NHTSA Complaint #10402778 — 2008 BMW 5 SERIES

THREE WKS AGO MY 08 528I WAS MAKING A RATTLING SOUND IN THE ENGINE, TIN-CAN SOUNDING. TOOK THE CAR FOR SERVICE & THEY REPLACED MY LIFTERS AND RELATED PARTS. THEY SAID THAT THE LIFTERS ARE "KNOWN" FOR GOING BAD ON THE 5 SERIES AND IT'S TYPICALLY DUE TO SEASONAL CHANGES. WHEN MY HUSBAND BROUGHT THE CAR HOME TO ME I WAS VERY UPSET BECAUSE THE NOISE WAS STILL THERE, NOT AS LOUD AS BEFORE. I CALLED BMW AND MADE ANOTHER APPOINTMENT, CITING THAT THIS PROBLEM HAD NOT BEEN RESOLVED AND IT NEEDED TO BE LOOKED AT AGAIN. THE APPOINTMENT WITH A LOANER COULD NOT BE SCHEDULED FOR ANOTHER 10 DAYS, SO WE WAITED. DURING THOSE 10 DAYS THE VEHICLE STARTED TO TAKE LONGER TO TURNOVER AT START UP. I WOULD ALSO FEEL THE ENGINE LIGHTLY SHUTTERING AS I DROVE AT SPEEDS AVERAGING 35-50 MILES PER HOUR. MONDAY 05/23/11 WAS MY REQUESTED APPOINTMENT; HOWEVER BECAUSE MY 15 MO. OLD BABY WAS ILL WE HAD TO CANCEL. THANK GOODNESS WE DID BECAUSE MY CAR WOULD NOT HAVE MADE IT THE 20 MILES OF FREEWAY TO THE DEALERSHIP. TODAY, 05/25/11, I MADE A LEFT OUT OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND AS I ACCELERATED APPROX. 50 YARDS, MY ENGINE BUCKED (FELT LIKE THE BOTTOM FELL OUT), I LOST SPEED DRAMATICALLY. SUDDENLY, STEERING BECAME NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE AND I WAS FORCED TO "TURN" INTO A SMALL SHOPPING CENTER. HOWEVER, I LOST ABILITY TO STEER UPON ENTERING THE PARKING LOT. MY CAR WOULD RESPOND TO NOTHING BUT THE BRAKES (THANK GOD THOSE ATLEAST WORKED). I LOOKED DOWN AT MY GEAR SHIFT TO ATTEMPT TO REVERSE AWAY FROM THE CURB AND MANEUVER INTO A PARKING SPACE, THOUGH MY CAR WAS THROWN INTO NEUTRAL & WOULD NOT RESPOND TO ANYTHING BUT "PARK". I ATTEMPTED TO STARTUP AGAIN BUT ENGINE WOULDN'T TURN OVER. IT WAS DEAD. WITHIN MOMENTS MY ABS, CHECK ENG, AND BATTERY LIGHTS ILLUMINATED & CORRESPONDING MSGS CAME ONTO MY COMMUNICATION SCREEN. CAR WAS TOWED. AWAITING DEALERSHIP RESPONSE IN THE AM. AFTER SEEING PRIOR COMPLAINTS, I SEE SOMEONE NEEDS TO BE FIRED. THE US GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO STEP IN BEFORE PEOPLE DIE! THANK GOD MY BABY WASN'T WITH ME! *TR