Issue ID | 1285592 |
Internal NHTSA # | 10870649 |
Manufacurer | BMW of North America, LLC |
Brand | BMW |
Model | 5-SERIES |
Model Year | 2011 |
File date | 20/05/16 |
Component | SEATS |
Product type code | VEHICLE |
Description of the problem | While driving for 15 minutes with seat warmers on my husband (driver) turned it off. We were travelling on suburban roads around 40 mph. Then at a stop light he noticed a burning smell. We continued driving when light turned green. Then i noticed the smell a few seconds later, so i opened a window expecting to find smell a fire nearby or hear sirens. At that point we saw a ploom of smoke come from under his seat towards the passenger side open window. He immediately pulled over, jumped out of the car and turned everything off. The smoke took some time to clear but did stop. Several minutes later we drove 1 mile to the bmw dealership. We were told its not under warranty, and would cost $1,700 to fix. I declined to pay $1,700 to fix and requested they disconnect seat heater. Bmw personnel informed me it could not disconnect power to seat heater without disconnecting the entire ac/heat system. This is a personal safety issue, not a warranty issue. For a seat heater to cause smoke it caused a fire and this is a defect. The car will catch on fire if the seat warmer is activated. I asked dealership what if i loan my car to someone who does not know about the defect, they suggested putting tape over the button. This is not acceptable safety measure to prevent burns, fire, or even death. Consider for a moment people have small children that ride in this vehicle. On a cold morning i could have buckled kids in, turned on car, seat heater, and talk to a neighbor for 2 minutes, or teacher at the carpool line.... What would have happened to the children? There is no visible damage to vehicle but bmw personnel did agree there was smoke smell in vehicle caused by seat warmer. |
Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 40000 |
Number of Occurences | |
Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
City and State | GREENVILLE, SC |
VIN pattern | WBAFR1C51BCXXXXXX |
Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | N |
Was vehicle involved in a fire? | Y |
Was incedent reported to police? | N |
Was medical attention required? | N |
Was part original equipment? | |
No. of injured persons | |
No. of fatalities | |
Date of purchase | 12/08/22 |
Was original owner? | N |
Anti-lock brakes | N |
Cruise control | N |
Number of cylinders | |
Drive train type | |
Transmission type | |
Vehicle speed | 40 |
DoT tire identifier | |
Tire size | |
Location of tire code | |
Type of tire failure code | |
Was defective tire repaired? | |
Date of manufacture | |
Type of child seat code | |
Type of restraint | |
Dealer's name | |
Dealer's telephone number | |
Dealer's city | |
Dealer's state code | |
Dealer's ZIP code |