BMW 323I fire or smoke problems

Filed Nov 22, 2019 · Electrical · 182,000 miles · FL · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 1999 bmw 323i. Approximately four hours after the vehicle was parked, flames appeared inside the vehicle near the driver's side dashboard. The flames were extinguished by the contact before the fire department that was called to the scene. A fire report was filed. The cause of the failure was not determined as of yet but the contact believed that the failure was due to a defective light control module. The manufacturer and dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 182,000.

Filed Jan 7, 2019 · Airbags, Driver assistance · FL

My AC unit on my car was ramping up, like it was hot. I received a notice from bmw that there was a recall and that the AC unit wiring was faulty, could spark fire. Took my bmw to local shop was told it was the AC wiring and that it blew out my blower motor, that I had to replace it or it would be cause vehicle to catch on fire. However, the nsta and bmw recall was not in place that I would have to pay out of pocket for the repair and go back to bmw to have the repair done. I was unable to pay for the additional repairs so paid a portion of it, with the intent to wait until the recall was at the dealership. A few months later same issue AC unit running hot, took car in explained that the car had recall, if they could give me refund since the bmw customer corporation stated the repair was refundable. Until today, the bmw dealership who is authorized to make direct payments has not and I don't know what else to do. They are scamming me out of money when the repair was a recall and it caused my blower motor to burn out.

Filed Dec 12, 2017 · Airbags · TX · crash · fire · 1 injury

Tl* the contact owned a 1998 bmw 323i. While driving 35 MPH, another vehicle moved into the contact's lane and crashed into the driver's door of the contact's vehicle. The contact then crashed into a brick wall at the center of the road and the vehicle came to a complete stop. The contact noticed smoke coming from the front of the vehicle. Only the driver's side air bag deployed. A police report was filed. The contact was not sure whether the vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact sustained a brain lesion, the facial bone was fractured, the right eye socket had to be rebuilt, the upper lip was numb, 21 teeth were damaged, all the wisdom teeth were extracted, the upper and lower jaw bones were fractured, the vision and hearing were affected, and there was memory loss. Medical attention was required. The manufacturer was contacted at 800‑525‑7417 and asked the contact to call 281‑305‑8901. The contact called the number and was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. A case number was not provided. It was unknown if the dealer was contacted. The failure mileage was unknown. *bf updated 9/18/18

Filed Jun 15, 2017 · Electrical, Engine · 100,000 miles · AZ · fire

My 2007 bmw 323i (canadian version of the 328i) caught fire while it was completely stationary in a parking lot last summer. The car was mechanically and cosmetically pristine with no modifications at all other than a set of aftermarket wheels. I owned the car for a couple of years and never had any issues with it and never had to get any major mechanical work done that could have been done wrong and LED to this incident. The day the fire happened I got into the car and it started, idled and ran perfectly, as it has since my ownership. I drove it for about 20 minutes then parked it in a crowded parking lot. No electrical devices were plugged into any outlet inside the car and the car was shut off completely. I came outside and my car was completely incinerated. As the abc article states, bmw gave me "the cold shoulder".

Filed Mar 25, 2015 · Body, Engine · 148,000 miles · FL · fire

My 1999 323i caught fire immediately after turning off the ignition switch once parked.there was a loud "snap", followed by large flames coming from around the hood and front wheel wells. The police and fire department arrived within 5-7 minutes (fortunately they are both located less than 1 mile away). Once the fire was put out, my car's front 1/2 was melted into my parking space. It was a complete loss and I am expecting that my auto insurance will pay very little; regardless that the car was in very good condition prior to this incident.

Filed Nov 5, 2014 · Electrical, Lights · 27,030 miles · NY

When I was told that my driver signal is not working, I brought it to the dealer, I was informed that not only the contact between the light socket and assembly was burned and melted, but there was also damage to the assembly, so I need to change the whole headlight assembly, I was very shocked, because my car only has 27030 miles, and the headlamp assembly was suddenly burned. I did not know about this as the warning light on the dash board did not specify which light was it for. I thought this is an important safety issue, and I was only notified about this by passengers crossing who told me they do not know I was turning left. I know bmw is currently handling electrical related problem, such as tail light malfunctions and car on fire.

Filed Sep 3, 2009 · Locks · 170,000 miles · CA · crash · fire · 3 injuries

Auto accident results in death of a passenger due to the inability to unlock car doors in an attempt to exit auto which caught fire short after an intersection accident, the passengers were unable to open door latch, unable to pull on door lock knobs that are flush to door panels and unable to press on main door lock switch which would otherwise have allowed them to exit vehicle quickly and safely. Three passengers exited through a broken window but unfortunately one was not so lucky. Bmw chose to ignore all requests for a recall on a "general module 5 - door relays" for 1999 bmw 323i's due to unwanted costs to the auto maker, unfortunately this time the cost was paid by a family who had to endure the loss of a loved one. Many complaints have been filed in regards to this door lock module yet no action has been taken to correct this default. Hopefully a police report, a death certificate, and letters from the victims family members will be enough to shed light to this deadly issue.

Filed Feb 12, 2007 · Seats · 97,000 miles · WI · fire

Heated car seat in a 1999 bmw started on fire--seat and coat damaged.

Filed Sep 27, 2002 · Seats · NY · fire

Consumer states that while driving seat caught on fire from defect in seat heater. Dealer was notified.

Filed Jun 28, 2001 · Electrical · MA · fire

While driving 55 to 60 MPH consumer noticed smoke coming from under hood of vehicle. Also, vehicle caught on fire. Vehicle at the dealer awaiting repairs.