2004 BMW 525I

BMW IS CONDUCTING A SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN ON APPROXIMATELY 200,000 MY04 THROUGH MY06 SUBJECT VEHICLES BUILT THROUGH 11/30/05 TO CORRECT THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT. THE SPECIFIC VEHICLES INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AREMY04- 06/ 5-SERIES WITH STANDARD AND SPORT SEATS, MY04-06/ X3-SERIES AND MY06/ 3-SERIES WITH SPORT SEATS. IN ADDITION, BMW WILL EXTEND THE WARRANTY COVERAGE OF THE PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT TO 10-YEAR/UNLIMITED MILEAGE ON APPROXIMATELY 120,000 REMAINING MY04-06 SUBJECT VEHICLES BUILT THROUGH 11/30/05. THE SPECIFIC VEHICLES INCLUDED IN THE EXTENDED WARRANTY ARE MY 06/ 6 SERIES, MY 06/ 3-SERIES WITH STANDARD SEATS, MY04-05/ Z4, MY04-06/ 7 SERIES, MY 06/ X5, AND MY04-06/ 5-SERIES WITH COMFORT SEATS.THE AVERAGE FREQUENCY OF FAILURES AMONG THE EXTENDED WARRANTY GROUPS WAS LESS THAN 1/7TH OF THE RECALL VEHICLE GROUPS.PLEASE SEE BMW'S 08V-384 RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR FURTHER DETAILSDEPENDING ON SEAT CONFIGURATION AND VEHICLE GEOMETRY, THE OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT CAN FATIGUE DURING USE DEPENDING ON THE MANNER AND FREQUENCY OF THE FRONT PASSENGER'S ENTRY AND EXIT.SPECIFICALLY, OVER TIME, MICRO-CRACKS COULD DEVELOP IN THE SIDE FLANKS OF THE MAT CAUSING A BROKEN CIRCUIT.A BROKENCIRCUIT CAN LEAD TO THE DEACTIVATION OF THE PASSENGER AIR BAG AND THE ILLUMINATION OF BOTH THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT AND THE PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT.

ON DEC.2 MY 2004 BMW 525I WAS SITTING OUTSIDE MY HOUSE WHEN IT COUGHT ON FIRE AT THE FUSE PANEL IN THE TRUNK ON THE RIGHT FENDER WELL. THE CAR HAD BEEN DRIVEN OVER 100 MILES THAT DAY. MY STEP-DAUGHTER HAD GOTTEN HOME AT MIDNIGHT AND PARKED THE CAR. SHE SAID THE CAR WAS FINE WHEN SHE GOT HOME AT 3;30 AM MY NEIGHBOR KNOCKED ON MY DOOR TO TELL ME THE CAR WAS ON FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED TO PUT IT OUT AS EVER TIME WE WOULD GET THE FIRE OUT IT WOULD SPARK AND START AGAIN. THEY REPORTED THAT IT WAS A MECHANICAL PROBLEM THAT CAUSED THE FIRE.

NHTSA ID

11155751

Incident

Dec 2, 2018

Mileage

211,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2004 BMW 525I. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE, A NEIGHBOR NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT STATED THAT THE FIRE WAS DUE TO A FAULTY BATTERY CABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED IN THE FIRE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED MEDICAL ATTENTION DUE TO SMOKE INHALATION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT CALLED AN UNKNOWN LOCAL BMW DEALER, BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,000.

NHTSA ID

11098001

Incident

May 17, 2018

Mileage

160,000 mi

MICRO POWER MODULE (MPM) STARTED SMOKING WHILE DRIVING, CAUSING ERRATIC ENGINE RPM, AND CAUSING SMOKE INSIDE CABIN AND BURNT ELECTRONICS SMELL. COMPLETE LOSS OF RADIO AND IDRIVE FUNCTIONALITY. MODULE IS LOCATED IN TRUNK UNDER THE SPARE TIRE. NOTIFIED BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, AND THEY JUST SAID THAT THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND NOTHING COULD BE DONE. I FEEL THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS DEFECT THAT COULD POSSIBLY START A FIRE. SEVERAL BMW ONLINE FORUMS HAVE DISCUSSED THIS ISSUE. OTHERS HAVE REMEDIED THE PROBLEM BY RELOCATING THE MODULE TO A HIGHER PLACE IN THE TRUNK. MOST OF WHO OWN THESE CARS DO NOT KNOW THAT THESE VEHICLES HAVE THIS VULNERABILITY. VEHICLE WAS MOVING IN THE EARLY MORNING WHEN THIS HAPPENED.

NHTSA ID

11010814

Incident

Jul 20, 2017

Mileage

184,000 mi

PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM WARNING APPEARS EACH TIME WE GET INTO THE VEHICLE AND START THE IGNITION. AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT RED ICON CONSTANTLY ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD. THE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. THE CAR DOES NOT COOL OR GET COLD UNTIL THE CAR IS IN MOTION. WE HAD A MECHANIC WHO WE PURCHASED THE CAR FROM 3 YEARS AGO TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM BUT IT STILL CONTINUES TO NOT COOL PROPERLY.

NHTSA ID

11005486

Incident

May 1, 2017

Mileage

158,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2004 BMW 525I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE AND BLEW UP IN THE GARAGE WITHOUT WARNING. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THE FIRE WAS STARTED BY THE BATTERY CABLE. A FIRE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES THAT REQUIRED HOSPITALIZATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED AND THE CONTACT'S HOME WAS DAMAGED EXTENSIVELY. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT IT WAS NOT THEIR RESPONSIBILITY. SIX MONTHS PRIOR TO THE FIRE, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER (CHAPMAN BMW IN PHOENIX, AR) WHERE A RECALL REPAIR OF THE BATTERY CABLE WAS PERFORMED. THE RECALL INFORMATION WAS LOST IN THE FIRE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,000.

NHTSA ID

11003723

Incident

Apr 17, 2015

Mileage

160,000 mi

PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM LIGHT ON,EFFECTING AIRBAG,BELT TENSIONER OR BELT FORCE LIMITER. CALLED BMW WAS TOLD VIN NUMBER NOT IN RECALL HOW CAN THAT BE RECALL IS FOR 2004 BMW. COST IS OVER 1000. CAR WAS STATIONARY.

NHTSA ID

10958698

Incident

Dec 5, 2016

Mileage

142,354 mi

I REALLY NEED SOME ASSISTANCE. MY SEAT CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE I WAS DRIVING. THE SEAT HEATER KEEPS TURNING ON AND OCCASIONALLY WON'T GO OFF I'VE DRIVEN THE CAR MAYBE 35 MINUTES TOPS SINCE THE SEAT CAUGHT FIRE 3 WEEKS AGO. BMW NORTH AMERICA HAS TRIED TO ASSIST ME, UNFORTUNATELY THE DEALERS ARE EITHER BOOKED SOLID OR ARE CAPABLE OF FIXING THIS TECHNICAL A PROBLEM. THEY'VE AGREED TO FIX EVERYTHING FOR FREE & PROVIDE ME WITH A LOANER CAR UNTIL THE ISSUES ARE TOTALLY RESOLVED BMW DOES NOT WANT MY VEHICLE TO CATCH FIRE AGAIN. I WAS TOLD NOT TO DRIVE IT UNFORTUNATELY NONE OF THE DEALERSHIP CONSIDER A CAR FIRE TOP PRIORITY. THERE IS A HUGE LIKELIHOOD IT COULD CONTINUE BURNING WITHOUT IMMEDIATE REPAIRS. I WISH BMW NORTH AMERICA WOULD ASSIST ME LIKE THEY SAID. I'VE HAD 8 BMW'S AND NEVER HAVE I HAD AN ISSUE . THAT IS WHY I'VE BOUGHT BMW'S BECAUSE AS LONG AS I DID ALL THE SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE (A SIDE FROM THIS ONE) MY VEHICLES HAVE BEEN NOT ONLY RELIABLE BUT A PLEASURE TO OWN. I'VE HAD VERY FEW ISSUES WITH MY CURRENT E60 UNTIL 3 WEEKS AGO. SINCE THEN MY LIFE HAS BEEN CHAOTIC BORROWING VEHICLES RENTING VEHICLES AND RELYING ON OTHERS BECAUSE BMW DOESN'T PRIORITIZE CAR FIRES. I NEED SOMEONE TO HELP ME OTHERWISE I WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO CONTINUE DRIVING A VEHICLE THAT IS A DANGER TO MYSELF AS WELL AS MY MINOR CHILD AND ANY OTHER VEHICLE AROUND ME IF IT WERE TO BECOME FULLY ENGULFED IN FLAMES. PLEASE CALL ME AT YOUR EARLIEST CONVENIENCE SO I CAN BE SAFE . MY CONTACT INFO IS [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] EMAIL [XXX] CALL ME DAY OR NIGHT I'LL BE READY TO GET THE VEHICLE TO THE PROPER FACILITY FOR REPAIR. I HAVE CONTACTED ALL DEALERSHIP IN NEW HAMPSHIRE . TULLEY BMW SAID THAT THE REPAIR WAS BEYOND THEIR EXPERTISE. I SPOKE TO AN ABSOLUTELY CLUELESS GENTLEMAN NAME [XXX] AT TULLEY BMW NASHUA *DL INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).*JB

NHTSA ID

10954390

Incident

Jan 23, 2017

LITERALLY A COUPLE WEEKS AGO MY DRIVERS SIDE SEAT CAUGHT ON FIRE BURNING A VERY DEEP HOLE THROUGH TO THE FRONT OF THE SEAT AND BURNING A HOLE IN MY JACKED THEN BURNING MY SKIN. IMMEDIATELY I NOTIFIED BMW WHO WAS EXTREMELY ACCOMMODATING EVEN HELPING ME SCHEDULE A REPAIR APPOINTMENT.. THEN THE DEALERSHIP CLOSEST TO ME CALLED ME AND TOLD ME THEY DIDN'T DO RECALLS AND THEY COULDN'T ASSIST ME. AFTER BMW NORTH AMERICA AUTHORIZED THIS. I HAD AN EXTRA VEHICLE UNTIL LAST WEEK WHEN MY DAUGHTER BROUGHT OUR BMW X3 TO COLLEGE WITH HER. THEY HIGHLY SUGGESTED WE NOT USE THE VEHICLE UNTIL ITS REPAIRED THE SEAT HEATER KEEPS INTERMITTENTLY GOING OFF AND WON'T TURN OFF AND THEN IT STARTS BURNING . I'VE BEEN AFRAID OF DRIVING IT BECAUSE OF THE FRIGHTENING BURNING SMELL. I WOULDN'T BE WRITING U IF I WASN'T BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE BY BMW . NOW I'M WITHOUT TRANSPO AND I HAVE A CHILD WITH EPILEPSY WHO I NEED ADEQUATE RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION FOR. IT DIFFICULT BEING TOLD YES BY BMW NORTH AMERICA THEN THE DEALER WON'T ACCOMMODATE YOU UNLESS YOU CONSIDER REPLACING YOUR VEHICLE WITH A NEW BMW! I AM VERY UPSET AND DISAPPOINTED WITH W

NHTSA ID

10954313

Incident

Jan 23, 2017

Mileage

118,000 mi

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