NHTSA Complaint #10850331 — 2009 BMW 535I

THE CAR ENGINE *COMPLETELY* SHUTDOWN WHILE BEING DRIVEN, *WITHOUT* ANY WARNING; HAD JUST EXITED MAJOR INTERSTATE HIGHWAY (I-95), AND WAS STILL ON EXIT RAMP WHEN THIS HAPPENED. THE CAR WAS STILL IN MOTION, THE DRIVER, LUCKILY, WAS ABLE TO BRING THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE RAMP WITHOUT ANY OTHER DAMAGE. DIAGNOSIS BY NEAREST BMW DEALER SERVICE INDICATED A SIMULTANEOUS SHORT CIRCUIT IN THE EKPS (CONTROLLER?) MODULE, A FAULT IN THE MAIN (LOW PRESSURE) FUEL PUMP AND ANOTHER SHORT CIRCUIT IN FUEL PRESSURE SENSOR. ALL THIS HAPPENED, SIMULTANEOUSLY, WITHOUT WARNING, IN A VERY WELL MAINTAINED, DEALER-SERVICED, LOW MILEAGE (42000 MILES) BMW 535I (YR 2009) VEHICLE. THE FACT THAT THE ENGINE *COMPLETELY* SHUTDOWN, ON AN EXIT RAMP OF A MAJOR HIGHWAY, AND COULD NOT BE RESTARTED CREATED A VERY HAZARDOUS CONDITION FOR THE DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE AND FOR OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROAD WAS WELL. HAD THIS HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY ITSELF, AND NOT ON THE EXIT RAMP, THERE COULD HAVE BEEN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. CAR ENGINES OF THIS SORT OUGHT TO HAVE *SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF REDUNDANCY* BUILT INTO THEM SO THEY DON'T SHUT DOWN WHILE IN MOTION DUE TO A "SENSOR" SHORT CIRCUIT. THE AMOUNT OF ELECTRONICS BEING USED IN MODERN CARS HAS INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY, BUT I FEEL THAT THE MANUFACTURER MAY NOT HAVE BUILT ENOUGH SAFEGUARDS / REDUNDANCIES IN THEIR SYSTEMS TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING. THIS WAS A MAJOR MALFUNCTION IN A MOVING VEHICLE (AND THIS COULD HAVE EASILY HAPPENED AT HIGH SPEEDS AS WELL; LUCKILY IT OCCURRED AT A SLOWER SPEED ON AN EXIT RAMP). SUCH INCIDENTS NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED THOROUGHLY.