BMW Lemon Vehicles—Take Action!

Is Your BMW a Lemon?

Regardless of the manufacturer, any vehicle is a potential lemon. That includes high end cars like BMWs. Yes, you could have a BMW lemon car or SUV on your hands.

Many vehicle models have their own set of problems. BMWs are no exception. It's important to know what these problems are so that you know what to watch out for. Below are some of the problems reported by unhappy BMW lemon owners, in order of safety severity...

• The vehicle brakes without you touching the brake pedal.

• The electric power steering pump fails, leaving you with a sluggish steering wheel.

• The vehicle stalls unexpectedly and while driving at highway speeds. This might sometimes be related to another issue—some people report that the gas tank is empty and the car sputters to a stop even when the fuel gauge reads one-third full.

• The power seats adjust themselves without warning, while the car is moving.

• The engine sputters and lurches, or otherwise rides roughly.

• The iDrive system fails, affecting the navigation system, the radio/CD player, the cell phone, air conditioning, windows, locks and other electrical systems.

• The digital readout displays messages such as "loss of motor power" or "engine malfunction, drive with moderation," even when there is no apparent problem.

• The iDrive settings disappear and reset on their own, or convert to metric units.

• The cell phone fails to power up.

• The voice activation system doesn't work properly.

I Have a BMW Lemon! What Can I Do?

You can file a lemon law complaint and ask for a refund or a replacement of your BMW lemon, if...

• it's still covered by the original warranty.

• the problem(s) is not fixed after 3-4 repair attempts, or your vehicle is out of service for 30 or more days.

Most state laws give you only a certain amount of time or a certain number of miles to report the problem for the first time. This ranges from one year or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first, to two years or 18,000 miles, whichever comes first. Click here for the specifics for your state. Your state law may also cover you if you bought the vehicle used.

If your BMW lemon is beyond those limits, or you bought it used and your state lemon law doesn't cover used vehicles, you'll need to use the federal lemon law, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, when you file your complaint.

Be sure you have documentation, including every service request written up for your BMW, every report of repairs, and every routine maintenance report, along with copies of every letter you sent to the dealer or to BMW, and notes of every phone call. The more documentation you have to back up your claim, the better you chances of receiving compensation for your BMW lemon.

If BMW does not agree with your claim, you may need to go to arbitration or go to court. If you need to file a suit against BMW, consider hiring a lemon law attorney to represent your interests. These lawyers are specialists who know how to deal with vehicle manufacturers.

BMW Lemon Car Summary

Many people like the prestige of owning a BMW car or SUV. But if that prestige comes at the price of owning a lemon, much of the joy is lost. You don't have to suffer with your defective BMW. Take action!

If you meet the criteria for a lemon law complaint, file one, the sooner the better. And get the compensation that is your right by state or federal lemon laws. You don't have to live with your BMW lemon!