NHTSA Complaint #10436893 — 2011 BMW X3

THIS COMPLAINT IS IN REFERENCE TO NHTSA REPORT 11V-341. IT CONCERNS A MALFUNCTION OF A CONTROL MODULE IN THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING (EPS) UNIT IN 2011 BMW X3 PASSENGER VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM APRIL 27, 2011 THROUGH JUNE 8, 2011. ONE OF THESE 51 VEHICLES IS OURS. MY CONCERN IS THAT BMW DID NOT NOTIFY US OF THE RECALL EVEN THOUGH THE COMPANY HAS KNOWN ABOUT THE MALFUNCTION SINCE JUNE 2011.. (BMW REPORTED A SAFETY RECALL TO NHTSA ON JUNE 28, 2011, AS DOCUMENTED IN A LETTER OF JULY 1, 2011 FROM NHTSA TO BMW, ACKNOWLEDGING THE RECALL.) ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2011, THE WARNING, "CHASSIS STABILIZATION MALFUNCTION!" APPEARED ON THE VIDEO DISPLAY OF OUR X3 FOLLOWING ENGINE STARTUP. AT THE SAME TIME, STEERING WAS MORE DIFFICULT THAN NORMAL. AN HOUR LATER, DURING ENGINE RE-START, THE WARNING DID NOT RECUR, AND STEERING WAS NORMAL. PERSONNEL AT OUR LOCAL BMW DEALERSHIP WERE NOT ABLE TO EXPLAIN OUR OBSERVATIONS AND TOLD US VIA TELEPHONE TO CONTINUE USING THE VEHICLE. IN SPITE OF THAT, WE ADVISED THE DEALERSHIP THAT WE WOULD BRING THE VEHICLE TO THEM FOR EVALUATION ON MONDAY, NOV 21. SUBSEQUENTLY, I FOUND DOCUMENTATION ON-LINE THAT CONFIRMED THE MALFUNCTION AND OUR OBSERVATIONS. AT PRESENT, THE VEHICLE REMAINS AT THE DEALERSHIP AWAITING A REPLACEMENT EPS UNIT. I REMAIN CONCERNED THAT BMW DID NOT CONTACT US CONCERNING THE RECALL, AND ALSO THAT OUR LOCAL BMW DEALERSHIP HAD APPARENTLY NOT BEEN TOLD OF THE ISSUE. THAT IS THE REASON FOR MY COMPLAINT. *TR