I was driving the car and the electronic steering wheel lock icon came up on the dash panel. It kept giving the warning that the steering wheel will lock and if I turn the car off and I won't be able to crank it. I drove it home and when I turned the car off, I was able to crank it back up and had no problem with steering in test drive, but I will have to visit my local bmw repair shop tomorrow. I have known other bmw owner's who says this has happened to them more than once and I found a lot of the same problems on the internet forums. I am wondering if this is a defect in the bmw 328i models because I have been told that the steering wheel could also lock if a person was driving, also. I am filing this complaint, hoping that any subsequent investigation by the federal safety agency will reveal any safety issue with this known defect.
2007 BMW 328I steering complaints
Page 3 of 3: complaints 41 to 56 of 56, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Vehicle will not start, replaced battery and icon displaying electric steering lock (elv) shows in the dashboard. Vehicle will not start as steering wheel is locked and can not be released dealer says the steering wheel column needs to be replaced. This is an extremely common problem with these cars, dealer said the see about 3 cars a week with this problem.
Red indicator for electronic steering wheel lock malfunction. Car failed to start unless multiple attempts to unlock column by inserting and removing key. Dealer says the column needs to be replaced, and the car reprogrammed to "accept" the new column. The car is covered under a cpo warranty, so the parts will be covered, but the "reprogramming" is not. An internet search for "bmw electric steering wheel lock malfunction" returns multiple instances of the failure mode. In some cases multiple times per vehicle. Please help us! Bmw is ignoring the issue or kicking-the-can down the road until the vehicle is out of warranty.
Steering wheel lock malfunction which is inherent on this model. Bmw refuses to recall the item. They have since corrected the malfunction on subsequent years. Repair cost $1800 min. I will add this complaint to the ever growing list I am sure you have on this model. Hopefully you will attend to the dangerous problem. The steering wheel locks you crash.
I was left stranded in a parking lot with the steering wheel lock light showing. I was not able to start the car at all and I was upset because I could not move the car and had to be towed to the closest place which was an extreme burden on me financially.
We did not buy bmw just for the look but we bought it cause of how good they make there cars and now this happen and boy I was fooled.
Steering column needed to be replaced per dealer.
The steering column lock failed which required bmw to replace the upper steering column at $1,252.92!!!
There is a defect with the electronic steering wheel lock. The warning light came on, but the car functioned normally despite the owner's manual saying the car would not start. I thought it was a defective light, until I tried to start my car one morning. The electronic steering wheel lock would not disengage, and I had to get the car towed. It appears to be a complex problem as bmw dealer mechanics can only tell me that the steering column needs to be replaced. They will not tell me why it needs to be replaced or what is causing the problem. Estimates for repair have been between $1300 and $1800 depending on the dealer. I understand that cars break down but, after visiting bmw forums on the internet, it is plain to see that this is a known defect that bmw refuses to fix. One posting did indicate that the steering wheel locked up while the car was being driven causing a dangerous situation, but, in my case, the car was parked. This defect does pose to car owners a great inconvenience with possible unsafe consequences depending on the circumstances surrounding the car owner getting stranded. Furthermore, once stranded, the owner has little choice but to get it towed most likely to a bmw dealership and pay the large repair bill. (I tried an indy bmw specialist first. He could not fix it or even determine why it was occurring.) I am filing this complaint in the hope that any subsequent investigation by the federal safety agency will reveal that bmw has let a known defect persist. Once that is discovered, bmw should be required to fix the defect and reimburse owners who have had to pay for a costly repair.
Steering wheel locked on 2007 bmw 328i coupe for the second time in two months! Had to have vehicle towed, missed work, and out of a vehicle until it is fixed...for the second time in two months. I also know of at least 4 people who have had the exact same problem with their bmw's. Please look into this.
I was driving the car and the electronic steering wheel lock icon illuminated on the dash panel. It kept giving the warning that the steering wheel will lock and if I turn the car off, I won't be able to crank it. I drove it for about two weeks. When I turned the car off, I could not crank it back up. I had to have the steering column replaced at my local bmw repair shop. I have known other bmw owner's who says this has happened to them more than once. I am wondering if this is a defect in the bmw 328i models because I have been told that the steering wheel could also lock if a person was driving, also.
Bmw steering wheel lock cant start vehicle leaves you stranded. Had dealer replaced already once in past problem persists.
Steering wheel locks up unexpected and car will not start. Have been replaced once before. This is the second incident since 12/28/09. Car has to be towed from locations.
Red steering wheel and padlock warning indicator light is on - steering wheel will not lock. The most common issue with this fault can cause a "no start" condition. The "no start" condition can arise and the steering wheel could lock while driving. This is the second failure within 4 years and common in bmw's (see thread: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=316722 *and thread: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=147586)
Tl*the contact owns a 2007 bmw 328i. While driving approximately 25 MPH and making a right turn, the steering wheel locked. The contact drove across several lanes of traffic without crashing. The brakes were slow to respond when depressed and the ABS light on the instrument panel illuminated. When the vehicle came to a stop, the service engine light illuminated and the steering wheel was still locked. The contact shut off the vehicle. When she restarted it, the vehicle began operating normally. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it currently remains. The current and failure mileages were 3,183.
I leased a bmw 328i 4 door, and the dealer delivered the new car from spring valley , ny to lawrence, ny on march 1 2007. On march 13 2007, 12 days later & 200 miles on the car which the dealer drove at least 100 or more of the miles, and while driving into a gas station for first gas fillup the front driver's side tire cracked off the tie rod, just cracked my pictures , which was unbelievable. The car was towed to the original dealer by bmw. The car was looked at by the dealer, and their response was that I hit something a few days ago, and bmw was not resposible for this. I should call my insurance ompany. I was appaled by the response, so I started writing & calling bmw of north america. I was assured by customer relations that they were sending engineers to see the car in spring valley ,ny, and responded to this matter in a timely fashion.
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