NHTSA Complaint #10668414 — 2010 BMW 328I

I STARTED MY CAR AND BEGIN PULLING OUT OF MY PARKING SPOT. WHEN I SHIFTED FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE AND PULLED MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE TO PUSH THE ACCELERATOR, THE ENGINE REDUCED POWER SIGNIFICANTLY, STALLED, AND THE CAR DIED ON ME WITHIN A FEW SECONDS. THERE WERE SEVERAL MESSAGES THAT APPEARED ONCE THE ENGINE HAD DIED INCLUDING "ENGINE MALFUNCTION", "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" AND "DSC - REDUCED DRIVABILITY". THE LATTER STATED THAT IT WAS STILL SAFE TO DRIVE THE CAR THOUGH CAUTION SHOULD BE USED. HOWEVER, WHEN I TRIED RE-STARTING THE ENGINE, IT WOULD CRANK AND SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS TRYING TO START, BUT WOULD NOT ACTUALLY START. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO GET A FEW PEOPLE IN THE AREA TO PUSH ME SAFELY OUT OF THE ACTIVE TRAFFIC LANE I WAS STALLED IN INTO A PARKING SPOT. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE NEAREST BMW DEALERSHIP WHERE CAUSE OF ISSUE IS STILL BEING DIAGNOSED; SO I STILL DO NOT KNOW ROOT CAUSE FOR THIS MALFUNCTION. LUCKILY I WAS IN A PARKING LOT WHEN THIS HAPPENED, HOWEVER, THE THOUGHT THAT THE ENGINE COULD JUST STOP AND DIE ON ME AT ANY POINT, SUCH AS WHEN DRIVING AT 60+ MPH ON THE FREEWAY, IS RATHER TERRIFYING. FURTHER, GIVEN THE LOW MILES AND YEARS ON THE CAR, RUNNING INTO SUCH A SERIOUS ISSUE IS RATHER UNSETTLING. *TR