BMW Recalls 45,000 Cars for Defective Doors

BMW has announced a vehicle defect recall for more than 45,000 cars because of a problem that can cause the doors to open up on their own. According to a report on Consumerist.com, the vehicles included in this recall are model year 2005-2008 745i, 745Li, 750i, 750Li, 760i, 760Li, and B7 Alpina vehicles equipped with both the Comfort Access and Soft Close Automatic options.

According to a notice posted with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the recalled vehicles may contain doors that appear to be closed and latched, when in reality, the latch is not fully engaged. As a result, rough roads or inadvertent contact between the occupant and the door could result in the door unexpectedly opening when the vehicle is in motion. This can result in occupant ejection or increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

History of Door Issues

Apparently, this is not the first door-latch-related recall for BMW. The company notes in documents filed with NHTSA that the issue is related to an earlier recall in 2012 of 7,485 model year 2005-2007 7-Series vehicles. The company was approached by NHTSA to discuss the scope and remedy of the previous recall based on the complaints received by the agency. BMW reviewed and analyzed the complaints and determined that there were two issues with these vehicles. First, the door cannot close before driving away and second, the door could suddenly open when the vehicle is in motion.

There are several complaints about this particular issue in NHTSA’s customer complaint database. One owner of a 2008 750Li tells NHTSA that they were driving the vehicle when the driver door came open and would not latch afterward. In 2012, another owner said the driver’s side front door swung open when the car was going at 73 mph. It then failed to lock again. An owner of a 2006 750 Li said two of the doors on their car had a similar problem. However, disturbingly, the remedy has not yet been identified. Owners of the affected vehicles may contact BMW at 1-800-525-7417 for more information.

Auto Product Liability Issues

If you or a loved one has been injured by these or other auto defects, you may be eligible to receive compensation for your injuries, damages and losses. In order to do so, victims must file a product liability claim and prove that they were injured as a result of the design flaws or manufacturing errors that made the product defective. Injured victims can claim damages including medical expenses, lost wages, hospitalization, rehabilitation and pain and suffering. A resourceful auto defect law firm will be able to help injured victims and their families seek and obtain maximum compensation for the damages and losses they have sustained.