NHTSA Complaint #10508203 — 2010 BMW 335

THIS 335D HAD A HISTORY OF ENGINE LIGHT-ON EVENTS PRIOR TO POTENTIAL CATASTROPHIC UNCOMMENTED ENGINE RUNAWAY. ON JAN 13, 2013 CUSTOMER WAS DRIVING VEHICLE AT CRUISE CONTROL AT SPEED SETTING 83 MPH ON TURNPIKE AT 11PM. SUDDENLY ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, FOLLOWED BY A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN ENGINE POWER OUTPUT. ENGINE WAS UNABLE TO HANDLE POWER REQUIREMENT TO KEEP CRUISE CONTROL SPEED AT 83 AND VEHICLE'S SPEED DROPPED TO LOW 70-IES MPH. ECU DID NOT DISENGAGE CRUISE CONTROL WHILE ENGINE POWER WAS REDUCED. SUDDENLY VEHICLE ACCELERATED UNCOMMENTED BACK TO THE SET CRUISE CONTROL SPEED OF 83 MPH. VERY DANGEROUS AND SCARY SITUATION. VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO BMW SERVICE ON JAN 16 2013 AND REMAINED THERE FOR OVER 2.5 MONTHS! MANY PARTS WERE REPLACED AND ENGINE LIGHT-ON EVENT WAS REPLICATED SEVERAL TIMES BY SERVICE MECHANICS. BMW CENTER MANAGER STATED "WE DO NOT WANT TO SELL YOUR CAR TO ANY OF OUR CUSTOMER, THEY MAY HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS YOU HAD". IRONICALLY, VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO CUSTOMER ON MARCH 27, AFTER 70 DAYS OF REPAIRS AND TROUBLESHOOTING. CUSTOMER WAS SHOWN PICTURES BY SERVICE MANAGER OF CYLINDER HEAD, ONE OF THE MANY PARTS THAT WAS REPLACED, THAT WAS FULL OF GUNK AND CARBON BUILD UP. CYLINDER HEAD WAS THEN APPARENTLY MAILED TO BMW GERMANY FOR FURTHER ANALYSIS. BMW SERVICE MANAGER STATED THAT THIS VEHICLE WAS PROBABLY NOT THE ONLY VEHICLE WITH THIS PROBLEM. . . . NO ROOT CAUSE WAS EVER PROVIDED ABOUT VEHICLE'S ENGINE LIGHT, SIGNIFICANT CARBON BUILD UP IN CYLINDER HEAD AND SAFETY ISSUES. *TR