NHTSA Complaint #10849680 — 2011 BMW X5 SAV

WHILE TRAVELING 70MPH EB ON INTERSTATE 10, BILOXI, MS AREA, A SUDDEN RUMBLING SOUND WAS HEARD COMING FROM BENEATH THE VEHICLE FOLLOWED BY A LOUD POP AND SEVERE BANGING AND VIBRATION. THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY LOSS POWER AND I WAS FORCED TO MANEUVER THROUGH MODERATE HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC IN DANGEROUS CONDITIONS TO THE SIDE OF THE INTERSTATE. ONCE COMING TO A STOP, FURTHER MOVEMENT WAS NOT POSSIBLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED APPROXIMATELY 50 MILES TO NEAREST BMW DEALERSHIP IN MOBILE, ALABAMA WHERE THE ISSUE WAS DIAGNOSED AS A SNAPPED DRIVESHAFT. BMW WAS AWARE OF THE POTENTIALLY DEADLY DRIVESHAFT ISSUE AS I HAD RECEIVED A LETTER EXTENDING THE DRIVESHAFT WARRANTY 5 MONTHS PRIOR. THEY CHOSE NOT TO ISSUE A RECALL BUT INSTEAD ONLY ISSUED A LIMITED EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THE DRIVESHAFT. EXPERIENCING THIS FAILURE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS HAS SHOWN ME THAT THIS FAILURE HAD FATAL POTENTIAL. MY VEHICLE HAD BEEN CHECKED AND PRONOUNCED FIT BY A LOCAL BMW DEALERSHIP 6 DAYS PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT......UPDATED 06/23/16 * BF *CN