2007 BMW M6 — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

STEERING WHEEL LOCK SYSTEM FAILURE WARNING. SYSTEM WARNS THAT THE ELECTRONIC STEERING WHEEL LOCK HAS FAILED, AND CAN NEITHER LOCK OR UNLOCK. IT ALSO WARNED THAT THE CAR MAY NOT START, BUT THE WARNING HAPPENED AFTER THE CAR WAS RUNNING. THERE WAS A CLICKING COMING FROM THE WHEEL AS I DROVE, BUT THE WHEEL NEVER LOCKED WHILE I WAS DRIVING. I DROVE WITH THE WARNING ON BECAUSE: 1) THE WHEEL WAS NOT LOCKED, AND THE VEHICLE WAS ALREADY RUNNING; 2) I WAS VERY FAR FROM HOME, AT NIGHT, IN AN UNFRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD. WHEN I GOT HOME I LOOKED UP THE ISSUE, AND FOUND THAT IT IS AN EXTREMELY COMMON FAILURE ON BMW VEHICLES.

AFTER TAKING MY CAR TO A BODY SHOP FOR SOME WORK TO BED DONE (NEW CARBON FIBER HOOD INSTALLED AND CARBON FIBER REAR DEFUSER), THE CAR SAT AT THE SHOP FOR 2 WEEKS BEFORE ANY WORK BEGAN. WHILE SITTING THERE, THE BATTERY DIED. WHEN THE SHOP CHARGED IT, THE RED ELECTRIC STEERING LOCK FAULT CAME IN THE DASH AND IT WILL NOT START. I DID SOME ONLINE RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH MOST BMW 2007 MODELS. SOME CONSUMERS HAVE TAKEN THEIR CARS TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR THE REPAIR AND THE DEALERSHIP WOULD TELL THEM THEY NEED TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN FOR THE CORRECT REPAIR. OTHERS HAVE FOUND THAT THE COMPUTER CAUSES THIS WHEN THE BATTERY IS DRAINED AND THEY ONLY NEED TO CLEAR THE FAULT USING A OBD CABLE AND SOFTWARE. SOME OTHER CONSUMERS HAVE HAD TO BYPASS THE ELECTRIC STEERING LOCK (OR ELV) AND INSTALL AN EMULATOR TO KEEP THE COMPUTER FROM READING THE FAULT. THIS HAS BEEN AN EXTREMELY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS YEAR'S MODELS. BMW NEEDS TO RECALL THIS ISSUE AND REPAIR THE PROBLEM. AS OF NOW, I HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE MY CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, 45 MINUTES AWAY, AND THEN PAY TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM. BEING A BMW, THIS WILL CERTAINLY BE AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR THAT I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY FOR, JUST BECAUSE THE BATTERY DIED. PLEASE DO THE RIGHT THING, BMW, AND RECALL THIS ISSUE. HOW MANY COMPLAINTS ARE NEEDED BEFORE YOU TAKE RESPONSIBILITY?

JUST A FEW SHORT MONTHS AFTER BEING PAID-OFF AND THE WARRANTY EXPIRING DUE TO "TIME" OUR PRISTINE M6 WITH JUST OVER 22,000 MILES REQUIRED THE REPLACEMENT OF BOTH THROTTLE BODY ACTUATORS. WE WERE INFORMED OF THIS "NEED" WHILE THE CAR WAS IN FPR A "STEERING" POSITION SENSOR REPAIR. WE HAD NOTICED ZERO PERFORMANCE DEFICIENCY PRIOR TO THIS $7000.00 REPAIR BUT WERE TOLD BY THE SERVICE MANAGER SOUTHBAY BMW OF TORRANCE CA THAT THIS WAS "ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY FOR DRIVER SAFETY" AND OF COURSE NOT COVERED BY ANY RECALL. AFTER THE REPAIR THERE WAS A NOTICEABLE "DECLINE" IN PERFORMANCE AND THROTTLE RESPONSE WHICH I COMPLAINED ABOUT AND THE SERVICE MANAGER STATED "THIS IS DUE TO THE COMPUTERS "RE-LEARNING" OUR DRIVING HABITS. MY RECOMMENDATION IS NEVER EVER BUY A BMW PRODUCT. WE HAVE A DINAN M3 AND THIS M6, HAD THOUGHT ABOUT THE I8 BUT THIS EXPERIENCE CLEARLY INDICATES TO ME THAT COMPONENTS HAVE BEEN "TIME-LIFE" ENGINEERED. BUYER BEWARE.

CAR HAS 50K MILES, AND SUFFERED PREMATURE AIRBAG SEAT MAT SENSOR FAILURE (SAME DESIGN & MANUFACTURER AS OTHER BMW'S WHICH WERE SUBJECT TO RECALL OF 200K UNITS OVER THIS SENSOR). AIRBAG AND SRS FAULT LIGHTS ARE ON, AND AIRBAG IS INOPERATIVE. BMW DECLINED TO COVER REPLACEMENT, STATING THE RECALL DOESN'T COVER THIS VEHICLE. HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE USES THE SAME DEFECTIVE SENSOR AS THE RECALLED MODELS, WHICH PREMATURELY FAILED IN THE SAME MANNER, AND LARGE NUMBERS OF COMPLAINTS AT CAR MEETS AND ON INTERNET FORUMS INDICATE THE 6 SERIES SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE RECALL, AND SUFFER THE SAME SENSOR FAILURES, RESULTING IN NONFUNCTIONAL PASSENGER AIRBAGS.

ELECTRIC STEERING LOCK INDICATOR LIGHT APPEARS AND STATES THAT IF ENGINE TURNED OFF IT MAY NOT RESTART. SO FAR IT HAS ALWAYS RESTARTED. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT IT MAY BE DUE TO NEEDING A BATTERY REPLACEMENT, WHICH COULD CAUSE MIXED SIGNALS BEING SENT TO COMPUTER. WE REPLACED THE BATTERY, AND THE LIGHT DIDN'T TURN ON FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS, BUT NOW IT IS COMING ON AGAIN. THE CAR HAS ONLY. *TR