NHTSA Complaint #10703741 — 2012 BMW X5 SAV

WHILE IDLING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, A ROARING NOISE ALL OF A SUDDEN STARTED UNDERNEATH THE CAR. AS I STARTED MOVING, THE NOISE SEEMED TO FOLLOW THE ENGINE ACCELERATION AND GOT LOUDER. THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED GETTING HARDER TO MANIPULATE AND THE NOISE GOT LOUDER AT EACH STEER. I WAS IN A DIFFERENT STATE, ABOUT 40 MILES FROM MY HOUSE. BY THE TIME I GOT TO MY HOUSE, THE STEERING WHEEL WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO MANEUVER. I PARKED THE CAR TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER THE NEXT MORNING. THAT MORNING, WHEN I STARTED THE CAR FOR THE DEALER, THE NOISE WAS LIKE A CRACKING NOISE AND THE STEERING WHEEL WAS STUCK. I CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE TO TOW THE CAR TO THE BMW OF MANHATTAN DEALER. AMONG OTHER THINGS, THEY FOUND: POWER STEERING RESERVOIR EMPTY, CONNECTIONS ON PRESSURE RETURN LINES LEAKING, GASKETS SEALS LEAKING. AFTER THEY FIXED THE CAR, I STARTED HAVING STEERING ISSUES. THE STEERING WHEEL NOW HAS AN EXTREMELY WIDE PLAY, THE CAR IS ROCKING AT THE SLIGHTEST BUMP, PULLING LEFT OR RIGHT WHEN BRAKING. MOREOVER, WHEN ON A HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 55MPH, ANY ROUGH OR PATH HOLE WOULD THROW THE CAR ON A ZIG ZAG AND I HAVE TO FIGHT WITH THE STEERING WHEEL TO KEEP THE CAR FROM VEERING ONTO OTHER CARS RUNNING BY. I RETURNED THE CAR 3 TIMES TO THE SAME DEALER, 10/07 AND 10/23 AND AFTER KEEPING THE CAR FOR DAYS, THEY SAY CANNOT REPLICATE MY COMPLAINT. IN THE MEANTIME, I SENT THEM COUNTLESS OF EXPLICATIVE EMAILS AND COPIED BMW CUSTOMER SERVICE TO NO AVAIL. I HAD TO GO TO OPEN ROAD BMW OF EDISON NJ ON 12/0314, 2/13/15 AND AT THE 3RD TIME ON 3/31/15 AND AT 34,500 MILES, THEY FOUND OUT THIS: EXCESSIVE PLAY INSIDE STEERING RACK, DROPPED SUBFRAME, BLED THE SYSTEM, REPLACED STEERING RACK. ON 4/3/- 4/5/15, I AM STILL HAVING SUDDEN PULLS ON BRAKING AND UNEVEN ROADS I LEARNED BMW RECALLED 2009- 2012 X5D SAV VEHICLES FOR STEERING WHEELS ISSUES. MY CAR IS JAN 2012. IT HAS NEVER BEEN RECALLED. *TR