NHTSA Complaint #10275525 — 2009 BMW M3

I WAS DRIVING ON A TWO-LANE STREET (ONE-LANE EACH DIRECTION) AND AS I WAS APPROACHING A STOPLIGHT I TURNED ON MY LEFT TURN SIGNAL AND STARTED TO MOVE INTO THE DEDICATED LEFT-HAND TURN LANE. AS I DID THIS I NEEDED TO DOWNSHIFT AS I SLOWED DOWN FOR THE STOPPED TRAFFIC AHEAD AT THE LIGHT. WHEN I SHIFTED TO SECOND GEAR AND PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR TO MOVE INTO THE TURN LANE MY CAR WOULD NOT ENGAGE INTO GEAR. I WAS ALMOST REAR-ENDED FROM THE CARS BEHIND ME BUT LUCKILY MY CAR'S TRANSMISSION ENGAGED AT THE LAST SECOND AND I CLEARED THE LANE I WAS IN. BUT BECAUSE I WAS PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR SO HARD TO TRY TO GET THE CLUTCH TO ENGAGE, WHEN IT FINALLY DID I SHOT OFF ACROSS THE LEFT-HAND TURN LANE INTO THE LANE OF ON-COMING TRAFFIC. I WAS ABLE TO STEER CLEAR BEFORE BEING HIT HEAD-ON BY ON-COMING TRAFFIC BUT THE EXPERIENCE LEFT ME VERY UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE TRANSMISSION IN MY VEHICLE. *TR