NHTSA Complaint #10692036 — 2008 BMW 335I

WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH IN AN AREA WHERE THERE WAS NO PULL OFF AND A BLIND TURN AND THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE WAS WELL WITHIN THE NORMAL RANGE, AN OVERHEAT ENGINE LIGHT INDICATOR CAME ON AND THE CAR IMMEDIATELY LOST POWER LEAVING US IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD OBSTRUCTED AROUND A TURN. THE TIME BETWEEN THE WARNING AND THE CAR LAST POWER WAS A FEW SECONDS WITH NO OTHER WARNING. THIS WAS AN EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS AND DANGEROUS SITUATION. AFTER ABOUT 5 MINUTES, WE WERE ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR AND GET IT ABOUT 1/2 MILE, THUS REMOVING IT FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, AGAIN LOSING POWER WITH NO WARNING. A QUALIFIED CAR REPAIR CENTER SAID IT WAS A FAULTY WATER PUMP (THE CAR HAS 56,000) AND THEY SAID THAT MANY OTHER BMW OWNERS WITH MY TYPE OF CAR ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE; IN FACT THEY TOLD ME ANOTHER OWNER HAD THEIR CAR IN FOR REPAIR WITH THE SAME ISSUE AND BMW WAS NOT COOPERATING. I RESEARCHED BOTH COMPLAINTS ON THIS SITE (WHICH CONFIRM THE SAME ISSUE) AS WELL AS BMW OWNER'S FORUMS WHICH LIKEWISE CONFIRM THE SAME ISSUE AS WELL. I CALLED BMW AND THEY SAID THERE WAS NO RECALL AND THAT THEY WOULD NOT ADDRESS THE ISSUE. THIS IS A DANGEROUS AND UNFORTUNATE POSITION FOR BMW TO TAKE. NOT ONLY IS IT UNACCEPTABLE FOR BMW TO IGNORE A KNOWN WATER PUMP ISSUE THAT FAILS PREMATURELY, BUT THE CAR LOOSES POWER WITHOUT TIME TO REACT. FOR THE SAKE OF SAFETY, I ASK THIS PLEASE BE ADDRESSED. *TR