NHTSA Complaint #10550616 — 2012 BMW 135I

FROM THE TIME OF OWNERSHIP (MARCH 16, 2012) TO NOW, THE VEHICLE SHUTS OFF DURING OPERATION WHILE IN IDLE RPM SPEED. THE VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH A SIX-SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION. WHETHER THE CLUTCH IS FULLY PRESSED IN AND IN-GEAR, OR THE VEHICLE IS OUT-OF-GEAR, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY FOR THE IDLE RPMS DROPPING AND THE ENGINE SHUTTING OFF. THIS MOSTLY OCCURS WHILE STOPPING FOR A RED LIGHT, STOPPING FOR A STOP SIGN, OR IN STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC ON THE HIGHWAY. FOR EXAMPLE, THE VEHICLE IS APPROACHING A STOP SIGN AT 25MPH. THE CLUTCH IS FULLY PRESSED IN, THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED, AND THE GEAR SHIFTER IS CHANGED FROM 3RD GEAR TO 1ST GEAR. WHILE APPROACHING A COMPLETE STOP WITH THE CLUTCH STILL FULLY PRESSED IN, THE ENGINE RPMS WILL DROP FROM NORMAL IDLE SPEED (600-800RPM) TO ZERO. THEREFORE THE ENGINE HAS SHUT OFF GOING 3-5MPH, LEAVING THE DRIVER WITH NO POWER STEERING AND NO POWER BRAKES. SOMETIMES THIS STALL IS VIOLENT; THE VEHICLE SHAKES WHILE RPMS DROP. OTHER TIMES, THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL WITHOUT THE DRIVER EVEN NOTICING. ALSO, THIS VEHICLE STALLED TWICE WHILE TAKING A TURN AT 15-20MPH AND THE DRIVER HAD TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT ON BOTH OCCASIONS BECAUSE OF THIS STALLING ISSUE. THIS CRITICAL SAFETY PROBLEM OCCURRED AT A MAGNITUDE OF ONCE A MONTH FROM MARCH 2012 UNTIL JULY 2013. FROM JULY 2013 TO SEPTEMBER 2013, THIS STALLING ISSUE OCCURRED THREE TIMES A WEEK. THEN FROM SEPTEMBER 2013 TO NOW, THE PROBLEM WENT BACK TO ONCE EVERY MONTH. THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE BMW DEALERSHIP MANY TIMES BUT BECAUSE THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT, THE DEALERSHIP COULD NOT REPLICATE THE ISSUE; THEREFORE APPLYING NO REPAIR OR SOLUTION TO THIS CRITICAL PROBLEM. BMW NORTH AMERICA WAS CONTACTED AFTER THE SHOP FOREMAN EXPLAINED THAT THE VEHICLE CANNOT BE FIXED. BMW NORTH AMERICA DID NOT HELP IN ANY WAY, THEREFORE LAWYER-INVOLVEMENT IS IN EFFECT TO ATTEMPT IN LEMONING THIS DANGEROUS VEHICLE. *TR