[11] Bmw Customer Relations In Daily Gallery

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BMW India Private Limited (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

BMW announced February 16, that it would recall 569,000 vehicles -- 504,000 in the U.S. and another 65,000 in Canada. But that's hardly the first time -- after all, in July 2010, I reported on fuel pump problems that led BMW to recall 130,000 vehicles three months later. Is BMW really the ultimate driving machine?

These are hardly the biggest BMW recalls. After all, almost a year ago -- March 26, 2012 to be precise -- BMW recalled nearly 1.3 million of its 5 series and 6 series cars built between 2003 to 2010. The problem was a battery cable cover that was incorrectly mounted in the trunk. That led to an ignition failure when the key was turned and had the potential to set the system catching fire, according to the Hartford Examiner.

Let's look at BMW's latest recall. According to AP, if you are one of the 569,000 owners of "3-Series sedans, wagons, convertibles and coupes from the 2007 through 2011 model years, 1-Series coupes and convertibles from 2008 through 2012, or the Z4 sports car from 2009 through 2011," then BMW is recalling your vehicle.

The problem with these vehicles is that a battery cable connector can fail and cause the engines to stall. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) posted documents on its website Saturday explaining that "cable connectors and a fuse box terminal in the cars can degrade over time," reports AP.

NHTSA has it all figured out. The degrading can cut the electrical connection between the trunk-mounted battery and the fuse box at the front -- the resulting loss of electrical power can cause the engines to stall unexpectedly.

Unfortunately for BMW owners, this is hardly the first time that sudden engine stalls have besieged the owners of the ultimate driving machine. In July 2010, I received an email from Allison Mangot, who lives in the New York City area.

She contacted me after reading a DailyFinance article I had written about Toyota. When I spoke with Mangot, she was clearly upset about the incident she experienced. In May 2010, she was driving her 2008 BMW 535xi wagon, and she says the engine simply stopped working.

She was still upset when we spoke because the day before, July 18, her husband was driving his 2009 BMW 335xi convertible on the Cross Bronx Expressway on a congested Sunday afternoon when New Yorkers were returning from weekend trips, and his car's engine stopped while he was in the left lane driving 55 mph. Fortunately for all involved, he was able to keep the car rolling long enough to pull it off the road without any injury.

I checked the NHTSA website soon thereafter and found out that Mangot was not alone. I counted 38 nearly identical complaints regarding BMW 335 and 535 models from 2007 to 2010, most of which mentioned problems with the "high-pressure fuel pump" (HPFP) used in these models' engines.

On October 26, the day after an ABC-TV report by newly-hired CNN reporter, Chris Cuomo, on the fuel-pump problems, BMW announced an "emissions recall" of 130,000 vehicles equipped with the high-pressure pumps, though it said just 40,000 were likely to need a new pump, according to Media

Back then BMW's release proudly noted that "No injuries have been reported with either of these issues." And in October 2010 when Media asked BMW spokesman, Dave Buchko, if anyone had been hurt in a crash caused by the sudden loss of power, he said, "Not that we're aware of."

But this time around, BMW is admitting that "it knows of one minor collision in Canada due to the problem, but no injuries," according to AP.

If you are among the unlucky 569,000, BMW will notify you next month and tells AP that it will "replace the battery cable connector and secure it for free."

Matthew Russell, BMW of North America's Product & Technology Communications Manager, issued the following statement on February 20: "BMW will recall certain 2007-12 BMW 1-Series, 3-Series and Z4 vehicles to correct a potential issue with the power supply system. The connection between the positive battery cable and the fuse box could degrade over time. As a result, depending upon the extent of the degradation, variations in the electrical resistance at this connection could occur."

Russell's statement continued, "Once BMW distributes the necessary replacement parts to Authorized BMW centers, customers with affected vehicles will receive a letter via First Class Mail asking them to schedule a service appointment an Authorized BMW Center. Customers with further questions should contact BMW Customer Relations at 1-800-525-7417 or email Media

Unfortunately, BMW has not offered anything to drivers who might happen to be in the vicinity of one of these vehicles that might suddenly lose power between now and the time that all of them are fixed.