NHTSA Complaint #10995656 — 1998 BMW Z3 ROADSTER

SUSPENSION issue reported to NHTSA

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Complaint Details

ODI Number	10995656
Vehicle	1998 BMW Z3 ROADSTER
Component	SUSPENSION
Date of Incident	June 1, 2017
Date Filed	June 17, 2017
Mileage	120,000 miles
Crash	No
Fire	No
Injuries	0
Deaths	0
Vehicle Towed	No
State	CA

Consumer Description

A LOUD CLUNKING SOUND COMING FROM REAR END WAS NOTICED. UPON INSPECTION, BY BMW DEALERSHIP IT WAS DETERMINED THE REAR SUBFRAME HOLDING REAR DIFFERENTIAL HAS SEPARATED FROM THE BODY OF THE VEHICLE (SPOT WELD FAILURE). I WAS TOLD IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AND TO FIX IMMEDIATELY. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH, THIS APPEARS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE VEHICLES. HIGHER DISPLACEMENT MODELS ARE A HIGHER OCCURRENCE DUE TO CREATING MORE TORQUE ON THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL BRACKET. MINE IS THE M VERSION WHICH IS ALMOST A GUARANTEED FAILURE.

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