Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2007 BMW 328i owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 BMW 328i. The contact stated that the driver side door did not unlock even after manually using the key. In addition, the contact had to exit the vehicle through the passenger side door. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
The doors on my 2007 BMW 328i would not open with the push button lock. I removed the manual key and was able to open the door from the outside. When I returned to my house, I reviewed the owners manual and checked to see if the setting was wrong with the key. Pushing the key, open-close button the doors locked but would not open. I had the foresight to roll my window down prior to checking the lock. If I had not done so, I would have been locked in the vehicle. This happened in florida and could have been fatal if locked in the car without a way out in the florida heat. Also, the gas door was locked shut and I was unable to put gas in the vehicle. I contacted the BMW dealership (quality imports- ft walton beach) and took the car to them for repairs. It took two days instead of the two hours that I was promised. …
A blown fuse caused the door unlocking mechanism to fail, trapping occupants in the car. The doors could not be opened by any means, as the failure also disabled the normal mechanism by which pulling on an interior door handle released the associated lock. The sole exception is that the driver's door could be opened by rolling down the window, and reaching out awkwardly through the window to the exterior door handle with the mechanical auxiliary key. However, the only exit available to backseat passengers was through the windows, assuming the passengers were small enough to fit through them. Neither of these modes of egress would be satisfactory if exit needed to be quick. Fortunately, this particular failure happened to my family while the car was safely parked. …
A copy of an email to BMW: I have been reasonably happy with my 2007 328i until the electronic locks failed. I could not get in my car except with a key. I couldn't open any door except the driver's door even from the inside! If I had an emergency both my passengers and I would have been trapped. When I looked online, I found that my problem was not at all unique many others have experienced the same issue with failing actuators. What troubles me is not the failure of a part (though I do expect better of BMW), but the fact that my family's safety was potentially compromised. More importantly, BMW has not addressed this issue with corrective parts and procedures so, I am told that if this happens again, I could still find myself trapped in my car after an accident. I expected better with the purchase of a BMW. …
Model: 2007 BMW 328i. The electronic "door actuators" failed. As a result, it became impossible to open any door of the vehicle from the inside, except the driver's door. When these electronic door actuators fail, passengers are trapped in the vehicle, and are exposed to injury or death in the event of a fire or if the vehicle becomes submerged. The service advisor at the dealership (weatherford BMW, berkeley, california) suggested that even if the electronic door actuators were disabled the doors could still be opened by pulling twice on the opening latch. However, when this was tried, the doors still could not be opened. The service advisors did comment that this problem had occurred in other 328i models; and, in fact, another vehicle was being serviced for the identical problem. …
Door locks failed to unlock either with the remote control or the inside door lock button (central locking system). Doors except for the drivers door would not open even using the inside door handles. The drivers door had to be opened from the outside using the key. My wife and I were locked in the car in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees. We did not even realize the locks did not work until we returned home from a brief trip. Had we been in an accident we would not have been able to get out of the car. The gas filler door is linked to the door locks and would also not open. It seemed that the door locks are only electronically controlled with no manual linkage since lifting the button on the door did not unlock the door. After finally getting out of the car I did some quick research online and found this to be a common problem. …
Door lock actuator failure: front door lock actuators failed disallowing exit from all doors except the driver's side front door. Passengers could only exit the vehicle by crawling out of the driver's side front door. The front passenger door and both rear doors could not be opened by using the interior or exterior doorhandles. Furthermore, the electrical system disallowed any unlocking of these three doors as well. Fortunately, the car was not involved in an accident during this door lock actuator failure. During the time of this incident, two people were in the car. The consequences of not having doors which can open from the inside of the car could prove deadly in an accident. A letter was written to BMW of north America, llc by the owner of this car in this report and their response on October 7th, 2011 was, "we have no response."
I was driving my BMW 328i 2007 and had passengers in the car. Apparently one of the door lock fuses blew. I am unable to unlock any of the passenger doors with the key fob nor from the inside of the car. I am able to open the driver's side door manually but that is it. In other words, the passengers in my car could not manually open their doors at all. They had to crawl through the driver side to exit the vehicle! Thank god I wasn't in an accident, there wasn't a fire. I'm now being told that BMW has to "run a full diagnostic" but there is no way to open any passenger doors of the vehicle for entrance or exit unless I potentially spend thousands of dollars on an electrical system issue. Seriously? Does this seem safe to the average person?
Door lock actuator failure: front door lock actuators failed disallowing exit from all doors except the driver's side front door. Passengers could only exit the vehicle by crawling out of the driver's side front door. The front passenger door and both rear doors could not be opened by using the interior or exterior doorhandles. Furthermore, the electrical system disallowed any unlocking of these three doors as well. Fortunately, the car was not involved in an accident during this door lock actuator failure. During the time of this incident. Car was taken to BMW dealer (passport) for repair and when asked about the safety implications said it is unfortunate but all cars with electronic locks respond this way when the central locking system fails.
The doors failed to unlock with the key fob. Only way to enter was with the key into the drivers door. The other doors failed to unlock from the inside, both by using the handle and the unlock button on the dash. Apparently, the door lock actuators are drawing more current flow and burning the 15a fuse installed. A BMW sb says to replace with a 20a fuse, however, the problem still exists. This creates an unsafe condition, in that no passenger(s) can exit the vehicle, and nobody, such as emergency personnel, can enter from the outside. The fuse isn't the answer, BMW knows about this problem and should deal with it in a manner that promotes safety of passengers, not profits for the dealers.
Door Lock & Latch complaints in other 328i years
Frequently asked questions
How common are door lock & latch problems on the 2007 BMW 328i?
NHTSA has 36 complaints about the locks & latches of the 2007 BMW 328i, 9% of the model year's 399 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2007 BMW 328i door lock & latch problems?
No. NHTSA lists no locks & latches recall for the 2007 BMW 328i, though it has 6 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2007 BMW 328i door lock & latch problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 48,000 miles, and 13% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.