NHTSA Complaint #10648816 — 2014 BMW I3 REX

BMW SHOULD IMMEDIATELY RECALL OR WARN DRIVERS ABUT THE I3 RANGE EXTENDER MODEL. SOMEONE COULD BE KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED IN AN ACCIDENT CAUSED BY A DEADLY FLAW IN THE CAR THAT I EXPERIENCED. YESTERDAY MORNING, THE BATTERY WAS LOW IN POWER AND I WAS IN REX MODE AND DRIVING UP THE CONEJO GRADE RETURNING TO LA FROM SANTA BARBARA. I WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 65 MILES PER HOUR IN THE FAST LANE. I AM NOT SURE ABOUT THE PRECISE SPEED BECAUSE I WAS DRIVING INTO THE SUN AND THE CRUISE CONTROL WOULD NOT OPERATE (SEE BELOW). SUDDENLY, AND WITHOUT WARNING, THE CAR LOST POWER. DESPITE HAVING MY FOOT PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR DOWN TO THE FLOOR, THE CAR QUICKLY DROPPED SPEED. AS THE CAR DROPPED SPEED ALL THE WAY TO ABOUT 35 MILES PER HOUR, I QUICKLY MOVED OVER LANE BY LANE TO THE RIGHT WHERE I FINALLY HAD TO LIMP ONTO THE RIGHT SHOULDER. SEVERAL CARS MOVING UP ON MY REAR HAD TO SWERVE TO AVOID HITTING ME. FORTUNATELY, IT WAS EARLY IN THE MORNING AND TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT. NORMALLY, THIS STRETCH OF THE FREEWAY IS FULL OF FAST MOVING CARS AND TRUCKS. AS I LIMPED TO THE TOP OF THE GRADE, THE CAR REGAINED POWER AND DROVE AS USUAL. EARLIER, ON THE DRIVE, I EXPERIENCED ANOTHER DEFECT IN THE CAR, I WAS DRIVING ALONG AT SUNRISE ON CRUISE CONTROL AND WHEN THE SUN CAME UP THE CAR SUDDENLY TURNED OFF THE CRUISE CONTROL AND RELEASED THE ACCELERATOR. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE ACTIVE CRUISE CONTROL MY NOT FUNCTION UNDER CERTAIN LIGHT CONDITIONS. HOWEVER, THE CAR SHOULD WARN THAT IT IS NO LONGER IN ACTIVE MODE, BUT SHOULD CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN SPEED - NOT JUST SUDDENLY TURN OFF AND RELEASE THE ACCELERATOR WHICH AT HIGHWAY SPEED IS DANGEROUS.