NHTSA Complaint #10424569 — 2011 BMW X3

WE LEASED THE ABOVE BMW X3DRIVE 35I (SHIPPED ON 3.30.2011) FROM HUSKER AUTO GROUP, BMW OF LINCOLN, NE ON MARCH 30, 2011 FOR A 3-YEAR PERIOD. IN MID APRIL I NOTICED A VERY LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE AFTER I TURNED THE CAR OFF. THE CAR HAD 567 MILES ON THE ODOMETER AND WAS TAKEN BACK TO BMW OF LINCOLN FOR REPAIRS ON APRIL 26, 2011. WE WERE TOLD THE MAIN CRANKCASE SEAL WAS CAUSING HIGH PRESSURES AND WAS THE PROBLEM. APPARENTLY REPLACING THE VALVE COVERS WOULD RESULT IN IT BEING FIXED. WITHIN A WEEK, I NOTED THE EXACT SAME NOISE. THE CAR NOW HAD 1391 MILES ON THE ODOMETER WAS AGAIN RETURNED TO BMW OF LINCOLN ON MAY 12, 2011. THIS TIME I WAS TOLD THE MASTER SEAL WAS BROKEN. BMW OF LINCOLN REMOVED THE TRANSMISSION AND REPLACED THE REAR MAIN CRANKCASE SEAL. ON SEPTEMBER 4, 2011, WE WERE DRIVING AT 25 MILES/HOUR WHEN THE DASH LIT UP WITH A DRIVE TRANSMISSION ALERT. IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER, WE HEARD AN EXTREMELY LOUD SOUND COMING FROM UNDER THE CAR. IT SOUNDED LIKE THE CAR HAD BROKEN IN HALF AND THE ENTIRE ENGINE HAD FALLEN OUT. THE DASH THEN DISPLAYED A CHASSIS ALERT FOLLOWED BY A TRANSMISSION ALERT. THE CAR ROLLED BACKWARDS DESPITE BEING PUT IN PARK. BARON BMW'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THERE HAS BEEN A TOTAL DISRUPTION OF ALL THE DRIVESHAFT AND THE TRANSMISSION, FLANGES AND EBOW VALVE (?) AS WELL AS OTHER SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS. SOME REPLACEMENT PARTS HAVE TO BE ORDERED FROM GERMANY. WE WERE TOLD THAT WE WERE EXTREMELY LUCKY TO HAVE BEEN TRAVELING AT SUCH A LOW SPEED AND THAT IF IT HAD OCCURRED AT 70MPH IT COULD HAVE HAD FATAL CONSEQUENCES. *TR