NHTSA Complaint #746726 — 2001 BMW 320

VEHICLE OVERHEATS: 9 DAYS AFTER TAKING DELIVERY OF MY BRAND NEW CAR, THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE BEGINS REGISTERING ABNORMALLY HIGH UNDER NORMAL CITY DRIVING CONDITIONS. I IMMEDIATELY TURN OFF THE A/C, TURN ON THE HEAT TO THE MAXIMUM SETTING, AND ROLL DOWN THE WINDOWS. THIS SEEMS TO HAVE NO IMPACT ON THE TEMPERATURE, AND THE RED TEMP INDICATOR LIGHT COMES ON. I PROMPTLY PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND, WHILE DOING SO, THE VEHICLE OVERHEATS. BMWSF SERVICES MY VEHICLE BY INSTALLING AN UPGRADED AUX FAN UNIT ON 5/15/01. PROBLEM 1: BMWNAS LACK OF QUALITY ASSURANCE IN DETECTING A DEFECTIVE PART IN MY VEHICLE AND WILLFUL NEGLECT TO INFORM SERVICE/SALES PERSONNEL ABOUT THE KNOWN PROBLEM. EXPLANATION 1: I AM APPALLED THAT BMWNA WOULD JEOPARDIZE THE SAFETY OF ITS CUSTOMERS BY NEGLECTING TO OFFER PRELIMINARY INFORMATION TO DEALERSHIPS ABOUT A KNOWN PROBLEM. BMWNA HAS DEMONSTRATED A CONSISTENT PATTERN OF IGNORING, OBFUSCATING, OR DENYING PROBLEMS WITH THE AUXILIARY FAN WHEN MOST BMW MESSAGE BOARD SITES ARE LITTERED WITH THESE COMPLAINTS. BMWNAS RECKLESS NEGLIGENCE IN OFFERING SUCH INFORMATION CAUSED THE DEALERSHIPS TO ALLOW POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS VEHICLES BACK ON THE ROAD. PROBLEM 2: BMWSF INSTALLED A REPLACEMENT PART ON MY CAR THAT THEY KNEW WAS DEFECTIVE. EXPLANATION 2: IN RESPONSE TO MY LETTER TO BMWNA REGARDING THIS MATTER, A BMWNA CUSTOMER RELATIONS REP NOTIFIES ME THAT I AM TO BRING MY VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN TO HAVE A NEWLY DESIGNED AND UPGRADED AUX FAN UNIT INSTALLED IN MY VEHICLE. THE REP IS UNABLE TO CONFIRM WHY THE DEFECTIVE PART WAS INSTALLED IN MY VEHICLE IN THE INITIAL ATTEMPT TO SOLVE THE OVERHEATING PROBLEM. ON 6/9/01, I CONFIRM WITH A BMWSF SERVICE ADVISOR THAT 1) THE NEW (2ND) REPLACEMENT PART IS MANUFACTURED BY BOSCH AND THAT IT IS THE UPGRADED PART WHICH REPLACES THE DEFECTIVE SIEMENS FAN AND 2) THAT THE INITIAL (1ST) REPLACEMENT PART INSTALLED IN MY CAR ON 5/15/01 IS THE SAME PART NUMBER OF THE SIEMENS FAN UNIT THAT INITIALLY FAILED.