1999 BMW 323I Interior & seats Problems

1999 BMW 323I DOORS WILL NOT UNLOCK WITH KEYLESS ENTRY REMOTE OR UNLOCK BUTTON INSIDE THE CAR. PASSENGERS (90% OF THE TIME) AND SOMETIMES DRIVERS SIDE DOOR (10%) WILL NOT UNLOCK TRAPPING OCCUPANTS INSIDE. PROBLEM USUALLY OCCURS WHEN TEMPERATURES ARE ABOVE 75 DEGREES. AFTER RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM I WILL BE REPLACING THE GENERAL MODULE 5. IF PROBLEM IS NOT RECOGNIZED BY CAR OWNERS, OCCUPANTS OF THE CAR MAY BE TRAPPED INSIDE DURING AN ACCIDENT RESULTING IN POSSIBLE INJURY OR DEATH. *TR

NHTSA ID

10394189

Incident

Jun 1, 2010

Mileage

120,000 mi

MY BMW 323I DOOR LOCKS DON'T OPEN. ONCE WE ARE INSIDE THE CAR, DOORS DON'T OPEN USING THE DOOR HANDLE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10340575

Incident

Jun 28, 2010

Mileage

70,000 mi

1999 BMW 3 SERIES AND LATER HAS A DEFECT THAT CAUSES THE REAR AND PASSENGER DOORS TO LOCK AND THEY ARE UNABLE TO BE OPENED EITHER FROM THE OUTSIDE OR INSIDE. ONLY THE DRIVER'S DOOR CAN BE OPENED MANUALLY. REMOTE KEY WILL NOT OPEN DOORS OR THE GAS TANK FLAP. DOORS ARE LOCKED AND CAN'T BE OPENED IN ANY WAY, EITHER BY THE INSIDE OR OUTSIDE HANDLES, BY THE POWER LOCK BUTTON, OR MANUALLY WITH KEY. PASSENGERS ARE LOCKED INSIDE CAN ONLY GET OUT BY CLIMBING OVER THE SEATS AND OUT THE DRIVER'S DOOR. THIS IS CAUSED BY A FAULTY COMPONENT ON THE CIRCUIT BOARD THAT IN HOT WEATHER MALFUNCTIONS AND LOCKS ALL DOORS. PROBLEM WILL GO AWAY IN COOLER WEATHER. APPARENTLY HEAT RELATED, CIRCUIT BOARD IS LOCATED BEHIND THE GLOVE BOX, UNDER THE DASHBOARD AND OVERHEATS IN THE SUN. IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT OR OTHER SITUATION, PASSENGERS CANNOT EXIT THE VEHICLE WHEN THIS SITUATION OCCURS. THIS PROBLEM IS WELL KNOWN BY DEALERS AND BMW CAR OWNERS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10303450

Incident

Aug 18, 2009

Mileage

101,235 mi

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. *TR

NHTSA ID

10282723

Incident

Aug 22, 2009

Mileage

170,000 mi

I NOTICE IT MORE ON HOT DAYS, MY KEY BUTTON DOES NOT OPEN THE DOORS, I HAVE TO MANUALLY OPEN THE DOOR. THE REAL PROBLEM IS WHEN IM INSIDE THE CAR THE UNLOCK BUTTON DOES NOT WORK, EVEN WHEN I MANUALLY PULL ON THE DOOR HANDLES FROM INSIDE THE CAR, THE DOORS CONTINUES TO BE LOCKED. ITS EMBARRASSING WHEN YOU HAVE TO HAVE YOUR GUEST CLIMB OUT FROM THE WINDOW BECAUSE THE DOORS DON'T OPEN. ONCE THE CAR IS COOLER, THEY START TO WORK AGAIN. IM AFRAID THAT IF I EVER GET INTO A CAR ACCIDENT, WE WONT BE ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE CAR. I DO HAVE A FAMILY AND I WOULD HATE FOR ANYTHING TRAGIC TO OCCUR. I HAVE CALLED THE LOCAL BMW DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THAT THERE IS NO RECALL FOR THAT PROBLEM. PLEASE HELP. THANK YOU *TR

NHTSA ID

10225498

Incident

Apr 23, 2008

Mileage

90,000 mi

MY 323'S DOOR LOCKS ARE EXPERIENCING OCCASIONAL LOCKING PROBLEMS. THE KEY WILL NOT REMOTELY OPEN THE DOOR LOCKS. I CAN INSERT THE KEY INTO THE DRIVER'S DOOR AND OPEN THE DRIVER'S DOOR ONLY. PUSHING THE DOOR UNLOCK BUTTON INSIDE THE CAR DOES NOTHING (BUT YOU CAN HEAR A CLICKING SOUND). THE PASSENGER DOORS WOULD OPEN ONLY BY PULLING ON THE INTERIOR LEVERS TWICE. BUT SOMETIMES THAT DOESN'T WORK WHICH CAN BE A POTENTIAL SAFETY PROBLEM. I CAN STILL OPEN THE TRUNK WITH THE KEY REMOTE AND LOCK ALL THE DOORS WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS. I'VE NOTICED THE PROBLEM HAPPENING MORE FREQUENTLY DURING WARMER DAYS. I'VE CHECKED BULLETINS WITH OTHER BMW OWNERS HAVE SAME PROBLEM BUT WITH NO SOLUTION. I'VE CALLED THE NA BMW SUPPORT NUMBER AND THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM BEFORE.*AK

NHTSA ID

10083174

Incident

Jul 31, 2003

ON MAY 20, 2004, I WENT OUT TO MY 1999 323I BMW, PARKED INSIDE A GARAGE, WHERE IT IS PARKED EVERY NIGHT AND MOST DAYS, AND THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR HANDLE IS STUCK IN SUCH A WAY THAT NO ONE IS ABLE TO OPEN THE DOOR FROM THE OUTSIDE. IF I WANT TO GET INTO THE CAR TO DRIVE IT, I HAVE TO GET INTO THE BACK SEAT OR IN ON THE PASSENGER SIDE AND OPEN THE DOOR FROM INSIDE THE VEHICLE, MAKING SURE THAT THE DOOR DOES NOT SWING BACK EVEN A LITTLE; OTHERWISE, THE DOOR LOCKS. THIS COULD BE DANGEROUS IN AN ACCIDENT. THUS FAR, I HAVE NOT HAD THIS CORRECTED AS THE DEALERSHIP WOULD LIKE ME TO DRIVE THERE AND CANNOT TELL ME HOW TO FIX THIS PROBLEM MYSELF OR SEND ME ANYWHERE NEARBY. THE DEALERSHIP IS 30 MILES ONE-WAY AND I DON'T HAVE THE GASOLINE OR THE TIME. ANOTHER PROBLEM I'VE HAD WITH THE CAR IS THAT IT WILL SUDDENLY ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN WITHOUT MY DOING ANYTHING, AND I FIND IT VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL, USUALLY HAVING TO APPLY THE BRAKE FULL-FORCE. THIS IS INTERMITTENT, SO I HAVEN'T ALERTED THE DEALERSHIP. *AK

NHTSA ID

10073028

Incident

May 20, 2004

Mileage

53,000 mi

DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR WILL NOT OPEN AT ALL. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK

NHTSA ID

8004425

Incident

Feb 11, 2002

VEHICLE WAS STRUCK FROM REAR BY ANOTHER VEHICLE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH. DRIVER'S SIDE SEATBACK FAILED INTO FULLY RECLINED POSITION.*AK

NHTSA ID

750249

Incident

Aug 11, 2001

THE DASH LIGHTS DO NOT ILLUMINATE WHEN THE VEHICLE IS TURNED ON. NLM

NHTSA ID

558776

Incident

Dec 27, 2000

ON THE MORNING OF MARCH 22 MY BMW MODEL 323I CAUGHT FIRE IMMEDIATLY AFTER TURNING ON THE HIGH BEAMS. BLACK SMOKE STARTED COMING INTO THE CABIN THROUGH THE DASH AND THE AIR CONDITIONER. IMMEDIATELY AFTER FIRE STARTED COMING IN THROUGH THE FRONT PART OF THE DASH, GIVING ME HARDLY ENOUGH TIME TO COME OUT OF THE CAR. FORTUNATELY THE CAR WAS NOT RUNNING AT THE TIME. MY LIFE WAS PUT IN DANGER AND IT HAS BEEN 5 WEEKS AND I HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY WRITTEN INFORMATION REGARDING WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE. *AK

NHTSA ID

721964