NHTSA Complaint #10072452 — 2003 BMW 745I

NEW BMW 745I WAS PURCHASED ON OCTOBER 29, 2003. SINCE JANUARY 2004, VEHICLE HAS ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS EXHIBITED TRANSMISSION FAILURE. ON EACH OCCASION, THE VEHICLE WOULD EXHIBIT VERY HARD SHIFTING, FOLLOWED BY VIOLENT JERKING, HALTING AND DOWNSHIFTING WHILE TRAVELING AT SPEED ON THE STREET OR HIGHWAY, THROWING THE PASSENGERS FORWARD VIOLENTLY. MULTIPLE TRANSMISSION WARNING SOUNDS AND MESSAGES ARE DISPLAYED. LOUD METALLIC GRINDING AND RATTLING NOISES COME FROM THE TRANSMISSION AREA. THE CAR THROWS ITSELF INTO PARK AS THE CAR SLOWS TO MAKE A STOP. MOST RECENTLY, THE CAR THREW ITSELF INTO PARK AT 15 MPH ALMOST CAUSING A REAR END COLLISION WITH THE VEHICLE FOLLOWING BEHIND. EVENTUALLY, THE CAR PUTS ITSELF INTO PARK AND CANNOT BE MOVED. EACH TIME THE CAR HAS HAD TO HAVE BEEN TOWED AWAY. TWICE THE CAR HAS STOPPED IN AN INTERSECTION AND COULD NOT BE MOVED. ON EACH OCCASION, THE DEALER HAS DENIED THERE WAS A PROBLEM, ONLY TO CLAIM UPON MY INSISTENCE THAT THEY LOOK AGAIN THAT THE PROBLEM IS A SOFTWARE OR COMPUTER PROBLEM. ON THE LAST OCCASION, THE DEALER ADMITTED THAT THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED.