Fuel tank retaining strap bracket broke free from under body leaving the tank hanging from the car on the passenger side. This is the second time this has happened.
2001 BMW 330CI fuel system complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 18 of 18, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I went over a small speed bump while driving on a parking lot. Immediately after I started hearing this metallic rubbing noise as if I was dragging something behind a car. I stopped and inspected the underside & found a metal strip hanging & dragging on the pavement right next to the rear passenger side wheel. The metal brace was apparently there to restrain the fuel tank in place. The fully loaded fuel tank was hanging under the car just inches above the pavement. The car was undriveable so I had to get it towed to a shop. This seemed very dangerous defect as this could have easily happened at high speed on a highway where I may not even have heard the noise. At worst this loaded fuel tank could have leaked or fallen off the car starting a fire. The car is in shop at the moment & the repair estimate is in excess of $600. This seems to be a known issue with this make and model. I would like this issues addressed by the manufacturer & be reimbursed for the repair bill. Thank you
While exiting the freeway at near freeway speeds, I heard a sudden thump, then the sound of something dragging on the ground beneath the car. I pulled over into a parking lot. Further inspection revealed that the 4 tiny spot welds and epoxy that fixes the passenger side fuel tank strap to the car had broken free, allowing the tank strap to drag on the ground and the fuel tank to come dangerously close to the road surface. I had just filled the tank.
There is a metal strap that supports the passenger side of the fuel tank. The bracket to which the forward end of this strap mounts to has broken free from the underbody. The strap and bracket seem to be in good shape. It's just the welds that hold the bracket to the underbody have broken. There is very minimal rust on the underbody components. It appears that the tack welds just failed. The local bmw dealership wanted $1200 to repair the issue after inspecting the vehicle. I then took it to a local auto body shop. They removed the tank and welded the bracket back in place.
On my 2001 bmw 330ci the passenger fuel tank trap has broken off. My fuel tank was hanging half way down almost touching the floor.
Car bmw 2001 330 ci- my gas tank strap broke off on the passenger side and starting dragging on the ground, creating a loud scraping noise. I immediately went to a shop specializing in bmw's, they said they just fixed one of these last week. The are custom welding on a brace for me. My bill is $500 plus for this crucial safety issue. I researched online and found this is a common issue, there should be a recall and the company should pay for the repair.
An accident occurred when I was driving on the highway. The metal strap that supports the passenger side of the fuel tank failed; the bracket to which the forward end of this strap mounts to, has broken free from the underbody. The strap and bracket seem to be in good shape but it's the welds that hold the bracket to the underbody has broken. When the bracket broke free from the underbody, it dropped to the ground while still attached to the strap and dragged on the road making a very loud metal-dragging-on-road screeching noise. The fuel tank now has dropped about 3 inches down almost touching the ground, the fuel tank could break into two if it drops all the way to the ground and spark a fire. This is a major safety issue, welds for fuel tank straps just do not randomly pop off from the car, what if I were in an accident and the fuel tank broke free and became punctured, I would be fried to a crisp.
Fuel gauge reads 1/4 tank off from the correct level. This cause drivers to assume that they still have gas but they really empty and if happens on highway can cause accidents and kill people. It happened to me going to the grocery store so it was on low speed so the car stopped and luckily the car behind kept distance and could stop without any accidents. Contact the dealer and independent bmw service reveal that it is a common issue on those years due to the failure of the fuel gage floaters ( there are 2 of them) but bmw decided not to recall them and fix the problem.
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