NHTSA Complaint #10619233 — 2013 BMW X3

THE REAR HATCH DOOR OPENS UNEXPECTEDLY. THIS HAS OCCURRED ABOUT 6 TIMES IN THE LAST 1-1/2 YEARS. IT LAST OCCURRED ON AUG. 3 AND OUR DOG -- WHO WAS SITTING IN THE REAR OF THE CAR -- FELL OUT OF THE CAR AS WE WERE DRIVING. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME OUR DOG HAS ABRUPTLY FALLEN OR JUMPED OUT OF THE CAR DUE TO THE HATCH UNEXPECTEDLY OPENING WHILE WE WERE DRIVING. THE PROBLEM: 1) MY WIFE AND I BOTH HAVE KEYS TO THE CAR. THE KEYS ELECTRONICALLY LOCK & UNLOCK THE DOORS. 2) WE PARKED THE CAR ON THE STREET, AND I LOCKED THE CAR SUCCESSFULLY WITH MY SET OF KEYS. 3) MY WIFE LEFT HER KEYS IN THE CAR. THE CAR REMAINED LOCKED. 4) AFTER AN HOUR, WE ARRIVED BACK AT THE CAR AND I OPENED THE BACK HATCH WITH MY KEYS IN MY POCKET. 5) AFTER THE DOG HOPPED INTO THE BACK OF THE CAR, I PRESSED THE "LOCK" BUTTON ON THE HATCH. THE HATCH SUCCESSFULLY CLOSED. 6) I WALKED TO THE DRIVER'S SIDE AND UNLOCKED THE DOORS, GOT IN, STARTED THE CAR AND BEGAN DRIVING AWAY. 7) AFTER MOVING ABOUT 20 FEET AND PREPARING TO MERGE ONTO A MAJOR ARTERY, PEOPLE ON THE STREET STARTED YELLING THAT THE BACK HATCH OF THE BMW HAD OPENED AND OUR DOG HAD FALLEN OUT OF THE CAR. THERE WAS NO BEEP OR ALARM INDICATING THAT THE HATCH HAD AUTOMATICALLY OPENED. 8) THE DIAGNOSIS: BMW EXPLAINED THAT IF A SET OF KEYS IS LEFT IN THE CAR, THE BMW IS PROGRAMMED TO NOT LOCK. 9) THE DANGER: INSTEAD OF SIMPLY NOT LOCKING, THE REAR HATCH AUTOMATICALLY OPENS. THE LOCKING/UNLOCKING IS INCONSISTENT AND THERE IS NO ALARM TO INDICATE THAT THE HATCH WILL OPEN. THIS HATCH IS HEAVY, SO IF THIS BEHAVIOR OCCURS IN A PARKING LOT, FOR EXAMPLE, IT CAN EASILY INJURE A PASSERBY. MORE IMPORTANTLY, ANYTHING IN THE BACK OF THE CAR -- DOG, CHILD, GROCERIES -- CAN EASILY FALL OUT. 10) TAKEAWAY: DOORS AND HATCHES SHOULD NOT OPEN AUTOMATICALLY. AN ALARM INDICATING THAT A SECOND SET OF KEYS HAS BEEN LEFT IN THE CAR IS A SAFER SOLUTION. *TR