2006 BMW 330I

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.During the course of PE14-016, ODI determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by Takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.Nonetheless, at ODI's insistence, all 10 vehicle manufacturers initiated a regional recall within approximately two weeks of the opening of the investigation.The regions recalled initially included Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, areas with high absolute humidity and climatic conditions believed to be a significant factor in the inflator ruptures.As part of the recall actions, inflators removed from remedied vehicles are to be returned to Takata for testing.Takata's initial test results on passenger inflators from remedied vehicles indicated a much higher than anticipated rupture frequency for inflators returned from Florida.Accordingly ODI requested all 10 manufacturers expand the regional recalls for passenger inflators to include other geographic areas where high absolute humidity conditions exist, including the Gulf States and other coastal areas.Takata's testing of the passenger inflators to date continues to indicate this geographic area as having the highest risk, with no ruptures occurring from inflators returned from outside the expanded recall regions.During PE14-016 four additional passenger inflator field events occurred, all in vehicles from the same expanded geographic region.Also during PE14-016 four additional driver inflator field events occurred including two in vehicles from regions not known for high absolute humidity, specifically California and North Carolina.Accordingly, ODI requested all five of the affected vehicle manufacturers currently using the subject Takata driver inflators expand to nationwide recalls.Significantly, neither of the affected vehicle manufacturers or Takata provided any explanation to account for these two driver air bag inflator ruptures outside the area of high absolute humidity.Takata testing of returned driver inflators indicates a lower rupture frequency as compared to passenger inflator testing.All test ruptures reported by Takata to date have occurred on inflators returned from high absolute humidity areas.The investigation now includes all manufacturers and vehicles known to be affected at this time.ODI's investigation will focus on, among other things, root cause analysis, other potential defect consequences, identification of affected vehicles scope, and adequacy of the remedy.The five ODI reports cited above can be reviewed online at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification numbers: 10537899, 10568848, 10585224, 10605877, 10651492

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.During the course of PE14-016, ODI determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by Takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.Nonetheless, at ODI's insistence, all 10 vehicle manufacturers initiated a regional recall within approximately two weeks of the opening of the investigation.The regions recalled initially included Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, areas with consistently high absolute humidity and climatic conditions believed to be a significant factor in the inflator ruptures.As part of the recall actions, inflators removed from remedied vehicles are to be returned to Takata for testing.Takata's initial test results on passenger inflators from remedied vehicles indicated a much higher than anticipated rupture frequency for inflators returned from Florida.Accordingly, ODI requested all 10 manufacturers expand the regional recalls for passenger inflators to include other geographic areas where high absolute humidity conditions exist, including the Gulf States and other coastal areas.Takata's testing of the passenger inflators to date continues to indicate this geographic area as having the highest risk, with no ruptures occurring from inflators returned from outside the expanded recall regions.During PE14-016, four additional passenger inflator field events occurred, all in vehicles from the same expanded geographic region.Also during PE14-016, four additional driver inflator field events occurred including two in vehicles from regions not known for high absolute humidity, specifically California and North Carolina.Accordingly, ODI requested all five of the affected vehicle manufacturers currently using the subject Takata driver inflators expand to nationwide recalls.Significantly, neither of the affected vehicle manufacturers or Takata provided any explanation to account for these two driver air bag inflator ruptures outside the area of high absolute humidity.Takata testing of returned driver inflators indicates a lower rupture frequency as compared to passenger inflator testing.All test ruptures reported by Takata to date have occurred on inflators returned from high absolute humidity areas.The PE is now closed/upgraded to an Engineering Evaluation (EA15-001) to include all manufacturersand vehicles known to be affected at this time.ODI's EA investigation will focus on, among other things, root cause analysis, other potential defect consequences, identification of affected vehicles scope, and adequacy of the remedy.The recalls related to this PE are: 14V343, 14V344, 14V348, 14V351, 14V353, 14V655, 14V700, 14V701, 14V752, 14V763, 14V770, 14V773, 14V787, 14V802 and 14V817.The number of vehicles affected are an estimate since some vehicles may have both the driver and passenger side inflators recalled. The five ODI reports cited above can be reviewed online at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification numbers: 10537899, 10568848, 10585224, 10605877, 10651492

The contact owns a 2006 BMW 33I. The contact stated that while driving at 75 MPH, the contact noticed smoke coming into the interior of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. In addition, the contact noticed fire coming from underneath the hood. The contact exited the vehicle. The contact stated he had to leave the vehicle abandoned for about a month. The contact stated the vehicle had been towed to an impound lot. The vehicle was then towed to the contact’s residence. The contact stated that a certified independent mechanic diagnosed the failure as thermal damage due to the NHTSA recalls. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with an oil leak that caused the fire. The contact was informed of a recall NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V683000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V273000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact was advised to have the vehicle towed to the dealer for further investigation. The contact stated that the manufacturer initiated an investigation, and after the investigation was performed, the case was closed. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.

NHTSA ID

11681317

Incident

Dec 18, 2024

Mileage

101,000 mi

I was getting ready to leave my home and both front airbags deployed on me, which also resulted in my windshield breaking. I did not hit anything with the vehicle. I then looked up the VIN and noticed the 2 open recalls one is for the airbags, I contacted BMW left the service manager numerous voicemails he never returned any of my calls. Then I contacted BMW North America, I got the vehicle towed to BMW of Carslbad just before Thanksgiving 2024 I just picked up my vehicle on January 6 2025 and they did not fix the recalls on the vehicle. I have been without a vehicle since before Thanksgiving!! I have health issues and I am missing appointments. I am on a fixed income my husband just passed away. I need someone to help me I keep getting the run around. If there are open recalls they need to be fixed I don't understand.

NHTSA ID

11634735

Incident

Nov 11, 2024

Rolled down back window it broke and didn’t go back up

NHTSA ID

11622727

Incident

Oct 28, 2024

My airbag light is on. I checked the website, and realize that there is a recall for Takata airbags, however, when I input my VIN#, my vehicle does not show the active recall. There is an alert on the website that says "DO NOT DRIVE"....I cannot get any assistance from Takata when I call; they keep telling me that my car is not included. I don't believe it is safe to drive my car, and can't get any help.

NHTSA ID

11595776

Incident

Jun 21, 2024

UNKNOWN. I went to do the smog check on my car and I found that I have a recall and the description on the paper is positive crankcase ventilation (pcv) valve heater

NHTSA ID

11510618

Incident

Mar 7, 2023

The contact owns a 2006 BMW 330I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a burning odor was detected. The contact parked the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to restart. Prior to the failure, the dealer was made aware of the issue but confirmed that parts were not yet available and scheduled an appointment for April. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 149,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID

11509887

Incident

Feb 25, 2023

Mileage

149,000 mi

All door lock actuators (including the fuel cap door cover) stopped working after driving the vehicle. The passenger and both rear doors were able to open via the inside door handle, but the driver side door could not be unlocked via the key fob, console lock button, or manually pulling the inside door handle. The fuel cap door cover could only be opened via the emergency release pull in the trunk. After inspecting the fuse box, I found that fuse 57a was blown. I replaced the fuse and the locking mechanisms started functioning again. weeks later the same issue occurred, only replacing the fuses remedied the problem for only a day or two. The fact that the driver's side door could not be opened by ANY means from inside or outside the vehicle poses a severe safety risk in situations where the driver of the car needs to exit the vehicle themself or be evacuated carefully in the event of injury. There are NO warnings, messages or warning signs before this occurs. This appears to be a common issue on my model and others, originating from issues with the door lock actuators. BMW even has a service information bulletin about it: "SI B51 19 07". The fact that the driver-side door can spontaneously become unopenable from inside or outside while the driver is in the car is a HUGE safety risk.

NHTSA ID

11501144

Incident

Jan 5, 2023

The contact owns a 2006 BMW 330I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the vehicle was emitting an abnormal oil burning odor. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11493984

Incident

Mar 2, 2022

The Footwell Module (FRM) limited warranty for defects in materials and / or workmanship has been supplementarily increased to 15 years / 186,000 miles as determined from the original first in-service / delivery date.

While performing a 12-Volt battery jump start, disconnect, or replacement, Vehicle test, and/or Programming procedure- the BMW Footwell Module (FRM) may become unresponsive. As a result, one or more of the following vehicle electric system-related issues may occur: Headlights including the high beams, and/or taillights are not turning on or off Interior lights are not turning on Turn indicators are not working Instrument cluster indicator lights stay on The IHKA climate control system is not working Power windows are not working Folding mirrors are not working, and/or a Functional remote-control key FOB will not unlock and lock the doors

The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.

The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle “discharged battery” complaints.

Vehicle cannot be opened or closed using comfort access, engine start is not possible, and the vehicle may not start when placing the key against the steering column.

Customer is unable to power up or charge accessories through a plug adapter inserted in the front 12-volt power socket plug. Alternatively, it will only operate when constant downward hand pressure is maintained.