A few days ago, Autogate Released The Complaint Index data for November. It is worth noting that in the TOP10 of the SUV ranking, the BMW iX3, which used to have a lower complaint index, jumped to the first place this month, and the complaint index reached 179.1, a sharp increase of 118.4 times from the previous month.
It is worth mentioning that among all the problems complained about by the BMW iX3, the complaint index of the "power battery failure" problem alone reached 160.05, accounting for 89.3% of the total complaints. Obviously, the power battery of the BMW iX3 has a serious drawback, which has caused the anger of the owners.
Many car owners said in the complaint that just after buying a new car for a few months, the manufacturer notified that the vehicle had a risk of loosening the cold welding point of the high-voltage battery, and it was necessary to "recall" the replacement of the battery unit module.
According to the relevant regulations on the management of defective automotive products, if there is a major safety product defect, the relevant party should deal with it by filing a recall. But a simple recall apparently doesn't lead to a collective complaint from car owners.
It is understood that this "recall" is not another recall. This time, the BMW iX3 was not recalled in the form of filing, but privately notified the owner, trying to "low-key" treatment. And many car owners also reflected on the Internet that they did not receive a recall notice, nor did they notify themselves to test, and the manufacturer even engaged in differential treatment.
Not only that, after the official announcement, it also "cut the words", and changed the "battery cell module may be faulty" clearly written in the first announcement to "the battery cell module needs to be upgraded". It is even based on "free upgrades" and "first-come, first-served" words. Wanting the owner to feel that repairing his newly bought faulty car has become a bargain for himself.
It is naïve to try to soothe the owner's emotions through this "around the bend", but what is more unacceptable to the owner is that the problems with the power battery seem to be somewhat serious, and the treatment method given by the manufacturer also has certain safety risks.
Some car owners have exposed a screenshot of the BMW manufacturer's announcement on the Internet. The announcement states that "there may be a hidden danger of cold welding point loosening in a single-cell battery contact system, which may therefore display a "red check control message", which in rare cases may cause the high-voltage system to suddenly shut down, causing the vehicle to slowly taxi until it stops." ”
From the perspective of the treatment method given by the manufacturer, the maintenance needs to disassemble the power battery pack, and the replacement of 1-5 battery cell modules with varying numbers of high-voltage battery cell modules involving risks is a real overhaul.
The owner of the situation for the occurrence and treatment of the way to accept, the new car is only used for a few months, the core components will be overhauled, the follow-up may lead to vehicle performance, sealing waterproof and other problems, safety hazards greatly increased, will also have an adverse impact on the residual value of the follow-up second-hand car.
This concern of car owners is not unreasonable, you know, the process of replacing the battery unit module is extremely cumbersome. The process of positioning block removal, high-pressure battery cooling system sealing test and EOS complete test, and the working fluid required to adjust the coolant level cannot be mistaken, which is no small challenge for the maintenance personnel of the 4S store. Once a maintenance error occurs, it is only the owner who bears the consequences.
Moreover, the attempt by manufacturers and 4S stores to "keep the owners in the dark" has also annoyed many car owners. Some car owners reported that they only received a call from the 4S shop, and the 4S shop staff said that the power battery needs to be upgraded, and it is more stable after the upgrade, and it does not talk about any hidden dangers in the battery. Some car owners are indignant and said that if they do not see the relevant news in the car friend group, their battery overhauls may not be known, if the follow-up battery water and other issues who is responsible?
It is worth noting that this is not the first time that the BMW iX3 has experienced quality problems in a large area. Since its launch in November 2020, the BMW iX3 has been recalled three times before and after due to seatbelt hazards, brake failures, and battery control unit hazards. Coupled with the loosening of the cold welding point of the high-voltage battery that should be recalled, the BMW iX3 has had four large-area quality problems in less than a year. This inevitably makes many car owners skeptical about the quality of the BMW iX3 from the "oil to electricity".
Some netizens said that the high-voltage battery cold welding point loosening problem is likely to be caused by the "oil to electricity" platform, BMW iX3 in the oil to electricity program is likely to use a special-shaped battery, although there is no sacrifice of head space and did not use the bottom hanging program like Toyota oil to electricity, but the difficulty of the special-shaped battery is the difficulty of packaging, the difficulty of cold welding of the high-voltage battery will also increase.
It seems that although the BMW iX3, which is named "the strongest oil to electricity", has not escaped the drawbacks brought by the "oil to electricity" platform.
Write at the end:
Nowadays, "BBA" has almost lost its brand advantage in the field of new energy, and users who still insist on choosing BMW brand trams are obviously fond of the BMW brand. However, as BMW's iX3, which has a relatively good sales volume, it has experienced quality problems in a large area four times in a year. Coupled with the "free upgrade" riot operation of the BMW manufacturer's "cover your ears and steal the bell", it really hurts the user's heart. It is hoped that BMW can "make up for the lost sheep", deal with vehicle problems in the form of filing recalls, and extend the warranty to maintain brand image and reputation.