2007 BMW 328I: key fob or push-button start problems

Filed Oct 17, 2017 · Body · 143,300 miles · PA

The central locking function stopped working. The unlocking does not work through the key fob or the central unlock/lock button within the vehicle. Only the driverside door is able to be unlocked by pulling on the inner door handle. The other 3 doors are unable to be opened and pose a severe safety risk. The fix per bmw is to replace 15a fuses with 20a. This was already done to my vehicle in the past and the problem has appeared again. Disconnecting the battery overnight has also been a fix, but that does not work either.

Filed Jul 22, 2016 · Electrical, Steering · 120,000 miles · CA

My 2007 bmw 328i is having steering wheel lock issues. I have read around the internet and this seems to be a common problem with bmw. Sometimes when I start the car it will work, other times it will not turn on unless I try pulling the key fob out and putting it back in and clicking the push to start several times. This is all because of a lever that pushes a latch the unhooks the steering column so the car can start. Bmw does not sell the faulty latch and lever alone but requires the entire steering column be replaced. This is a major safety issue if a person needs to start the car and is unable to start it because if a faulty latch and lever. A simple google search of "bmw steering wheel lock" brings up hundreds of pages and videos of people having issues with their vehicles. The light on my car is yellow and not red. I checked my battery and it works perfectly fine. The problem is a faulty steering lock. Ever since I purchased the vehicle it made this locking and unlocking noise and the certified bmw dealer that sold the vehicle said this is normal of bmws. Normal meaning they know it will eventually go bad and has to be replaced. This is unethical and a scam by bmw.

Filed Mar 23, 2016 · Electrical · 143,000 miles · WA

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 bmw 328i. While parked, the vehicle was not able to start and the key fob remained in the ignition. The contact mentioned shifting a red b.plus cable in order to start the vehicle. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed, but the cause of the failure was not found. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 13v044000 (electrical system). The manufacturer was made aware of failure. The failure mileage was 143,000.

Filed Jan 19, 2015 · Electrical · 98,100 miles · MI

The door locks and central locking system are malfunctioning. Key fob will not unlock driver's door and other doors. Key must be used for entry. Bmw admits in bulletins that fuse amperage was designed improperly. Taken into dealership for repair, dealership claims that all four door latches need to be replaced at a cost of $1,490.00. Research indicates this is a systemic issue with bmws. Surprised that a recall has not been ordered given the serious safety issues involved.

Filed Jul 9, 2014 · Electrical, Locks · 85,000 miles · GA

I was driving my bmw 328i 2007 and had passengers in the car. Apparently one of the door lock fuses blew. I am unable to unlock any of the passenger doors with the key fob nor from the inside of the car. I am able to open the driver's side door manually but that is it. In other words, the passengers in my car could not manually open their doors at all. They had to crawl through the driver side to exit the vehicle! Thank god I wasn't in an accident, there wasn't a fire. I'm now being told that bmw has to "run a full diagnostic" but there is no way to open any passenger doors of the vehicle for entrance or exit unless I potentially spend thousands of dollars on an electrical system issue. Seriously? Does this seem safe to the average person?

Filed Apr 11, 2014 · Airbags · 87,844 miles · GA

I unlocked the car and sat in the driver's seat. My wife sat in the front passenger seat. I inserted the keyfob and pushed the 'start' button. The car turned on and about 5 seconds later we heard a 'gong' sound. We looked at the screen and it was showing a red warning about the front passenger airbag being disabled. I powered off the car, waited a minute and powered it back on. Same error came up. So I powered off the car a second time, asked the wife to get out of the car and then back onto the front passenger seat, then I powered on the car. The error went away. We drove 15 minutes to dinner, ate and returned home without further incident. That night I setup an appointment with global imports bmw for 9/12/2012 to have them look at it. The dealer ran diagnostics and reported the following in regards to the front passenger seat issue: "87844 performed short test and found fault mrs-93c3. Performed test module and found the passenger seat mat to be defective. Customer declined the seat mat replacement." next to this I had the service manager write in the total repair cost, $1,345.70. I still have a copy of the paperwork with the details if needed. I declined the repair at the time because I felt the fact they found "...the seat mat to be defective" indicated a known issue. Fast forward to today 4/11/2014, the federal safety agency lists a "recall subject : front seat occupant protection mat" campaign number 13v564000. I called bmw USA's customer relations number and they told me my car had no recalls associated with it even though there's clearly an issue with the sensor mat. To this day I have yet to receive any recall letters from bmw nor the federal safety agency. The car still brings up this error when my wife sits in the front passenger seat. It's not safe and I should not have to pay for repairs if there's an active recall for this model year. Please help.

Filed Feb 13, 2014 · Body, Electrical · 93,000 miles · CA

I was trapped inside my vehicle with the driver's side door unable to unlock. I could not use the manual door handle on the inside or out. The interior door open button located on the dashboard would not unlock the driver's side door. The key fob would not unlock it. I finally had to maneuver across the center console and slide out through the passenger door. I was scared and frustrated. It was dark and in an empty parking lot.

Filed May 5, 2013 · Electrical · 105,000 miles · TN

Went to unlock doors with key fob. All unlocked but drivers door. Had to use manual key. Once inside, relocked doors and then could not open drivers door. Only way to open drivers door is with manual key from outside. Huge safety issue bmw! And apparently a well known one.

Filed Nov 2, 2012 · Locks · 38,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 bmw 328i. The contact stated that when entering or exiting the vehicle with the use of the key fob or manually, the four power door locks would not unlock however, the front driver's side door would unlock manually with the key. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 38,000.

Filed Sep 25, 2012 · Locks · 63,000 miles · OK

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 bmw 328i. The contact stated that the rear driver's door would not unlock. The contact was unable to unlock the door using the manual key or the electronic key fob. The front driver's side door was also affected. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but a diagnostic was not performed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who was waiting for the results of the diagnostic. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure and current mileage was 63,000.

Filed Sep 11, 2012 · Electrical, Steering · 97,500 miles · VA

Electric steering lock light on my 2007 bmw 328i coupe comes up in red and car won't start... Initially thought it was the battery but after getting a jump start and the power flickered off and on different features in the car the car never started, the key fob kept being rejected from the ignition box and the car eventually went dead. I had to manually lock and unlock doors and left it sitting over night. The car was jump start again the next day and radio, lights, trunk, door locks, and seat belts, etc. Appear to be working fine electronically but the car still would not start... The brakes feel tight and the steering column is tight but clicks when turn left and right (feels semi-engaged if that's possible)... Was wondering if the battery is just low and doesn't trigger the steering wheel lock? Should we disconnect the battery and reconnect or replace to see if it triggers the electric steering wheel lock? The issue with the battery has happened on several other occasions and the steering wheel lock light came up yellow however the car started in the past after jump starting. This appears to be a known problem and I?m formally complaining if this is the case for I?m trying to avoid any unnecessary costly repairs such as replacing the steering column or reprogramming in any way possible if a known fix is available or faulty product is the cause. I also feel this is definitely a potential safety hazard :-/

Filed Sep 11, 2011 · Electrical, Locks · 38,200 miles · WA

The doors failed to unlock with the key fob. Only way to enter was with the key into the drivers door. The other doors failed to unlock from the inside, both by using the handle and the unlock button on the dash. Apparently, the door lock actuators are drawing more current flow and burning the 15a fuse installed. A bmw sb says to replace with a 20a fuse, however, the problem still exists. This creates an unsafe condition, in that no passenger(s) can exit the vehicle, and nobody, such as emergency personnel, can enter from the outside. The fuse isn't the answer, bmw knows about this problem and should deal with it in a manner that promotes safety of passengers, not profits for the dealers.