NHTSA Complaint #11061640 — 2008 BMW 535I

WHILE DRIVING, THE CAR STOPPED ACCELERATING AND A TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION WARNING CAME UP ON. THE FAN ON THE ENGINE ALSO CAME ON VERY LOUD AND THERE WAS LOTS OF EXHAUSTED COMING OUT. I DROVE SLOWLY TO A SHOP. ONCE AT THE SHOP THEY STATED THEY COULD NOT GET THE CAR TO SHIFT INTO GEAR. THEY DID DIAGNOSTICS ON IT AND SAID IT WAS A SHIFT MODULE THAT NEEDED REPLACED, I HAD IT REPLACED AND IT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. THEY THEN SAID IT NEEDED A RESET THAT COULD ONLY BE DONE AT THE BMW DEALERSHIP. BMW PERFORMED THE RESET AND THAT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. BMW DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION PUMP WAS OUT AND A $9K TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CAR CONTINUES TO NOT BE DRIVABLE, NOT STAY IN GEAR. IT HAS ALSO STARTED SPITTING OUT MILKY SUBSTANCE FROM THE EXHAUST LIKE THE COOLANT IS LEAKING INTO ENGINE. IN ADDITION THE PAINT ON THE HOOD AND ROOF OF THE CAR HAS BECOME DULL FOR NO APPARENT REASON, LIKE IT HAS REACTED TO A HIGH AMOUNT OF HEAT FROM THE ENGINE. A CAR WITH ONLY 132,000 MILES ON IT SHOULD NOT NEED A TRANSMISSION REPLACED AND THE PAINT SHOULD NOT BE WEARING LIKE IT IS. THERE WAS COOLANT RECALL ON ALL MODELS EXCEPT THE 535I, THIS COOLANT PROBLEM COULD HAVE BEEN WHAT CAUSED THE TRANSMISSION TO GO OUT VERY PREMATURELY. THE CAR IS NOW NOT DRIVABLE, WILL NOT STAY IN GEAR. I BELIEVE THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE CAR THAT IS DUE TO A FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE CAR ITSELF AND NOT WEAR.