2019 BMW 530E — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

The contact owned a 2019 BMW 530E. The contact stated that while driving at a moderate rate of speed, a warning message that stated" This car will not start again" appeared on the instrument panel. Upon exiting the vehicle, a grayish-whitish smoke began to emit from the driver's side door. The contact and her granddaughters immediately exited the vehicle, and the authorities were called to the scene. The contact attempted to use her home's water hose as flames began to emit from the undercarriage of the vehicle. Upon the authorities' arrival at the scene, the fire department took almost an hour to an hour and a half to extinguish the fire. No injuries were reported. A fire report was given. Due to the fire, the vehicle was towed to an independent tow yard, where an investigation was being performed to determine the cause of the fire. The contact stated that the capacity of water that was needed to extinguish the fire clogged a drain connected to the contact's home. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V652000 (Equipment), which was linked to the failure. The vehicle had yet to be deemed a total loss. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a claim was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.

* The component that failed is the front axle of my 2019 530e xDrive, and it's a common issue for the xDrive, even under NORMAL use. I was told by my service advisor at my local BMW dealership that it should be repaired as soon as possible. * A damaged axle can lead to a wheel locking up, causing the vehicle to skid or veer off course, especially during turns or at higher speeds. This can result in loss of control, making it difficult to steer and brake safely. A failed xDrive front axle is a known common issue for the xDrive. While BMW isn't doing anything while knowing it would lead to serious safety issues. * Yes, it has been inspected by the service department, and more concerning is the quality of BMW OEM's part supplier, I bought the car used at around 26k miles, when at around 35k miles that the axle are beginning to make clunking noise. More surprising is that after having the vehicle checked out, they've found out that the front right axle was already replaced by the previous owner, replaced with GKN brand axle, which is the original supplier that manufactures BMW's axle. After calculation, the two axles didn't even last over 36,000 miles, with an average lifespan of 18,000 miles. Additionally, each axle costs $ 1,778.95. For replacing both, the cost is around $ 3,557.90, plus labor, which is well over $ 4,000. leaving customers huge financial impact and safety concerns. * No warming lamps, messages. First start with clunking noise while turning at low speed, and sometimes even when braking/decelerating.

Dear NTSB Team, I am writing to formally report a serious safety incident involving my 2019 BMW 530E, which occurred last night on [XXX] in Danville, CA. My vehicle was parked in my friend’s private driveway, with the parking brake engaged and the gear selector set to Park. I was chatting with my friend who was in the passenger seat . My feet were on the floorboard, my seat belt was on and the engine was idling to provide heat as it was a cold night. Suddenly, about 10 minutes into our conversation, my car accelerated forward with speed, hit my friend’s garage door and then reversed with the same speed and stopped in the middle of the street. This happened within the span of a few seconds at most. I think that I applied the brakes while the car was reversing with speed and I remember the car not slowing down but then it coming to an abrupt stop in the middle of the street. There were deep skid marks on the driveway, my friend’s garage door was damaged, my friend’s Tesla X was damaged with impact to the rear bumper, this parked Tesla had moved forward and crashed in the wall of the garage and a garage cabinet door dislodged and fell on the hood of this Tesla. My friends parked Toyota Prius also had bumper damage. The garage drywall sustained cracks as well. The force from these unexpected accelerations and impact has left me and my friend with aches and pains in the back, shoulder, knees, hands, head and neck; thankfully, we did not suffer more severe injuries. I am gravely concerned about the potential for this defect to cause a catastrophic accident. Had there been pedestrians, pets or another vehicle in the path of my rapidly reversing vehicle, it could have led to serious injuries or even fatalities. I called my car insurance company, local police and I will notify the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and BMW of North America. I am hoping for a comprehensive investigation into what appears to be a dangerous electronic or software malfunction. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATIO

Dear NTSB Team, I am writing to formally report a serious safety incident involving my 2019 BMW 530E, which occurred last night on [XXX] in Danville, CA. My vehicle was parked in my friend’s private driveway, with the parking brake engaged and the gear selector set to Park. I was chatting with my friend who was in the passenger seat . My feet were on the floorboard, my seat belt was on and the engine was idling to provide heat as it was a cold night. Suddenly, about 10 minutes into our conversation, my car accelerated forward with speed, hit my friend’s garage door and then reversed with the same speed and stopped in the middle of the street. This happened within the span of a few seconds at most. I think that I applied the brakes while the car was reversing with speed and I remember the car not slowing down but then it coming to an abrupt stop in the middle of the street. There were deep skid marks on the driveway, my friend’s garage door was damaged, my friend’s Tesla X was damaged with impact to the rear bumper, this parked Tesla had moved forward and crashed in the wall of the garage and a garage cabinet door dislodged and fell on the hood of this Tesla. My friends parked Toyota Prius also had bumper damage. The garage drywall sustained cracks as well. The force from these unexpected accelerations and impact has left me and my friend with aches and pains in the back, shoulder, knees, hands, head and neck; thankfully, we did not suffer more severe injuries. I am gravely concerned about the potential for this defect to cause a catastrophic accident. Had there been pedestrians, pets or another vehicle in the path of my rapidly reversing vehicle, it could have led to serious injuries or even fatalities. I called my car insurance company, local police and I will notify the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and BMW of North America. I am hoping for a comprehensive investigation into what appears to be a dangerous electronic or software malfunction. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATIO

Dear NTSB Team, I am writing to formally report a serious safety incident involving my 2019 BMW 530E, which occurred last night on [XXX] in Danville, CA. My vehicle was parked in my friend’s private driveway, with the parking brake engaged and the gear selector set to Park. I was chatting with my friend who was in the passenger seat . My feet were on the floorboard, my seat belt was on and the engine was idling to provide heat as it was a cold night. Suddenly, about 10 minutes into our conversation, my car accelerated forward with speed, hit my friend’s garage door and then reversed with the same speed and stopped in the middle of the street. This happened within the span of a few seconds at most. I think that I applied the brakes while the car was reversing with speed and I remember the car not slowing down but then it coming to an abrupt stop in the middle of the street. There were deep skid marks on the driveway, my friend’s garage door was damaged, my friend’s Tesla X was damaged with impact to the rear bumper, this parked Tesla had moved forward and crashed in the wall of the garage and a garage cabinet door dislodged and fell on the hood of this Tesla. My friends parked Toyota Prius also had bumper damage. The garage drywall sustained cracks as well. The force from these unexpected accelerations and impact has left me and my friend with aches and pains in the back, shoulder, knees, hands, head and neck; thankfully, we did not suffer more severe injuries. I am gravely concerned about the potential for this defect to cause a catastrophic accident. Had there been pedestrians, pets or another vehicle in the path of my rapidly reversing vehicle, it could have led to serious injuries or even fatalities. I called my car insurance company, local police and I will notify the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and BMW of North America. I am hoping for a comprehensive investigation into what appears to be a dangerous electronic or software malfunction. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATIO