What 125 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 BMW 328i Xdrive Gt

I brought my 2015 BMW 328i to a local BMW dealership service center to inspect why my check engine light turned on. As part of their multi-point inspection, the service technician found an unrelated problem with the rear left tail light. This was identified as a critical electrical issue that required immediate repair. The details are listed in the service center's repair estimate /invoice: Multi-Point Inspection Items requiring immediate attention Additional Service Repair Critical Cause UPON FURTHER INSPECTION OF VEHICLE, FOUND LEFT REAR TAIL LIGHT CONNECTOR MELTED CAUSING TURN SIGNAL MALFUNCTION. RECOMMEND REPLACING LEFT REAR TAIL LIGHT CARRIER , PINS , CONNECTOR Upon further investigation, I found dozens of online posts from BMW 3 series owners with the exact same issue. As noted by a reply from a BMW master certified technician, this is a known issue and a defect/flaw in the design where the ground wire in the taillight is undersized, thus resulting in overload and subsequent melting of the connector. Post after post on multiple sites contain BMW owners stating the exact same issue and cause regarding the brown/ground wire leading to an electrical short. An electrical short causing a connector to actually melt seems like a safety issue. This can lead to a fire. I find this disturbing, especially with a toddler that is strapped into a car seat in the back. This is a known issue with the design that impacts the safety of the vehicle and should be a recall.

NHTSA ODI 11480954

I HAVE A 2015 BMW 328I WITH JUST OVER 40,000 MILES. A FEW WEEKS AGO I BEGAN EXPERIENCING A DASH WARNING FOR A "LEFT TURN SIGNAL MALFUNCTION" HOWEVER IT WAS INTERMITTENT AND WOULD OFTEN GO OFF WHEN TURNING THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTING. THEN I BEGAN GETTING A "LEFT BRAKE LIGHT MALFUNCTION" WARNING AS WELL. SOMETIMES I'D GET ONE OR THE OTHER. SOMETIMES I WOULD GET BOTH. ALWAYS INTERMITTENT. SOMETIMES IT WOULD COME ON AT ENGINE START UP. SOMETIMES WHILE DRIVING. IT HAS NOW COME ON AND IS CONTINUOUS. I PURCHASED NEW BULBS HOPING IT WOULD SOLVE IT ALTHOUGH DOUBTFUL THAT THE BULB WAS ACTUALLY THE PROBLEM. AS IT TURNS OUT, THERE WAS A MALFUNCTION WITHIN THE PIGTAIL CONNECTOR AND ONE OF THE PRONGS IS BURNT OUT. SO I HAVE NO LEFT REAR TURN SIGNAL OR LEFT BRAKE LIGHT AFTER SOME GOOGLING, I DISCOVERED THIS IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE FOR THIS CAR. I AM OUT OF FACTORY WARRANTY BUT DO PLAN TO FILE A CLAIM USING MY EXTENDED WARRANTY. THAT BEING SAID, WITH THE FREQUENCY THAT THIS ISSUE SEEMS TO OCCUR I AM INCREDIBLY SURPRISED THAT THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL ISSUED.

NHTSA ODI 11399044

MY 2015 BMW 328I X DRIVE LEFT TURN SIGNAL AND LEFT BRAKE HAVE MALFUNCTIONED SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR. THE SAME THING HAPPEN IN MY MOTHER'S BMW 328 SERIES AS WELL AND A RECALL WAS OPEN. THERE IS A OPEN RECALL ON THE BRAKE LIGHT AND TURN SIGNALS BUT NOT FOR MY ACTUAL VEHICLE. I HAVE REPLACED THE BULBS SO I KNOW IT IS SOMETHING ELECTRICAL. BMW REFUSES TO FIX THE PROBLEM ALTHOUGH IT IS A KNOWN RECALL! I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED, AND JUST WANT MY LIGHT PANEL REPAIRED AS THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BY BMW MANUFACTURERS NOT THE OWNER.

NHTSA ODI 11282705

TRUNK WILL NOT OPEN. THE FOB, BUTTONS, LATCH...NOTHING WORKS TO OPEN THE TRUNK. THE ONLY WAY IT WILL OPEN IS IF I REACH INTO THE TRUNK FROM BEHIND THE REAR SEAT AND PULL THE EMERGENCY LATCH RELEASE.

NHTSA ODI 11175843

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 BMW 328I. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH, THE VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN AND LOST ACCELERATION INDEPENDENTLY. THE CONTACT COASTED THE VEHICLE TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD AND CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE WAS NOTIFIED AND DIAGNOSED THAT THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO THE VEHICLE BEING DRIVEN AT HIGH SPEEDS FOR A LONG TIME. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE ISSUE WAS NORMAL. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER AND THE SOFTWARE SYSTEM WAS REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,455.

NHTSA ODI 10980516

GRAN TURISMO TAILGATE CRASHED UPON MY HEAD WITHOUT TAIL WARNING LIGHTS FLASHING OR ALARM. NO FOOT KICKING TO ACTIVATE THE FEATURE WAS INVOKED. WHILE PARKED WITH THE HATCH OPEN, I WAS SIMPLY PLACING GROCERIES INTO MY TRUNK. THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT, AND CAN NOT BE REPEATED UPON DEMAND. I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DEMO THE PROBLEM SEVERAL TIMES SINCE THE FIRST EVENT. I ALSO UNCOVERED SEVERAL OTHER PROBLEMS WITH THE TAILGATE. THE KICKING FEATURE TO ACTIVATE TAILGATE LIFTING AND LOWERING DOESN'T WORK 100%. VIGOROUS KICKING IN DIFFERENT SPOTS IS NEEDED TO ACTIVATE THE HANDS FREE FEATURE. SOMETIMES THERE IS A PARTIAL DROP AND REOPENING OF THE TAILGATE. SOMETIMES THE ALARM WORKS AND SOMETIMES NOT. WHEN HANDS FREE CLOSING OF HATCH, AN OBSTRUCTION WILL NOT CAUSE THE DOOR TO RETREAT. FINALLY THE HATCH WILL CLOSE WITHOUT ANY WARNING.

NHTSA ODI 10948950