2006 BMW 330XI: steering wheel locks up

Filed Aug 23, 2014 · Electrical, Steering · 100,000 miles · OH

The message 'steering wheel lock' came up and the car will not start. I had to pay to bring it home. Bmw says 'it happens to some customers' and they asked me to bring the car to a service center for repair. I see a lot of discussions in forums about this issue. Apparently it is due to a defective lock mechanism.

Filed Mar 6, 2014 · Steering · 70,000 miles · IL

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 bmw 330xi. The contact stated that the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was found that the steering lock mechanism had failed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed Feb 8, 2013 · Steering · 63,000 miles · AZ

Warning light appeared indicating a steering wheel lock fault. A fault code scan revealed that the steering wheel lock mechanism was in failure and would result in the steering wheel to completely lock and the vehicle would become inoperable. *tr there have been numerous complaints regarding this defect yet bmwna accepts no responsibility to repair it. The nature and expense of the repair is significant as the entire steering wheel column was replaced to correct the defect.

Filed Dec 1, 2012 · Electrical, Steering · 62,500 miles · MA

I had a bad experience this morning. When I got into my car, it wouldn't start when I pushed the start button. Instead it had an icon on the dash of the steering wheel with a lock sign on it. I pulled the fob out and put it back in a few times, trying to start the car every time, but no life. This is a very weird problem. The steering wheel lock wouldn't release. I tried to get it started for over 30 minutes, still unsuccessful. I did some research on the internet, apparently it is a common problem in the 06 and early 07 models of the 3 series. In mid-07, bmw stopped putting locks in the steering columns. Apparently, this problem has to do with the electronic lock power draw when starting the car, and a software update normally fixes the problem. If the software update does not work, bmw replaces the steering column if you are under the warranty. All my updates are done because I took it to my bmw dealer on 11/14/12 and they rechecked everything. Since it is a common problem and there are many customer complaints as stated in here; http://www.import-car.com/issue/article.aspx?contentid=89276, bmw should issue a recall and be held responsible for this issue.

Filed Dec 29, 2011 · Steering · 80,000 miles · IN

I got into my car on the morning of the 29th dec. 2011. I showed a yellow steering wheel lock code (indicating a possible problem). I drove the car after work with no problems although planning on getting the vehicle into service just to have it checked out. I pulled into the driveway and parked the car, returned to it 15 min later and it wouldnt start! After further investigation into the problem the car showed a red steering wheel lock code indicating it would no longer start. After deep investigation I find the this is a very common problem on hundreds of the same model car as mine. Most people are told to reprogram the computer and/or replace the steering column (sometimes multiple times) and then most still have problems.

Filed Nov 7, 2011 · Steering · 101,023 miles · OH

The steering wheel lock would not unlock. An error message shows on the display indicating a steering wheel lock malfunction. This error would not allow for the car to start. This resulted in the entire steering wheel column needing replaced.