1999 BMW 528I User Comment / Complaint

Asc control unit failed. this resulted in failure of anti-lock brakes and traction control and speedometer on my 1999 bmw 528i. bmw has a service bulletin out on this issue for 5 series cars 9/98 to 9/00 (mine was built 10/98). bulletin info: vs-23/weintuch baugruppe/group:32 32 01 00 (646) dated 11/2000. the repair instructions code is ra 24 52 515/ 34 52 516. after unit failed, i was involved in an emergency situation in which i had to brake heavily and all four wheels locked up. however i managed to stop within 2 feet of the car that pulled in front of me. there is a large number of vehicle owners currently reporting this same problem on a number of bmw bulletin boards (www.roadfly.com). it is a safety issue that apparently bmw is aware of but not doing anything about it. i just spent $1006.37 today for the repair at crown bmw. i understand that my car is not in warranty but i believe this is a safety issue that should be addressed. eventually, there will be a serious accident from this known part failure. i have also heard that a number of bmw dealers are stocking up higher than usual inventories of this part, apparently in anticipation of large scale failures of the asc control unit (part34-52-6-756-343).