NHTSA Complaint #10659874 — 2012 BMW X5 SAV

PURCHASED NEW 2012 X 5 IN AUGUST 2011. IN JULY 2014 CAR VIBRATED ON TURNS IN STEERING COLUMN AND THOUGHT IS WAS THE NEW TIRES, THEY SAID IT WAS THE CIRCUMFERENCE ON ONE OF THE TIRES, INSTALLED NEW SET. STILL THE VIBRATION OCCURRED....TURNS OUT IS TRANSFER CASE AND $6200.00. THEY COVERED ALL BUT 1300.00 OF MINE AT THE DEALER LEVEL. FRIEND BOUGHT SAME VEHICLE IN OCTOBER 2011 SAME DEALER AND I EXPLAINED PROBLEM TO HER AND SHE HAD THE SAME SYMPTOMS AND ALMOST IDENTICAL MILEAGE. HER TRANSFER CASE ALSO BAD THE SAME MONTH MINE WAS. SHE HAD TO FIGHT WITH BMW BECAUSE SHE HAD OVER 75,000. AT FIRST HER ASSISTANCE ON THE REPLACEMENT WAS DENIED, THEN AFTER CALLS SHE ACTUALLY HAD ALL BUT 500.00ISH PAID. DEALER SAID THEY RARELY HAD TO REPLACE A TRANSFER CASE AND IT WAS A FLUKE- WE DIDN'T THINK SO. FAST FORWARD, BOTH CARS NOW 10,000 MILES LATER EACH ( NOVEMBER 2014)"SMOKE" UPON STARTING IF THEY SIT FOR A FEW DAYS (THE "STEAM" CLOUD IS HUGE). WE BOTH HAD TO ADD OIL WHICH THEY SAY IS NORMAL AFTER AN OIL CHANGE LESS THAN 7000 MILES AGO. DEALER SAYS IT IS NORMAL ON THE OIL ADDITION AND NORMAL SMOKE- CONDENSATION- THIS TIME WE TOOK THEM IN THE SAME DAY AND HAD THEM SIT OVER THE WEEKEND. PEOPLE JUMP BACK FROM MINE BECAUSE THEY ARE SCARED! NOW A WEEK LATER, BOTH SMELL OF ANTIFREEZE WHEN LEFT RUNNING A FEW MINUTES PARKED WITH THE HEAT ON. TOO MANY COINCIDENCES. THIS IS MY THIRD BMW- BUT FIRST TIME WITH PROBLEMS. JUST READ ONLINE ABOUT OTHER TRANSFER CASE ISSUES WITH THAT MODEL YEAR. WE BELIEVE AS THESE MODELS AGE, AND PEOPLE HAVE MORE MILES ( WE ARE BOTH REALTORS SO WE HAVE VERY HIGH MILEAGE) THIS TRANSFER CASE WILL FAIL. I BELIEVE IT IS A FAULTY PART AND NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. AT THE RATE WE DRIVE WE WILL NEED ANOTHER TRANSFER CASE IN 2 YRS. *TR