NHTSA Complaint #10279088 — 2009 BMW M3

HELLO, I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2009 BMW M3 WITH THE DCT TRANSMISSION. THE TRANSMISSION ACTS LIKE A SEQUENTIAL MANUAL SHIFTER, ALLOWING THE DRIVER TO SHIFT UP AND DOWN AT THEIR WILL. THESE SHIFTS HAPPEN INSTANTANEOUSLY, WITHIN FRACTIONS OF A SECOND. ADDITIONALLY, WHEN COMING TO A STOP, THE CAR WILL DOWNSHIFT TO 1ST GEAR ON ITS OWN, INSTEAD OF RELYING ON DRIVER INPUT, AS A MATTER OF CONVENIENCE. ALL OF THIS IS NORMAL, ADVERTISED, AND EXPECTED BEHAVIOR. THERE ARE TIMES, HOWEVER, WHEN THE CAR IS DECELERATING BUT NOT COMING TO A FULL STOP (WHEN TAKING A TURN AT AN INTERSECTION, FOR EXAMPLE), THAT THE TRANSMISSION WILL BEGIN ITS AUTOMATED DOWNSHIFTS BUT THEN BECOME INCREDIBLY UNRESPONSIVE. IN THESE CASES, IF I PRESS ON THE ACCELERATOR BEFORE COMING TO A FULL STOP, I'LL NOTICE A SIGNIFICANT LAG BEFORE THE ENGINE ACTUALLY REVS UP. BASICALLY, PRESSING ON THE GAS WON'T DO ANYTHING -- THE TRANSMISSION IS OSTENSIBLY "DECIDING" WHICH GEAR IS THE OPTIMAL ONE AND WILL IGNORE ALL MANUAL GEAR CHANGES AND GAS PEDAL INPUT UNTIL IT MAKES UP ITS MIND. AT TIMES, THIS LAG HAS LASTED AS LONG AS 2-3 SECONDS. THIS LAG IS BOTHERSOME, AT TIMES DANGEROUS, AND ALARMINGLY, WAS NOT AS NOTICEABLY BAD WHEN I FIRST PURCHASED THE CAR A FEW MONTHS AGO. THIS BEHAVIOR OCCURS ON A DAILY BASIS, AND CAN BE REPRODUCED AT WILL. INCIDENTALLY, THIS LAG DOESN'T HAPPEN IF I MANUALLY DOWNSHIFT THROUGH THE GEARS TO 3RD, 2ND, OR 1ST RATHER THAN LETTING THE CAR PERFORM THE DOWNSHIFTS FOR ME. *TR