NHTSA Complaint #10586721 — 2008 BMW 328I

I WAS DRIVING MY 328I IN THE MORNING ON THE WAY TO WORK, IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD, TRAVELING ABOUT 10 MPH (IN A SCHOOL ZONE), WHEN THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS SUDDENLY CAME ON WITHOUT ME TURNING THEM ON. AT THE SAME TIME, MY ENTIRE DASH BOARD CONTROL SYSTEM PANEL AND THE AREA BETWEEN THE SPEEDOMETER AND TACHOMETER LIT UP WITH SEVERAL SYSTEM ERROR MESSAGES: 1) CHECK CONTROL MESSAGES: CONTROL SYSTEMS! DRIVE MODERATELY. RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION! TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION! CRUISE CONTROL MALFUNCTION! 2) PASS. RESTRAINT SYSTEM: FAULT IN PASSENGER-RESTRAINT SYSTEM AFFECTING AIRBAG, BELT TENSIONER OR BELT-FORCE LIMITER. CONTINUE TO WEAR THE SAFETY BELT. TRANSMISSON MALFUNCTION! 3) TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION: FUNCTIONALITY OR DISPLAY OF GEAR POSITION MAY MALFUNCTION. IT MAY BE POSSIBLE TO ENGAGE A GEAR WITHOUT DEPRESSING BRAKE PEDAL. RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION! 4) CRUISE CONTROL: CRUISE CONTROL MALFUNCTION. HAVE THE SYSTEM CHECKED BY YOUR BMW CENTER. CONTROL SYSTEMS! DRIVE MODERATELY. 5) CONTROL SYSTEMS. BRAKING AND DYNAMIC-RESPONSE SYSTEM MALFUNCTION. DRIVE MODERATELY. AVOID HARD BRAKING. CONTROL SYSTEMS! DRIVE MODERATELY 6) AREA BETW SPEEDOMETER/TACH IS LIT UP [E.G. BRAKE, ABS, TRANSMISSION AND CRUISE WARNING SYMBOLS]. 7) THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL NOT TURN OFF AS LONG AS THE CAR KEY IS IN THE IGNITION. WHEN YOU TURN THE CAR OFF, THE WIPERS DO NOT STOP UNTIL THE KEY IS REMOVED! THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED IT BRAND NEW. THEY SAY THEY ARE NOT AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM. I ALSO EMAILED BMW USA NORTH AMERICA. MY REQUEST IS THAT YOU INVESTIGATE THESE ISSUES WITH BMW USA NORTH AMERICA. SURELY, THEY HAVE MORE INTELLIGENCE ABOUT THE NATURE AND SCOPE OF THESE TYPES OF PROBLEM AND NEED TO BE TRANSPARENT IN ADVISING CONSUMERS ACCORDINGLY BEFORE THE UNDERLYING CAUSE OF THE DEFECT LEADS TO ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES. *TR