NHTSA Complaint #10940051 — 2001 BMW 530I

FUEL INJECTORS LEAK IN EXTREME COLD TEMPERATURES. EXACT TEMPERATURE UNKNOWN BUT HAS BEEN -5F FOR THE PAST 3 DAYS AND THE CABIN FILLS WITH THE SMELL OF GAS WITHIN MOMENTS AND UPON OPENING THE HOOD YOU CAN SEE A MIST OF FUEL FROM THE INJECTOR. TRIED IT LAST NIGHT AT 8F AND NO NOTICEABLE LEAK, ALTHOUGH STILL FAINT SMELL. RESEARCHED ONLINE ONLY TO DISCOVER THIS APPEARS TO BE A CONSISTENT PROBLEM WITH PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN VERY COLD AREAS AS MYSELF. I PURCHASED IT USED FROM A MUCH MILDER CLIMATE. VERY THANKFUL IT DIDN'T CATCH ON FIRE WITH MY KIDS IN IT. CAR WILL REMAIN PARKED UNTIL FIXED. I REALLY HOPE THIS GET LOOKED INTO. AS AN INSURANCE AGENT THIS IS VERY CONCERNING TO ME, BOTH ON A PERSONAL LEVEL AND AS A PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY. I AM NOT VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT CARS AND WHEN I SMELLED IT I THOUGHT IT WAS AN EXHAUSTIVE LEAK OR MY FUEL RUNNING TOO RICH BECAUSE OF THE COLD, AT FIRST. BUT AFTER GETTING A HEADACHE DRIVING TO WORK I DECIDED IT WAS MORE. INVESTIGATED TRYING TO FIGURE WHERE IT CAME FROM AND ONCE I DISCOVERED THE SMELL WAS MORE INTENSE UNDER THE HOOD I GOT WORRIED. MY HUSBAND INVESTIGATED WHEN I GOT HOME FROM WORK AND THOUGHT I WAS OVERREACTING SINCE HE ONLY SMELLED A FAINT SMELL AND LOOKED EVERYTHING OVER AND SAW NOTHING. THIS MORNING THOUGH, BEING COLD AND HIM RUNNING LATE FOR WORK, MY CAR WAS RUNNING WHEN HE WENT TO LEAVE.HE COULD SMELL IT AS HE WALKED BY. HE OPENED IT UP AND COULD SEE THE MIST OF FUEL. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING MY 3 KIDS TO SCHOOL THE LAST TWO DAYS WITH FUEL SPRAYING IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DEADLY SITUATION, BUT BECAUSE IT ONLY OCCURS IN EXTREME COLD IT IS EASILY OVERLOOKED AND MISDIAGANOSISED. ESPECIALLY AS THE VEHICLES ARE GETTING OLDER, THE DRIVERS ARE MORE LIKELY TO OVERLOOK ISSUES THINKING THEY LEAKING IN THE EXHAUST OR TANK ETC DUE TO DETERIORATION, AS I DID AT FIRST. *TR