NHTSA Complaint #10891501 — 2008 BMW 528I

STRONG GASOLINE ODOR WAS DETECTED IN OUR GARAGE. UPON CHECKING OUR CLASSIC AUTOMOBILE AND RULING IT OUT WE THEN REALIZED IT WAS OUR 2008 BMW 528I WITH 61,800 ORIGINAL MILES ON IT. THE ODOR WAS BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE CAR. WE HAD TO REMOVE THE CAR FROM THE GARAGE WHERE IT NORMALLY PARKS NEAR A GAS WATER HEATER SO AS TO AVOID POSSIBLE IGNITION WITHIN THE CONFINES OF OUR GARAGE. I THEN SEARCHED ON THE INTER NET : "WHY DOES MY 2008 BMW 528I SMELL LIKE GAS ALL THE SUDDEN", TO MY SURPRISE THERE WERE HUNDREDS OF POSTS WITHIN BIMMER FORUMS AND OTHERWISE REGARDING THIS VERY ISSUE. WHAT GAVE ME PAUSE IS THAT IN MY SITUATION AS WITH MANY OTHERS, AN ENGINE AND OR EMISSIONS FAULT CODE WAS NEVER SENT TO THE MAIN SCREEN FOR THE OPERATOR TO IDENTIFY AND TAKE IT IN FOR REPAIRS. I CALLED BMW NORTH AMERICA AND GAVE THIS INFORMATION AND ASKED IF ANY RECALLS OR BULLETINS WERE RECORDED AND WAS TOLD THERE WEREN'T. I THEN CALLED MY LOCAL BMW DEALERSHIP HERE IN TUCSON, AZ. AND WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE ADVISOR THERE WAS IN FACT A NOTE REGARDING THE CHAR COAL CANISTER BEING UNABLE TO PROCESS THE GASOLINE FUMES WHEN OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES REACH OR EXCEED 100-101 DEGREES FARENHEIT. IT HAS BEEN IN THAT RANGE HERE NOW FOR THE PAST FEW WEEKS. I NOW AS OF 28 JULY 2016 HAVE MY CAR IN THE BMW SHOP FOR REPAIRS AND WHAT THEY FOUND WAS THE FUEL SENDING UNIT IS LEAKING THROUGH THE TOP OF THE TANK AND A PUDDLE OF GAS HAS FORMED. AGAIN WHY NO ENGINE CODES WHEN A SEALED SYSTEM FAULTS AND LEAKS AND A KNOWN ISSUE LIKE THE CHAR COAL CANISTER EXISTS. MY HOPE IS THAT THIS AGENCY INVESTIGATES AND ISSUES A RECALL NOTICE. I AM GOING TO BE CHARGED $700.00+ FOR AN ISSUE WHICH IS WIDELY KNOWN OF ACROSS THE WEB AND WHICH MY DEALERSHIP FOUND NOT ALL THAT UNUSUAL. THANK YOU. *TR