NHTSA Complaint #10924069 — 2012 BMW X5 SAV

DRIVESHAFT FAILURE. I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE ON A STRAIGHT AND LEVEL SECTION OF THE ROAD. I HEARD A LOUD HUMMING FROM THE ENGINE AREA SO I SLOWED DOWN AND THEN I HEARD A LOUD POP AND METAL GRINDING AND HITTING UNDER THE CAR. MY VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY, SO I HAD IT TOWED TO MY INDEPENDENT MECHANIC THAT SPECIALIZES IN EUROPEAN VEHICLES. THEY SAID THE DRIVESHAFT "FELL APART" AND AS I WAS SLOWING DOWN IT WAS STILL SPINNING AND BANGED AROUND CAUSING DAMAGE TO MY EXHAUST SYSTEM AND OIL PAN. I RESEARCHED AND FOUND THAT 2011 VEHICLES HAD BEEN RECALLED FOR A DEFECT THAT COULD CAUSE THE DRIVESHAFT TO FAIL, SO I CALLED BMW AND THEY TOLD ME THAT SINCE MY VEHICLE WAS NOT LISTED ON THE RECALL THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. I TRIED CALLING THEM AGAIN IN REGARDS TO THE PRIOR YEAR'S RECALL AND ASKED IF IT MAY INCLUDE 2012 MODEL VEHICLES AT A LATER DATE AND THEY COULD NOT GIVE ME AN ANSWER. IT SEEMS STRANGE THAT A VEHICLE MANUFACTURED 4 MONTHS AFTER A RECALL HAS THE SAME ISSUE BUT SOMEHOW IT IS NOT COVERED. I CALLED MY LOCAL BMW SERVICE CENTER AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY ADDED A 10 YEAR WARRANTY ONTO THE DRIVESHAFT PARTS, BUT I MUST NOT HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. SO IF I WOULD HAVE TAKEN IT TO THEM, THEY WOULD HAVE FIXED IT FOR FREE, BUT SINCE I DIDN'T, THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING FOR ME. THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN # FOR THE 2011 X5 IS: 16V311000. *TR