NHTSA Complaint #11501966 — 2011 BMW 328I

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM issue reported to NHTSA

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Fire

Complaint Details

ODI Number	11501966
Vehicle	2011 BMW 328I
Component	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of Incident	January 16, 2023
Date Filed	January 16, 2023
Mileage	N/A miles
Crash	No
Fire	Yes
Injuries	0
Deaths	0
Vehicle Towed	No
State	OH

Consumer Description

Passenger door handle with comfort access shorted out and nearly caught fire. I was trying to get my comfort access working again after it suddenly stopped and I discovered that the fuse (#61) was blown. A couple minutes after replacing the fuse, the door handle let up a large plume of smoke and made a popping sound. I immediately powered down the car and removed the fuse and the smoking stopped. The door handle was hot to the touch and the rubber gaskets on the door handle appear to have melted (see attached photo). Upon further research, this appears to be a common problem with these cars.

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