DRIVING THROUGH THE BROOKLYN BATTERY TUNNEL HEADING INTO MANHATTAN THE BLOWER MOTOR IN MY CAR FAILED. I WAS DRIVING IN THE TUNNEL WHEN I TURNED ON THE HEAT IN MY CAR, THEN SMOKE BEGAN COMING OUT OF THE AIR VENTS. I TURNED OFF THE HEAT IMMEDIATELY. THE SMOKE BEGAN FILLING THE CABIN, SO I OPENED ALL OF THE WINDOWS IN THE CAR AND OPENED THE MOONROOF. I WAS ABLE TO MAKE OUT OF THE TUNNEL AND STOPPED AT THE EXIT OF THE TUNNEL IN MANHATTAN. I THEN TURNED THE CAR OFF AND TOOK THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION. ONE OF THE BROOKLYN BATTERY TUNNEL OFFICERS SAW ME GET OUT OF THE CAR AND SEES THE SMOKE COMING FROM THE CAR. AT THIS POINT THERE WAS MELTING PLASTIC THAT WAS SURROUNDED IN FLAMES FALLING FROM WHERE THE BLOWER MOTOR IS LOCATED ONTO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THE BRAKE PEDAL, AND THE CARPET SURROUNDING THE THESE PEDALS. THE OFFICERS PUT OUT THE MELTING PLASTIC THAT WAS ON FIRE WITH FIRE EXTINGUISHERS. THEY ALSO SPRAYED FIRE EXTINGUISHER MATERIAL IN THE AREA THE MELTING PLASTIC THAT WAS ON FIRE WAS FALLING FROM. THE OFFICERS THEN SEEING THE SMOKE RISING OUT THE AIR VENTS SPRAYED THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER MATERIAL INTO AIR VENTS. THE FDNY SHORTLY SHOWED UP AT THE SCENE AND SPRAYED THE ENGINE BAY WITH THE WATER HOSE FROM THE FIRE TRUCK, AND SPRAYED MORE FIRE EXTINGUISHER MATERIAL INTO THE AIR VENTS, AND THEN DISCONNECTED THE CAR BATTERY. THE BLOWER MOTOR BECAME SO HOT IT IGNITED THE CABIN FILTER AND THE LEAVES AND PINE NEEDLES THAT THE CABIN FILTER WAS FILTERING FROM THE FRESH AIR INLET. THE FU
1995 BMW 540
Owners filed 6 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the engine and engine cooling › engine. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility › Defroster/Defogger/Hvac System › Fan/Motor | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Master Cylinder | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Seats | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Equipment › Appliance › Air Conditioner | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsTHERE'S A HOLE IN CYLINDER, WHICH MAKES VEHICLE HARD TO DRIVE.*AK
ENGINE CYLINDER WALL CORROSION, KNOWN AS NICKEL CELL CORROSION, CAUSED BY FUEL CONTACTING CYLINDER WALL. EVENTUALLY THE CORROSION CREATES A HOLE IN THE CYLINDER WALL, LEAKS AND LOSS OF COMPRESSION. CONTINUES TO GET WORSE OVER TIME. MECHANIC SAYS ITS A KNOWN MANUFACTURER DEFECT, BMW EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 6 YEARS AND 100000 MILES BECAUSE OF IT. IS THE MANUFACTURER RESPONSIBLE FOR CORRECTING THIS DEFECT? HOW MANY VEHICLES HAVE BEEN AFFECTED? WHEN DID BMW EXTEND THE WARRANTY? WHY WEREN'T EXISTING OWNERS CONTACTED AND MADE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM? ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED. *TS *JB ****DIMSII IVOQ ENTRY POSTED AFTER 12-12-02 CUT OVER TO ARTEMIS****760777
DRIVER'S SEAT ROCKS BACK AND FORTH ON ITS RAILS AND FEELS LOOSE. SEAT BELT IS ANCHORED TO SEAT. SEEMS LIKE SEAT ASSEMBLY MIGHT COME OFF IN AN ACCIDENT. ALSO VERY DISTRACTING WHILE DRIVING. *AK
ENGINE FIRE. *DSH
ELECTRONIC CLIMATE CONTROL MODULE FAILED. *DH
6 of 6 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.