2003 BMW 3 Series Fuel System Problems

I OWN A 2003 SULEV BMW AND IT NEEDS A FUEL PUMP. THIS ONLY CAN BE REPAIRED BY A DEALERSHIP DUE TO THE FACT IT HAS A SEALED FUEL TANK. THE COST CAN BE 6 TO 8000.00 DOLLARS. I WAS TOLD THERE IS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR A SULEV CAR. 150000 MI OR 15 YEARS. I CALLED BMW AND THEY NEVER HEARD OF THAT WARRANTY. CAN YOU PLEASE HELP. THANK YOU

THE FUEL PUMPS OF THE SUPER LOW EMISSION VEHICLES (SULEV) (PZEV) 325I MODELS (IN CA, ME, MA, NY AND VT) ARE ENCLOSED IN THE STAINLESS STEEL FUEL TANK AND THERE IS A KNOWN 100% FAILURE. BMW HAS A 15 YEAR/150K WARRANTY BUT I AM CONTACTING YOU BECAUSE MY CAR HAS 192K AND IS OUT OF WARRANTY. FOR KNOWN DEFECTIVE MATERIAL AND WORKMANSHIP OF THE FUEL PUMP, THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL OR AT LEAST NOTIFICATION TO THE OWNERS OF SUCH VEHICLES. IN MOST CASES, EVEN WHEN UNDER WARRANTY THE BMW DEALERSHIPS GAVE OWNERS DIFFICULTIES AND RESISTANCE WHEN THE FUEL PUMP FAILED, PARTICULARLY BECAUSE THE PART ALONE IS $6000, NOT INCLUDING LABOR. AS MANY OF THESE SULEV MODELS ARE STILL ON THE ROAD AND POTENTIALLY WOULD STOP RUNNING AT ANY POINT WHEN THE FUEL PUMP CLOGS OR GETS BLOCKED, THE DRIVERS ARE POTENTIALLY PLACED IN DANGER. MY 2003 325I DIED ON THE FREEWAY GOING 70MPH BUT FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY MANEUVER TO THE SHOULDER. THIS COULD HAVE EASILY CAUSED A MULTI-CAR ACCIDENT BUT FORTUNATELY THERE WEREN'T MANY OTHER CARS ON THE FREEWAY AT THE TIME. THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO BUT COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. IT WOULD NOT START AGAIN AND IS BASICALLY DEAD IN THE WATER NOW. THE LOCAL BMW DEALERSHIP REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING SINCE IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY. AGAIN, ALTHOUGH THIS AFFECTS LATER MODEL SULEV CARS, I ASK YOU TO PLEASE OPEN AN INVESTIGATION, AS BMW SHOULD STAND BY THEIR PRODUCT AND REPUTATION BY REPAIRING A KNOWN DEFECTIVE PART THAT AFFECTED OR WILL AFFECT ALL SULEV MODELS. TYPICALLY THE FUEL PUMP FAILS PRIOR TO THE 150K MILEAGE, BUT APPARENTLY SINCE I RARELY ALLOW MY FUEL TANK TO GO BELOW A QUARTER TANK, I WAS ABLE TO GET AN ADDITIONAL 40K. REGARDLESS, I THINK A RECALL FOR THIS MAJOR DEFECT IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE REAR LAMP WHICH DID INITIATE A RECALL. BMW SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES AND I WILL NEVER EVEN THINK OF BUYING ANOTHER BMW EVER AGAIN.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 325XI. WHEN TURNING THE IGNITION OFF, AN ABNORMAL NOISE EMITTED FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT OBSERVED SMOKE COMING FROM THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE EXPANSION TANK NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 103,000.

ON 4/27/2015, DRIVING IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC AT ABOUT 5:30 PM, THE CAR STOPPED MOVING FORWARD AND DID NOT RESPOND TO PRESSING ON THE GAS PEDDLE. FORTUNATELY, DUE TO SLOW TRAFFIC, WE DID NOT GET HIT FROM BEHIND. IF THIS HAD OCCURRED AT NIGHT AND/OR AT USUAL TRAFFIC SPEEDS, WE COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED. 911 RESPONDED, PUSHED US TO THE SHOULDER AND THEN AAA TOWED THE CAR.

I HAVE AN ISSUE WITH MY 2003 BMW 325XI. THE FUEL INJECTORS ARE LEAKING/SQUIRTING GASOLINE OUT OF THE HOUSING. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT I AM NOT THE FIRST WITH THIS ISSUE. EVERY PERSON I'VE SEEN POST THIS ISSUE LIVES IN A COLDER PART OF THE U.S. AND IT HAPPENS WHEN IT GETS COLD. I HAPPEN TO LIVE IN WYOMING WHERE IT'S BEEN GETTING ABNORMALLY COLD. NOT GOOD FOR ME. WHAT I'VE BEEN SEEING IS THE PROBLEM LIES WITH THE INJECTOR ITSELF WHERE PARTS OF THE HOUSING SHRINKS IN THE COLD. ONCE THE VEHICLE IS WARMED UP AFTER SOME DRIVING THE INJECTORS WILL RETURN TO ITS PROPER STATE AND STOP LEAKING. THE BEST ADVICE I'VE FOUND IS... "FOR THE TIME BEING... TURN YOUR VENTS TO CIRCULATE MODE AND LOW FAN SPEEDS TO PREVENT THE FUMES FROM ENTERING THE CABIN. YOUR WINDOWS WILL FOG A BIT BUT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO DRIVE AND THE LEAK WILL STOP ONCE THE TEMP NEEDLE HITS CENTER. ONCE THE FUMES DIE OFF IN YOUR ENGINE BAY YOU CAN OPEN YOUR VENTS AND HEAT ON AGAIN." OR REPLACE THE INJECTORS WITH 2004+ FUEL INJECTORS THE REASONING BEHIND THE 2004+ IS THAT I'VE ALSO FOUND THAT AFTER 2003, BMW UPDATED THE INJECTORS TO A MATERIAL THAT DOESN'T SHRINK IN THE COLD. TO ME, THAT SOUNDS LIKE A RECALL ISSUE. I DON'T THINK I SHOULD BE PAYING TO FIX SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED AS AN ISSUE AND THAT THEY FIXED. *TR

THE FUEL PUMP WENT BAD ,AND LEFT ME STRANDED ON A BUSY STREET,IT SUPPOSE TO HAVE A MANUFACTURER WARRANTY FOR 15YEARS OR 150,000 MILES FROM BMW, BUT THEY DON'T HONOR IT AT THE DEALER,I FEEL THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE FUEL PUMP IS SEALED INSIDE THE TANK,WHICH LEAVES NO ACCESS TO CHANGE THE PUMP,AND THE DEALER IS STATING THAT WE HAVE TO PAY 6500.00 FOR THE WHOLE TANK.. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL.. *TR

1. ENGINE HAD BEEN RUNNING ROUGHLY ON START UP (FOR A FEW SECONDS) FOR A FEW DAYS. ON THE DATE OF INCIDENT, WHILE STARTING CAR TO HEAD BACK HOME, CAR STARTED VERY ROUGHLY (FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME). CAR THEN CLEARED UP. WHILE DRIVING AT SPEED OF 55-60 MPH ON HIGHWAY, CAR SUDDENLY DIED. I HAD TO STEER THE CAR FROM THE LEFT-HAND LANE ONTO THE RIGHT HAND SHOULDER IN THE MIDST OF TRAFFIC (DIFFICULT TO STEER). 2. THE ENGINE DIED SUDDENLY WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS WAS THE ONLY TIME THAT THE ENGINE DIED WHILE I DROVE THE CAR. 3. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE SHOP. THE FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED. EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS GAS IN THE TANK, THE FUEL TANK WAS EMPTY. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BMW 325I. THE CONTACT NOTICED A CRACK IN THE FUEL TANK THAT CAUSED GASOLINE TO LEAK OUT. EACH TIME THE GASOLINE TANK IS FILLED, HE SMELLS FUMES. RECENTLY, AFTER FILLING THE VEHICLE WITH GASOLINE, THE CONTACT PARKED HIS VEHICLE AND OBSERVED APPROXIMATELY A QUARTER TANK OF FUEL ON THE GROUND. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO HIS MECHANIC AND WAS INFORMED ABOUT THE CRACK IN THE FUEL TANK. THE BMW MANUFACTURER ADVISED HIM TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TO DETERMINE IF THE FUEL TANK WAS CRACKED. ONCE THIS HAS BEEN DETERMINED, THE CONTACT MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR REIMBURSEMENT OR BMW WILL REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 68,172. UPDATED 8/18/09 *CN THE DEALER DETERMINED THE GAS TANK WAS NOT CRACKED, BUT THE LEAK WAS CAUSED BY A SEAL THAT WAS INSTALLED INCORRECTLY AT THE FUEL PUMP. UPDATED 08/21/09.*JB

VEHICLE STALLED WHILE DRIVING AT 50 MPH. CONDITION FORCED CONSUMER TO PULL VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD. UNABLE TO RESTART UNTIL 30-60 SECONDS LATER. DEALER INSPECTED AND FIXED THE FUEL INJECTION. BUT PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK

THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE/ENGINE MANAGEMENT CONTROL MODULE. WHENEVER ACCELERATING FROM A STOP, THE CAR LUNGES FORWARD, THEN STOPS AND GOES INTO A CYCLE WHERE IT DOES THIS "BUCKING" ACTION A FEW TIMES. THE CAR IS 2 YEARS OLD, BUT HAS ONLY DONE THIS FOR THE PAST YEAR. I'VE ATTEMPTED TO HAVE THIS REPAIRED BY BMW- HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THEM FOR THE LAST EIGHT (8) MONTHS WITH NO RESULT. MY FAMILY REFUSES TO RIDE IN THE CAR BECAUSE THE JERKING MOTION MAKES THEM SICK. A BMW FIELD REPRESENTATIVE KNOWS ABOUT THE PROBLEM BUT REFUSED TO DIAGNOSE OR REPAIR THE PROBLEM. I HIRED AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC THAT WAS ABLE TO TRACE THE PROBLEM TO THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL, BUT DOES NOT POSSESS THE BMW SOFTWARE OR EQUIPMENT TO REPAIR IT. NOW IT HAS BECOME MORE AND MORE DANGEROUS TO DRIVE BECAUSE THE PROBLEM IS GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. IT'S IS DIFFICULT TO MAKE LEFT TURNS AT INTERSECTIONS SINCE THE CAR JERKS FORWARD AND STOPS. A FEW TIMES I WAS ALMOST HIT BY ONCOMING TRAFFIC DUE TO THIS.

ENGINE STALLED IN TRAFFIC; HAD TO COAST TO SIDE OF THE ROAD. WOULD NOT RE-START, DESPITE STRONG CRANKING. COMPUTER READ "38 MILES TO EMPTY" AND GAUGE READ APPROXIMATELY 1/4 TO 1/8 TANK OF FUEL REMAINING. CAR WAS TOWED IN AND SEVERAL FAULTS WERE FOUND: 240, 243. DEALER TECH (VISTA BMW, FL) STATED IN SERVICE RECEIPT: FUEL SENDING UNITS. CHECKED FUEL PRESSURE . . . PRESSURE WAS 3.5 BAR. CHECKED RETURN FUEL PRESSURE AT FUEL TANK . . . PRESSURE WAS 1.0 BAR. REMOVED BOTH FUEL SENDING UNITS & PERFORMED RESISTANCE SWEEP OF BOTH RESISTANCE CARS . . . BOTH LEFT & RIGHT SENDING UNITS HAD AN OPEN. REPLACED LEFT & RIGHT FUEL SENDING UNITS. PARTS REPLACED: FUEL SENSOR, SUCTION UNIT. SAFETY CONSIDERATION: SUDDEN ENGINE STOPAGE CAN BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, YET THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED EVENT. INTERNET WEB SITES RELATE OTHER BMW'S WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS. ESPECIALLY TROUBLESOME IS THE COMPLETE LACK OF WARNING. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME IF YOU WOULD LIKE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. MARK PETERS BEDFORD, TX PYLT@COMCAST.NET