2007 BMW M6 Steering Problems

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...

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