2006 BMW 330I Steering Problems

I JUST HAD MY 2006 BMW 330I REPAIRED DUE TO A STEERING WHEEL LOCK WARNING LIGHT WHICH APPEARED ON THE ODOMETER CAUSING MY CAR NOT TO START.THIS OCCURRED WHEN I WAS READY TO LEAVE THE PARKING LOT AT MY JOB. THE CAR WOULD NOT START AND THE RED STEERING WHEEL LOCK WARNING LIGHT WAS ON THE ODOMETER. THE SHOP REPLACED THE BATTERY AND IBS SENSOR CABLE. I DROVE THE CAR FOR ONE DAY WITHOUT ANY WARNING SIGNAL AND WHEN I ADJUSTED THE STEERING COLUMN BY RELEASING THE LEVER, THE YELLOW STEERING WHEEL LOCK WARNING LIGHT LIT UP ON THE ODOMETER. THE REPAIRS COST ME $1,391.82. THIS CAR ALSO WAS IN THE SHOP DUE TO A RECALL ON THE AIRBAG ON THE STEERING COLUMN. A LOCAL BMW DEALERSHIP REPLACED THIS PART TWO MONTHS BEFORE THIS PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK OCCURRED. WHAT OTHER PROBLEMS WILL I HAVE WITH THIS BMW SERIES? I BELIEVE BMW SHOULD REFUND MY MONEY FOR THESE REPAIRS.

NHTSA ID

11121788

Incident

Aug 16, 2018

Mileage

1,000,000 mi

STEERING WHEEL LOCKS AND CAR WONT START

NHTSA ID

10983394

Incident

May 1, 2017

I HAD BEEN USING THE CAR REGULARLY DRIVING TO AND FROM WORK. RANDOMLY THE YELLOW LIGHT POPS UP OF THE STEERING LOCK SIGN THEN A COUPLE DAYS LATER THE CAR SHUTS DOWN AND THE LIGHT TURNS RED. THE CAR THEN WOULD NOT START. THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO THE CAR WAS PARKED AT MY WORK AND WAS FORCED TO GET IT TOWED TO BMW. *JS

NHTSA ID

10690466

Incident

Feb 20, 2015

Mileage

92,000 mi

I WENT TO START MY BMW 330I AND A WARNING INDICATOR CAME UP AND SAID THERE WAS A STEERING LOCK MALFUNCTION. IT SAID TO MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL AND START THE CAR. I TRIED AND TRIED TO START THE CAR BUT IT JUST KEPT SAYING THE SAME THING. THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE WAS BELOW FREEZING. I WAITED A WHILE AND TRIED AGAIN AND IT STARTED. THERE ARE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND IT NEEDS TO BE A RECALL. *TR

NHTSA ID

10672039

Incident

Jan 30, 2014

Mileage

180,000 mi

STEERING LOCKS UP. *TR

NHTSA ID

10653139

Incident

Sep 12, 2014

Mileage

10,600 mi

I HAVE A 2006 BMW 330I WHICH HAD A STEERING COLUMN MALFUNCTION AND FAILURE. IT IS SAFETY PROBLEM AND SHOULD BE COVERED BY A BMW CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN. ON JANUARY 7, 2014 THE TEMP. WAS MINUS 15 DEGREES F AND THE WARNING INDICATOR IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL SHOWED AN ICON OF A STEERING WHEEL AND A LOCK AND THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE OWNERS MANUAL SAYS "LIGHTS UP IN YELLOW: ELECTRIC STEERING WHEEL IS JAMMED. MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL BEFORE STARTING THE ENGINE." I MOVED THE STEERING, BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED WHILE I WAS AWAY FROM HOME IN THESE MINUS 15 DEGREES F COLD TEMP. I COULD HAVE FROZEN BEFORE I COULD HAVE RECEIVED ASSISTANCE. THE SERVICE MANAGER AT ANDERSON BMW IN ILLINOIS TOLD ME THAT THE 2006 BMW 330I HAS HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE STEERING COLUMN MALFUNCTIONING. I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHICH TOOK ALMOST 2 FULL DAYS DUE TO THE COLD WEATHER IN CHICAGO AND ALL THE CARS THAT WOULDN'T START FROM THE COLD. I CONTACTED BMW CUSTOMER SERVICE, EXPLAINED MY PROBLEM AND WAS TOLD THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING TO COVER THIS UNUSUAL QUALITY PROBLEM UNDER WARRANTY. I UNDERSTAND IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY, BUT I WOULDN'T EXPECT A MAJOR STEERING, START AND INTERLOCK SYSTEM FAILURE WHEN IT IS ONLY 10,600 MILES OVER THE WARRANTY PERIOD. AS AN AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEER RESPONSIBLE FOR QUALITY I DEAL WITH WARRANTY ISSUES QUITE OFTEN AS WELL AS RECALLS WITH NHTSA. WHILE MANY TIMES A QUALITY ISSUE WITH A PRODUCT IS SAFETY RELATED IT DOES NOT REQUIRE A NHTSA RECALL. HOWEVER, IT CAN BE COVERED UNDER A MANUFACTURERS CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN. FROM THE NHTSA WEBSITE, THERE ARE MANY CASES REPORTED THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE 2006 BMW 330I MODEL. I AM REPORTING THIS INCIDENT TO NHTSA IN HOPES THAT BMW WILL DO SOMETHING FOR OTHER OWNERS AS THE REPAIR BILL WAS $938.00 AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED BY BMW, WARRANTY OR NOT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10560549

Incident

Jan 7, 2014

Mileage

60,600 mi

MALFUNCTION OF INTEGRAL LOCK SENSOR IN STEERING COLUMN NECESSITATES REPLACEMENT OF ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN AT COST OF $1300. THIS IS THE SECOND REPLACEMENT IN THIS VEHICLE, THE FIRST FAILED AT 80,000 MILES. SAME ISSUE WITH 2006 325I MODEL AT 90,000 MILES. UNDERSTAND THAT ELECTRONIC SENSORS WILL ALWAYS WEAR OUT AND FAIL BUT THIS IS DEFECTIVE ENGINEERING. THE SENSOR SHOULD BE A SEPARATE PART ANTICIPATING THE NEED TO REPLACE IT FROM TIME TO TIME. WOULD EXPECT MORE ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND MORE CONSIDERATION FOR THE PAYING CUSTOMER FROM GERMAN ENGINEERING. *TR

NHTSA ID

10536468

Incident

Aug 21, 2013

Mileage

125,587 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 330I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ELECTRICAL STEERING WHEEL LOCK WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED, PREVENTING THE VEHICLE FROM BEING STARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 138,320. *TR

NHTSA ID

10513236

Incident

Oct 17, 2012

Mileage

100,000 mi

STEERING WHEEL LOCK ENGINE IS LOCK CAR CAN NOT START WOW.. *TR

NHTSA ID

10502381

Incident

Mar 8, 2013

Mileage

58,000 mi

PARKED AT AIRPORT 6AM FEB 8 2012, LEFT FOR OVERNIGHT TRIP. GOT BACK NEXT MORNING FEB 9TH 2012 AT 10:30AM. PUT KEY IN CAR PRESSED BRAKE TO START AND WOULD NOT START. GOT 'ELECTRIC STEERING WHEEL LOCK' ERROR ON I DRIVE SYSTEM AND AN YELLOW/AMBER ERROR SYMBOL WITH A STEERING WHEEL AND A LOCK. NUMEROUS AND NUMEROUS REPORTS ABOUT THIS HAPPENING ON BMW E90'S WORLDWIDE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10496955

Incident

Feb 9, 2013

Mileage

87,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 330I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT A LOUD NOISE EMITTED FROM THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE WHEEL SEIZED. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ELV STEERING LOCK WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 97,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 99,334.

NHTSA ID

10464502

Incident

May 6, 2012

Mileage

97,000 mi

I HAVE AN AMBER COLORED STEERING WHEEL LOCK ICON ON THE DASHBOARD. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID IT IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE IT BECAUSE THIS WILL LOCK UP THE STEERING WHEEL. I TOLD THEM IF THAT'S THE CASE THEN THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL AND UNFORTUNATELY THERE HASN'T BEEN ONE. HOPEFULLY EVERYONE WHO HAS HAD THIS ISSUE FILES A COMPLAINT WITH THE NHTSA AS THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM AND ONE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY BMW NA. *TR

NHTSA ID

10457718

Incident

Feb 6, 2012

Mileage

62,500 mi

VEHICLE HAS BEEN FAILING TO START AND DISPLAYING A ELV STEERING COLUMN LOCK. PROBLEM WOULD INTERMITTENTLY COME AND GO. IT HAS NOW RESULTED IN A TOTAL FAILURE AND VEHICLE WILL NOT START OR RESPOND. PROBLEM IS EITHER WITH BMW SOFTWARE OR STEERING COLUMN MALFUNCTION WHICH HAS NOT BEEN OFFICIALLY ACKNOWLEDGED BY BMW SO THEY WON'T WARRANTY PROBLEM. *JS

NHTSA ID

10453497

Incident

Jan 1, 2011

Mileage

35,000 mi

ELECTRIC STEERING LOCK MECHANISM FAILURE PREVENTS STARTING THE CAR. *TR

NHTSA ID

10448459

Incident

Nov 12, 2011

STEERING WHEEL LOCK IS ON WHICH PREVENTS THE CAR FROM STARTING EVEN AFTER MOVING THE STEERING WHEEL AND INSERTING/REMOVING THE KEY FOB IN THE KEY SLOT. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE AND AS WELL AS A SAFETY ISSUE. NUMEROUS PEOPLE FROM BMW FORUMS HAVE REPORTED THE SAME PROBLEM AND BMW WON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. *KB

NHTSA ID

10446695

Incident

Feb 4, 2012

Mileage

45,000 mi

THE STEERING WHEEL ELECTRONIC LOCK ON THE 2006 BMW 330I IS DEFECTIVE. THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK PREVENTS THE CAR FROM BEING STARTED AND EVEN WITH THE APPROPRIATE KEY, ETC. IT LOCKS IN ERROR. THIS OCCURS ON EVERY ATTEMPT TO START THE CAR WITH THE KEY IN THE IGNITION. THIS PART SHOULD BE RECALLED AS THEIR IS A DEFECTIVE COMPONENT IN THE VEHICLE.

NHTSA ID

10418819

Mileage

10,000 mi

I OWN A 2006 BMW 330I. I'M HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE STEERING COLUMN LOCK WHICH PREVENTS THE CAR FROM STARTING. THE PROBLEM STARTS WITH A YELLOW WARNING LIGHT THAT INDICATES THE STEERING COLUMN IS LOCKED. THEN, WHEN THE INDICATOR LIGHT TURNS RED, THE CAR DOES NOT START. I FIRST EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM IN 2007 AND THE STEERING COLUMN WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. IN 2010, THE YELLOW LIGHT STARTED COMING ON AGAIN INTERMITTENTLY AND IT IS NOW ON EVERY TIME I ENTER THE CAR. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE LOCAL BMW DEALERSHIP TO BE DIAGNOSED. THEY TELL ME I NEED A NEW STEERING COLUMN YET AGAIN. I AM OUT OF WARRANTY AND THE BMW REGIONAL IS REFUSING TO COVER THE STEERING COLUMN BECAUSE A SAFETY RECALL HAS NOT BEEN ISSUED. IT COSTS $1428 TO REPLACE THE PART. UPON RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE ONLINE, I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT BMW CHANGED THEIR STEERING COLUMNS AFTER 2006 BECAUSE OF THIS DEFECT WITH THE LOCKING MECHANISM. *KB

NHTSA ID

10416798

Incident

Aug 1, 2011

Mileage

20,000 mi

STEERING WHEEL LOCK

NHTSA ID

10393575

Incident

Mar 29, 2011

Mileage

71,000 mi

STEERING WHEEL HAD RANDOM ELECTRONIC LOCK FAILURE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10380778

Incident

Feb 2, 2011

Mileage

54,000 mi

2006 BMW 330I WAS FITTED WITH A STEERING COLUMN EQUIPPED WITH A STEERING LOCK SENSOR THAT IS PRONE TO FAILURE AND MAY RENDER THE CAR SAFE AND/OR INOPERABLE. I HAVE THIS ISSUE CURRENTLY THAT WILL REQUIRE OVER $1,000 IN REPAIRS. IN ADDITION, THE STEERING WHEEL MAY LOCK UP DURING VEHICLE USE COMPROMISING THE SAFETY OF MYSELF AND/OR FAMILY. THIS IS A CHRONIC AND RECURRING ISSUE THAT BMW IS AWARE OF AND THEY HAVE TAKEN STEPS TO RE-DESIGN THE COLUMNS IN 2007+ VEHICLES. UNFORTUNATELY, THEY WILL NOT RECALL THE 2006 VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE COLUMNS THAT HAVE THIS DESIGN FLAW AND PROPENSITY FOR FAILURE. I HAVE CALLED BMW NA MULTIPLE TIMES TO DISCUSS BUT THEY ARE NOT WILLING TO ADMIT ANY CULPABILITY OF ADDRESS MY CONCERNS IN A PRODUCTIVE MANNER. I IN SPEAKING WITH MY BMW PARTS ADVISOR AND MECHANIC WHO RUNS A LARGE SCALE SERVICE GARAGE, HE SEES MANY VEHICLES COME IN FOR THIS SPECIFIC PROBLEM AND ADVISED THAT IT IS "ONLY A MATTER OF TIME" BEFORE A CLASS ACTION SUIT IS TAKEN AGAINST THEM. IT IS FRUSTRATING THAT MY FAMILY IS AT RISK BECAUSE BMW WILL NOT TAKE AN ETHICAL STANCE ON THIS ISSUE AND ADDRESS THE SHORTCOMINGS IN THE DESIGN OF THE RE-DESIGNED 3-SERIES VEHICLE THAT I HAVE PURCHASED. 2006 WAS THE FIRST YEAR OF THE RE-DESIGN OF THE 3-SERIES AND THAT IS PERHAPS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO THE PROBLEM (SINCE THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR THAT THIS DESIGN WAS EMPLOYED IN A VEHICLE). PLEASE TAKE THIS COMPLAINT SERIOUSLY AND CHECK THE FACTS BY GOOGLING "E90 STEERING COLUMN PROBLEMS" TO FIND A WEALTH OF INFORMATION ON THE TOPIC INCLUDING MANY OTHER PEOPLE THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS EXACT SAME ISSUE AND HAVE HAD THEIR SAFETY AND FINANCES COMPROMISED. IF THE GOVERNMENT DOESN'T KEEP THESE LARGE AUTO MANUFACTURERS HONEST IN ADDRESSING THESE DESIGN FLAWS, CONSUMERS WILL BE SUBJECT TO PERPETUAL FINANCIAL AND POSSIBLE PHYSICAL HARM. SOMEONE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO BE INJURED OR WORSE BEFORE ACTION IS TAKEN TO ADDRESS THE SAFETY THREAT.. MOST COLUMNS OPERATE PROPERLY FOR THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10378186

Incident

Jan 11, 2011

Mileage

84,000 mi