NHTSA Complaint #11309992 — 2001 BMW 525I

I HAD TAKEN A LONGER ROAD TRIP, AND WAS ON MY WAY BACK, ABOUT A QUARTER OF THE WAY WHEN WE STOPPED FOR DINNER. I PARKED, AND EVERYTHING WAS USUAL. A COUPLE MINUTES LATER, I WENT TO MOVE THE CAR, AND WHILE I WAS WAITING IN A DRIVE-THRU LINE, I SEE SMOKE BILLOWING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND I SMELL A BURNING SMELL. I PARKED THE CAR BACK WHERE IT HAD BEEN, AND, THINKING IT WAS A COOLANT ISSUE, OPENED THE HOOD TO LET THE ENGINE COOL DOWN, AND LEFT MY PASSENGERS WITH THE CAR AND WALKED ACROSS THE STREET TO BUY SOME COOLANT. WHEN I RETURNED, MY PASSENGERS TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD NOTICED A FLAME AT THE EXTREME FRONT OF THE ENGINE AND HAD TO DOUSE IT WITH WATER. I CHECKED, AND I SAW THAT THE WIRES LEADING TO THE AUXILIARY COOLING FAN IN FRONT OF THE RADIATOR HAD MELTED AND CAUGHT ON FIRE AND BURNED THE PLASTIC NEAR THEM (AS SEEN IN THE PICTURE). I THEN FOUND THE CONNECTOR FOR THOSE WIRES AND DISCONNECTED THEM SO THAT THEY COULD NOT RELIGHT. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM RESULTING FROM THE WIRES PULLING TOO MUCH POWER AND THUS MELTING THEMSELVES. THE PROBLEM WITH THE WIRES DID NOT SET OFF ANY WARNING OR CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS, AND DID NOT AFFECT THE ENGINE TEMPERATURE, AT LEAST AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. I ALSO FOUND OUT THAT THE BATTERY CAN RUN THIS FAN FOR UP TO 11 MINUTES AFTER THE ENGINE IS TURNED OFF, THUS BEING ABLE TO START A FIRE IN A GARAGE WHEN NO ONE IS AROUND. THIS PROBLEM IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AS THE WHOLE CAR COULD GO UP IN FLAMES.