NHTSA Complaint #10411695 — 2007 BMW 335I

MY VEHICLE IS 2007 BMW 335I. ON 7/3/11, I WAS ON THE INTERSTATE GOING 70 MILES PER HOUR WHEN THE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT "ENGINE MALFUNCTION- REDUCED POWER" WAS ACTIVATED CAUSING THE VEHICLE SPEED TO ABRUPTLY REDUCE SPEED TO AROUND 20-30MPH. I HAD TO ACTIVATE HAZARD LIGHTS AND LIMP OFF INTERSTATE WHILE CAR WAS BUCKING, COUGHING, AND SPUTTERING. IT WAS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AS THE SUDDEN SLOW DOWN MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED ON A BUSIER INTERSTATE. I CALLED THE TOW TRUCK AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A BMW CENTER WHERE THEY CLAIMED THEY REMOVED SOME SAND FROM THE THROTTLE BODY. BMW WANTED TO BLAME THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP, BUT REALIZED IT WAS REPLACED 3 WEEKS EARLIER DUE TO A RECALL, ALONG WITH AN "UPDATING" OF THE ENGINE CONTROL UNIT SOFTWARE AND REPLACING SOME INJECTORS. I NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH ENGINE UNTIL AFTER THESE RECALL "FIXES." THE CARE NOW LOSES POWER AND HAS TURBO ACCELERATION LAG. THESE SAME DANGEROUS ENGINE ISSUES HAVE HAPPENED ANOTHER 5 SINCE THE "FIX", ONLY A MONTH AGO. THIS IS A KNOWN BMW DEFECT! THIS VERY SAME ISSUE APPEARED QUITE OFTEN TO A NUMBER OF 335I OR OTHER BMW MODELS USING THE SAME ENGINE, IN PARTICULAR TO THE 07 AND 08 MODELS. MANY CAR OWNERS HAVE THE SAME ISSUE HAPPEN AFTER THEIR FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED ONCE OR EVEN TWICE. IT SEEMS LIKE THERE IS NO FIX FOR THIS ISSUE AND IT POSES AS A TREMENDOUS DANGER FOR BMW DRIVERS WITH THIS SPECIFIC ENGINE SINCE YOU CANNOT BE CERTAIN WHEN THE PROBLEM WILL RE-OCCUR. A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT WAS FILED RECENTLY IN CALIFORNIA REGARDING THESE SAME ISSUES. WILL SOMEONE HAVE TO DIE BEFORE THE GOVERNMENT HOLDS BMW RESPONSIBLE? *TR