NHTSA Complaint #10837318 — 2009 BMW 3 SERIES

NOTICED A VERY SLIGHT TAPPING WHEN THE CAR WAS FIRST CRANKED--BUT NO ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS. AFTER DRIVING IT FOR A FEW MILES, A WARNING LIGHT INDICATING "CHARGING MALFUNCTION" FLASHED ON, AND THE BATTERY SYMBOL APPEARED. BECAUSE I WAS THE PASSENGER, I GOOGLED "BMW 328I CHARGING MALFUNCTION" AND THE FIRST RESULT THAT CAME UP READ "BMW/ JANUARY 2013/ RECALL CAMPAIGN NO. 12V-550: ENGINE BELT IDLER PULLEY BOLT" FOR MYS 2009-2012 BMW X5 XDRIVE 35S SAVS. BEFORE I COULD INFORM DRIVER, HE COMPLAINED THAT HE HAD LOST POWER STEERING. AS WE WERE LITERALLY YARDS FROM OUR DESTINATION, WE PARKED, AND RETURNED TO THE CAR TWO HOURS LATER. WHEN WE RECRANKED THE CAR, SAME WARNINGS. WE DECIDED TO DRIVE TO LOCAL BMW SERVICE STATION. AT A STOP LIGHT A FEW MILES FURTHER, MANY WARNING LIGHTS TURNED ON SIMULTANEOUSLY, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS TURNED ON, BUT THE PANEL SAID IT WAS STILL DRIVABLE AND NEEDED SERVICE SOON. WHEN THE LIGHT CHANGED, THE PANEL WENT OFF, AND THE CAR WAS STOPPED DEAD IN THE MIDDLE OF A MAJOR ROAD. PUSHED IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO FIND THE BOLT BROKEN AND THE PULLEY AND BELT LOOSE. UPON HAVING IT TOWED TO BMW REPAIR, WE WERE TOLD THE A/C COMPRESSOR W/CLUTCH, BELT TENSIONER AND BELT, AND OIL FILTER HOUSING GASKET NEEDED TO BE REPLACED TO THE TUNE OF ABOUT $5090. (CAR HAD BEEN GIVEN A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH DURING LAST OIL CHANGE, AND THE A/C WAS WORKING WELL EARLIER THAT MORNING.) WONDERING WHY THE EBIP BOLT WAS RECALLED IN SO MANY OTHER BMW MODELS THAT YEAR BUT NOT IN OURS. INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THEIR RECALL NOTIFICATION EXACTLY MATCHED THE DESCRIPTION OF OUR PROBLEM.