEHICLE. THERE IS NO MANUAL OVERRIDE FOR THE 335I'S DOORS ONCE THE FUSE BLOWS. ALL THREE PASSENGERS WERE FORCED TO CLIMB THROUGH THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR, CREATING A DANGEROUS AND UNCOMFORTABLE SITUATION. THIS TIME I REPLACED FUSE 57 AND IT SEEMED TO WORK JUST FINE AFTERWARDS. LASTLY, IT HAPPENED TWO DAYS AGO WITH JUST ME IN THE VEHICLE. I BROUGHT IT TO THE BMW DEALERSHIP (IN RHODE ISLAND) AND THEY TOLD ME ALL DOOR LOCK ACTUATORS WERE DEFECTIVE/FAULTY. THEY SAID I WOULD NEED TO REPLACE EVERY SINGLE DOOR ACTUATOR ON THE CAR, TOTALING A COST OF $1600. I CALLED BMW OF NA AND THEY SAID THEY WERE UNABLE TO HELP ME, DESPITE THE OBVIOUS SAFETY HAZARDS OF A BLOWN FUSE IN THIS VEHICLE. I DESPAIR WHEN I THINK OF THE PROBLEMS THIS COULD CAUSE DURING AN ACCIDENT. THE ABSENCE OF A MANUAL OVERRIDE WOULD CAUSE PASSENGERS TO BREAK OPEN WINDOWS IN ORDER TO ESCAPE DURING AN ACCIDENT OR FIRE. *TR