NHTSA Complaint #11194812 — 2012 BMW X3 SAV

THE PROBLEM STARTED OUT AS AN INTERMITTENT 'TPMS MALFUNCTION WARNING'. FIRST TRIP TO BMW SERVICE CENTER I WAS TOLD NOTHING WAS WRONG. INTERMITTENT TPMS WARNINGS CONTINUED. SECOND VISIT TO DEALERSHIP SERVICE CENTER RESULTED IN ONE TPM SENSOR BEING REPLACED. UNFORTUNATELY THE INTERMITTENT TPMS MALFUNCTION WARNINGS CONTINUED TO OCCUR EVERY SO OFTEN. DURING THE PAST YEAR THE MALFUNCTION WARNINGS OCCURRED WITH EVER INCREASING FREQUENCY UNTIL THE TPMS MALFUNCTION BECAME PERMANENT. AT MY LATEST VISIT TO MY BMW SERVICE CENTER I WAS TOLD THE TPMS CONTROLLER MODULE WAS BAD (RDC MODULE). I WAS TOLD IT WOULD COST $850 TO REPLACE. A COWORKER WITH A 2012 BMW X3 HAD THE SAME INTERMITTENT TPMS MALFUNCTION WARNING AND WAS ALSO TOLD IT WAS THE RDC MODULE. I THEN SEARCHED THE ONLINE BMW OWNER FORUMS AND FOUND THE PROBLEM TO BE COMMON. OTHERS WITH ISSUE WENT AS FAR AS CUTTING OPEN THEIR RDC MODULE. INSIDE THEY FOUND CORROSION WHERE THE CONNECTOR PINS ENTER THE MODULE AND ARE SOLDERED TO THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD. I DECIDED TO DO THE SAME AND I AS WELL FOUND CORROSION INSIDE. THE CORROSION PROGRESSED TO THE POINT THAT TWO OF THE FOUR PINS MEASURED AS OPENS ON AN OHM METER. THIS CORROSION DID NOT HAPPEN OVERNIGHT. IT OBVIOUSLY STARTED BEFORE THE FIRST TIME I RECEIVED AN INTERMITTENT TPMS MALFUNCTION WARNING. IF I AM NOT MISTAKEN TPMS IS REQUIRED BY FEDERAL LAW FOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH RUN FLAT TIRES AS A SAFETY FEATURE. I WOULD ALSO SAY THE CORROSION IS DUE A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT.