NHTSA Complaint #10499780 — 2010 BMW X5

I WAS DRIVING MY X5, 90 MINUTES FROM HOME, WHEN I NOTICED MY STEERING WAS UNUSUALLY STIFF. IT WAS 5 DEGREES OUTSIDE, SO I ASSUMED IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN TOO COLD. I WAS ABLE TO MOVE OVER TO THE RIGHT LANE, AND TURN ONTO THE NEAREST SIDE STREET. AT THAT POINT I GOT A CODE SAYING "BATTERY DISCHARGE". I ASSUMED IT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE KEYLESS IGNITION, SO I SHUT IT OFF AND TRIED TO TURN IT BACK ON. IT DIDN'T WORK, AND IT GAVE ME THE SAME WARNING AGAIN. IN ADDITION, THE ONBOARD SYSTEM WAS GIVING MESSAGES OF EACH OF THE SYSTEMS THAT WAS SHUTTING DOWN, ULTIMATELY, WITH EVERYTHING SHUTTING OFF, INCLUDING THE EMERGENCY LIGHTS. I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED. AFTER THE DEALERSHIP LOOKED AT THE CAR THE NEXT DAY, THEY TOLD ME THIS WAS PART OF A RECALL FOR THE IDLER PULLEY BOLT. I LOOKED THIS UP, AND DISCOVERED THE LETTER DATED NOV. 26TH DESCRIBING THIS RECALL FROM BMW TO NHTSA. WE STARTED THE PURCHASING PROCESS OF THIS VEHICLE ON NOV. 26TH, ULTIMATELY PURCHASING IT ON NOV. 30TH. THE CARFAX DID NOT SHOW THIS RECALL REPAIR WHEN WE PURCHASED IT. MY DEALERSHIP IS CLAIMING THEY REPAIRED IT THAT WEEK, BEFORE WE PICKED IT UP, (AGAIN, NO MENTION OF A REPAIR). MY CONCERN IS THIS: IF IT WAS REPAIRED IN NOVEMBER, THIS REPAIR FAILED. IF THEY IGNORED THIS RECALL AND SOLD ME THE CAR, THAT WOULD BE NEGLIGENT. FURTHERMORE, WE HAD THE CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP IN JANUARY 2013 FOR A TIRE ISSUE. IF THEY HAD NOT DONE THE REPAIR IN NOVEMBER, CERTAINLY THEY WERE RESPONSIBLE TO REPAIR IT THEN. OBVIOUSLY THEY DIDN'T. NOW, THE CAR COMPLETELY FAILS, AND IS IN THE SHOP. THIS REPAIR TOOK 3 DAYS! I AM UNSURE OF THE SAFELY, AS WELL AS THIS FAILURE BEING JUST A PULLEY BOLT. I AM AWARE OF THE MOST RECENT RECALL OF FEB.19TH, FOR ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS, BUT AT THIS TIME, DOESN'T INCLUDE THE X5? THE PULLEY BOLT PROBLEM DOESN'T SEEM TO FULLY DESCRIBE THE LOSS OF STEERING AND POWER I EXPERIENCED. *TR