NHTSA Complaint #10930000 — 2014 BMW 535D

ON 12/03/2016, MY 2014 BMW 535D ABRUPTLY STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, BLOCKING TRAFFIC. IT HAD SPONTANEOUSLY LOCKED ITSELF INTO 'PARK' WITHOUT WARNING. THE ENGINE WOULD NOT START, AND THERE WAS NO WAY TO OVERCOME THE ELECTRONIC LOCK ON THE TRANSMISSION AND PUT THE TRANSMISSION INTO 'NEUTRAL' TO PUSH THE CAR OUT OF TRAFFIC. IT HAD TO BE TOWED. FORTUNATELY THIS HAPPENED ON A SLOW MOVING ROAD. ON A FAST HIGHWAY, THIS EVENT WOULD HAVE POSED A MORTAL HAZARD. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF A VEHICLE THAT BECOMES DYSFUNCTIONAL IN THAT WAY. ONE OF THE PASSING DRIVERS STOPPED AND INFORMED ME THAT EXACTLY THE SAME HAPPENED WITH HIS BMW 535D AND THAT BMW OF NORTH AMERICA IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THIS SITUATION SHOULD BE A SERIOUS CONCERN OF THE NHTSA. *TR