A Most Unlikely Design Flaw Could Cost BMW Millions in Settlements

Cars are far from perfect, they never were, they never will be, and this has to do with them being such complex machines. The higher complexity of modern cars, of course, comes with a higher probability of a breakdown and this is why every now and then carmakers issue recalls for the models that need problems fixed.

Some of these problems are big and even can lead to accidents and death, as Toyota had to learn the hard way more than a decade ago. Some others are small enough to not be worth even mentioning. In some cases, they might turn a smile or even a good laugh, being so ridiculous. I guess this is where the cupholders drama on the BMW X7 belongs. Ridiculous as it is, it was enough to start an action class lawsuit that could cause BMW to pay millions of dollars.

According to a lengthy complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Orange County, the cupholders of the BMW X7 (and possibly other car models in BMW lineup) “are defective and are not properly designed to hold cups filled with liquid — the very thing cup holders are intended to do.”

The complaint goes on to read: “When liquid spills into the cup holder, the wires for the SRS (airbag) control module, which sits directly underneath cup holder, get wet and are damaged, causing damage to the airbags. As a result, the airbags can inadvertently deploy.”

This happens as lots of BMW X7 owners complained about their cars refusing to drive when either there is a spill in the cupholder or condensation on the cup. The worst part is the replacement and the repairs costs of the module could get close to $3,000, with no warranty coverage for this issue. There is no account of anyone being hurt because of this, though.

“Placed a soft drink in Cup Holders of a 2020 BMW X7. The lid was not on well and some of the soda spilled onto the gearshift center console. Not much, the cup did not come out of the Cup Holders or anything like that just some spilled as driving….the soda was still 95% full in the cup. But…car goes into emergency stop in the left lane of the highway and unable to drive. Goes into Park and won't shift into drive or reverse and dash says bring to dealer immediately. Car gets towed to BMW and tech tells me the liquid damaged a part under the gear shift…cost to fix $2,900 and not covered by warranty,” reads one of the comments attached to the complaint filed in court, according to the story posted on Courthouse News.

We contacted BMW of North America and the official answer was “the company does not comment on active litigation.”