NHTSA Complaint #10722105 — 2015 BMW 328XI

ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27TH, 2015, MY WIFE AND MY TWO DAUGHTERS, AGES 19 AND 21 WERE TRAVELING BACK UP THE GARDEN STATE PARKWAY. THEY WERE DRIVING IN MY WIFES NEW 2015 BMW 328XI AND THE CAR WAS IN "SPORTS MODE." MY WIFE WHO IS A VERY EXPERIENCED DRIVER, AND NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS, WAS DRIVING. AT ABOUT 4:30 PM, AFTER EXITING THE PARKWAY THEY GOT TO A NEARBY INTERSECTION AND PLANNED ON TURNING LEFT TO GO TO THE LOCAL MARKET. HOWEVER, WHEN THEY APPROACHED THE INTERSECTION, MY WIFE WAS NOT ABLE TO STOP HER CAR. SHE PRESSED ON THE BREAKS BUT THEY WERE NOT RESPONDING PROPERLY AND THE CAR STARTED JERKING BACK AND FORTH AND SKIDDING TOWARDS THE CENTER OF THE INTERSECTION, WHERE OTHER CARS WERE DRIVING BY AT HIGH SPEEDS. MY WIFE CONTINUED TO PRESS AS HARD AS SHE CAN ON THE BREAK BUT THE CAR DID NOT COME TO A FULL STOP UNTIL IT WAS IN THE CENTER OF THE INTERSECTION. LUCKILY, NO CAR WAS COMING BY AT THE EXACT MOMENT OF THE INCIDENT, BUT IF THERE HAD BEEN ANOTHER CAR, THE BREAK FAILURE, IN THE CONTEXT OF THE DEFECTIVE SPORT MODE, PROBABLY WOULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. THEY ALSO PULLED ON THE PARKING BRAKE, ATTEMPTED TO SWITCH TO PARK AND TO TURN THE ENGINE OFF IN ORDER TO STOP. FINALLY, TOTALLY TRAUMATIZED AND STILL HAVING POST TRAUMATIC STRESS AND FEAR TO GET BACK BEHIND THE WHEEL, INSTEAD OF TURNING LEFT, MY WIFE AND DAUGHTERS DECIDED TO TURN RIGHT AND VERY VERY SLOWLY DRIVE HOME 2 BLOCKS AWAY, TOTALLY TRAUMATIZED BY WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED.