2003 BMW 5 SERIES Problems & Recalls

TAKATA RECALL. MORE THAN A YEAR AGO, I RECEIVED INFORMATION IN THE FORM OF A WARNING THAT MY CAR HAD AIRBAGS THAT SHOULD BE REPLACED. I CONTACTED THE BMW CENTER ON S.DIXIE HIGHWAY NEAR 160 STREET IN MIAMI AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY WILL GET BACK TO ME. AFTER A LONG ENOUGH WAIT, I CALLED AGAIN AND WAS...

I'M GETTING THE RUN AROUND ABOUT REPLACING THE DRIVER'S AIRBAG IN MY CAR. I RECEIVED THE INITIAL NOTICE OVER 6 MONTHS AGO AND WAS TOLD THE AIR BAGS WERE RELEASED OVER A MONTH AGO BUT I STILL HAVEN'T GOTTEN A SECOND NOTICE. THE BMW DEALERSHIP SAYS THERE ISN'T AN ISSUE WITH THE BMW IT'S JUST PRECAUTIO...

TAKATA RECALL - I RECENTLY FOUND OUT THAT MY VEHICLE, WHICH HAS BEEN MINE SINCE IT WAS NEW IN 2003, IS PART OF THE TAKATA RECALL AND HAS BEEN SINCE ALMOST A YEAR AGO. I NEVER RECEIVED A SINGLE NOTIFICATION IN THE MAIL. I HAVE LIVED AT THE SAME ADDRESS SINCE 2003, SO THERE SEEMS TO BE ABSOLUTELY NO...

I WAS DRIVING APPX 40MPH WHILE ON A LOCAL ROAD SLIGHTLY UPHILL, ENGINE SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING, LOST POWER STEERING AND BRAKE ASSIST. LUCKILY NO CARS AROUND ME SO I WAS ABLE TO BARELY ROLL OVER TO THE ROADSIDE. CAR WOULD NOT START AGAIN, WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. REPLACED ECU FOR A TOTAL COST OF $2K...

Mileage: 100,000

I WAS DRIVING APPX 40MPH WHILE ON A LOCAL ROAD SLIGHTLY UPHILL, ENGINE SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING, LOST POWER STEERING AND BRAKE ASSIST. LUCKILY NO CARS AROUND ME SO I WAS ABLE TO BARELY ROLL OVER TO THE ROADSIDE. CAR WOULD NOT START AGAIN, WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. REPLACED ECU FOR A TOTAL COST OF $2K...

Mileage: 100,000

I WAS DRIVING APPX 40MPH WHILE ON A LOCAL ROAD SLIGHTLY UPHILL, ENGINE SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING, LOST POWER STEERING AND BRAKE ASSIST. LUCKILY NO CARS AROUND ME SO I WAS ABLE TO BARELY ROLL OVER TO THE ROADSIDE. CAR WOULD NOT START AGAIN, WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. REPLACED ECU FOR A TOTAL COST OF $2K...

Mileage: 100,000

I BACKED MY 2003 BMW M5 OUT OF THE DRIVE WAY AND HEARD A TERRIBLE SOUND, I ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE THE CAR FORWARD, AND THE NOISE GOT WORSE. I RETURNED THE CAR TO THE DRIVE WAY AND PUT IT ON JACKS AND STANDS TO FIND THE NOISE. I DISCOVERED THAT THE REAR SUBFRAME WAS BROKEN (I HAVE PICTURES AND WILL BE GE...

Mileage: 140,000

I BACKED MY 2003 BMW M5 OUT OF THE DRIVE WAY AND HEARD A TERRIBLE SOUND, I ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE THE CAR FORWARD, AND THE NOISE GOT WORSE. I RETURNED THE CAR TO THE DRIVE WAY AND PUT IT ON JACKS AND STANDS TO FIND THE NOISE. I DISCOVERED THAT THE REAR SUBFRAME WAS BROKEN (I HAVE PICTURES AND WILL BE GE...

Mileage: 140,000

CAR SHUT DOWN WHILE DRIVING APPX 35MPH WITHOUT WARNING, NEARLY CRASH DUE TO LOSS OF STEERING ASSIST AND INSTRUMENT. DEALER REPLACED BOTH DME AND BATTERY WHICH WAS SUSPICIOUS SINCE TWO UNRELATED COMPONENT FAILED AT SAME TIME? EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WHEN IT HAPPENED IN TRAFFIC, ENDANGERING BOTH MY PASSEN...

Mileage: 108,000

MY 2003 BMW 530I SEDAN CAUGHT FIRE DUE TO AN ELECTRICAL FAULT WHILE PARKED IN NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND POLICE WERE CALLED. CASE #[XXX] WAS ASSIGNED BY OFFICER [XXX] OF THE NEW HAVEN PD. THE CAR, TOO BADLY DAMAGED TO REPAIR, WAS HAULED AWAY FOR EVENTUAL SCRAPPING. I WAS CLO...

Mileage: 125,000

WHILE DRIVING, THE CAR SUDDENLY SHUT DOWN AND LOST ALL POWER. HAD TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD QUICKLY TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT; HAD THIS BEEN AT HIGH SPEED, THE SITUATION MIGHT HAVE BEEN WORSE. SUBSEQUENTLY WHEN TRYING TO START, THE CAR SHOWS A MYRIAD OF WARNING LIGHTS AND FAULTS. A FUSE FOR T...

Mileage: 107,000

INSTALLED TWO NEW BRIDGESTONE POTENZA POLE POSITION RE 960AS IN JULY 2010(PURCHASED FROM THETIRE RACK),ON MY 2003 BMW 540I(AT BRIDGESTONE TIRE DEALER).REAR,275R1835.TWO MONTHS LATER WHILE DRIVING 40MPH ON A VERY WELL MAINTAINED ROAD(LAKE SHORE DRIVE,IN CHICAGO),LOUD BANG WAS HERD FROM THE BACK AND G...

Mileage: 83,000

THE 2003 BMW 540I POWER STEERING PUMP SPOOL VALVE WAS FOUND (DISASSEMBLED AND JUDGED BY BMW TECHNICIAN) TO JAM AT LOWER RPM THUS CAUSING COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER STEERING ASSIST, ESPECIALLY IN REDUCED RPM TURNS OFF HIGHWAYS. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS I NEARLY CRASHED INTO THE MEDIAN-WALL BECAUSE OF IT. I S...

Mileage: 68,500

INTERMITTENT ENGINE SHUT-DOWN. ENGINE SHUTS OFF WHILE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION AT ANY SPEED. "ENGINE FAILSAFE" WARNING LIGHT COMES ON. VEHICLE MUST BE STOPPED, KEY TURNED OFF AND RE-STARTED. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THAT BMW IS AWARE OF AND HAS ISSUED A RELATED TSB. $2000 PLUS REPAIR BILL FOR A NE...

Mileage: 90,000

INTERMITTENT ENGINE SHUT-DOWN. ENGINE SHUTS OFF WHILE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION AT ANY SPEED. "ENGINE FAILSAFE" WARNING LIGHT COMES ON. VEHICLE MUST BE STOPPED, KEY TURNED OFF AND RE-STARTED. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THAT BMW IS AWARE OF AND HAS ISSUED A RELATED TSB. $2000 PLUS REPAIR BILL FOR A NE...

Mileage: 90,000

BMW 530I 2003. DRIVER DOOR WILL NOT UNLOCK, EITHER ELECTRONICALLY OR MANUALLY. DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR FAILURE. NO MANUAL OVERRIDE. FORCED TO CRAWL OVER CONSOLE AND EXIT FROM ANOTHER DOOR. *TR

Mileage: 90,000

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 540. WHILE THE CONTACT'S DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, SHE HEARD A LOUD NOISE. THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR AIR BAG AND REAR DOOR AIR BAGS DEPLOYED, INJURING HER LEFT ARM AND LEG. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO A BMW DEALER. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURREN...

Mileage: 68,000

FUEL GUAGE FAILED, INDICATED HALF TANK GAS WHEN TANK WAS EMPTY, AND CAR RAN OUT OF GAS ON FREEWAY. *AK

Mileage: 35,000

MY 2003 BMW 5 SERIES CAR WAS STOPPED IN TRAFFIC AND REAR-ENDED. THE COLLISION PUSHED THE CONTENTS OF THE TRUNK INTO THE BACK SEAT AREA BY BREAKING THE LATCHES THAT HOLD THE FOLD-DOWN SEATS. ANYONE IN THE BACK SEAT WOULD HAVE BEEN PUSHED FORWARD BY THE SEAT BACKS, AND SIMULTANEOUSLY HELD IN PLACE B...

Mileage: 28,000