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280 N Hubbards Ln, Louisville, KY 40207
Call Us (502) 896-0305
Follow Us on:
280 N Hubbards Ln, Louisville, KY 40207
Call Us (502) 896-0305
Although BMW vehicles are produced by one of the leading automotive manufacturers in the world, they are not immune to technological or mechanical malfunctions. Tech innovations have introduced unparalleled levels of ease into the driver experience and even made street and highway travel safer by several orders of magnitude in recent history. Unfortunately, those same innovations can malfunction at times and create mild to severe inconveniences that interrupt the flow of the driver experience.
A common issue that many BMW owners have experienced is the failure of the door lock system. The failure of this system can be indicative of issues with many different vehicle functions, so it is important that if you observation any of the relevant symptoms, you contact an experienced mechanic for the proper diagnosis of your BMW’s door lock failure.
There have been 12 reported problems in relation to latches, locks, and/or linkages in several model years of the BMW 330. These problems have been observed in the following ways:
1. Passengers have become locked inside their vehicles. The key fob was working properly and the user was able to lock the doors after exiting the vehicle. However, from the inside of the vehicle, the user was unable to unlock the doors manually.
2. Similar to the first problem, a user was unable to unlock the doors from the inside of the vehicle. However, in this case, neither the key fob nor manual locking was functioning properly.
3. A user reported being unable to unlock their vehicle from the outside using the key fob. Additionally, there was one door that remained unlocked (one of the rear passenger doors). In order to enter their vehicle, the user had to use the hard plastic emergency key upon each entry. There was no documented recall found for this malfunction.
4. The locking mechanism available on the center console would not lock the driver’s door. The key fob was also unresponsive, making the driver’s door only able to be unlocked manually.
5. Similar to the problems above, the center console control for door locks was not functional regarding passenger doors.
6. It has been reported that vehicles have failed to either lock or unlock all doors, with the exception of the driver’s door being able to be unlocked manually only.
7. A user reported a complete failure of all locking mechanisms. They were unable to access the inside of their vehicle via the rear and front passenger doors. Here, the cause was known. It was an electrical shortage in the door lock actuator resulted in several blown fuses. No unusual use of key fob or other locking mechanisms was reported before this failure.
8. Another electrical failure was reported in which only the driver’s side was affected. The driver was locked inside the vehicle multiple times and only able to unlock the door with the physical key.
9. One driver reported that their vehicle would fail only to unlock either manually or with the key fob. Upon diagnosis from a mechanic, it was confirmed that this was also due to a failure of the actuator, but the manufacturer filed report s32869 and confirmed that they would not assist with the cost of repairs.
10. Another vehicle faced problems quite inconsistently that would only affect certain doors at a time; a single door would unlock while the others would not. Later on, all doors except one rear passenger door completely failed and would not lock or unlock.
11. A problem was reported that affected the center console locking mechanism only: all doors would not be unlocked or locked either manually or automatically.
12. Doors were unable to be reopened after they were locked as a response to the alarm or locked from the inside unless the physical emergency key was used. Additionally, the only door that was responsive to the physical key was the driver’s side door. This driver was also informed that the manufacturer did not intend to assist with repairs.
Many of these failures happened early on in the BMW’s life, from as early as 48,900 miles to 91,000 miles. The model years affected were between 2001-2006.
If you have experienced any of the above circumstances with your door locking mechanisms, our mechanics at Saint Matthews Import are prepared to help you. As your go-to specialized German automotive repair center, you can trust that your vehicle will receive excellent service and leave our shop in its best condition. Our ASE-certified mechanics care not only about your vehicle’s performance but your safety as well. Customers of Louisville, KY have access to our multiple locations, including the shop at the Hubbards Lane location for automotive service and repair. Call us today for the best service at affordable prices.