NHTSA Complaint #11104452 — 2013 BMW X3

DIGEST: - ENGINE STOPPED OPERATION SUDDENLY WHEN RUNNING ON A CITY STREET, I FELT DANGEROUS SINCE THE VEHICLE BEHIND ME HONKED LOUDLY. - THE ENGINE WAS SEIZED. THE DEALER AND BMW CUSTOMER CENTER DETERMINE THAT REASON IS LACKING IN ENGINE OIL CHANGE. - THE TRUE ROOT CAUSE IS THAT THE CAR HAS NO ENGINE OIL LEVEL WARNING MESSAGE OR SIGN SHOWN ON EITHER CLUSTER OR CONTROL DISPLAY. DESCRIPTION: WHEN I WAS DRIVING THE CAR ON CITY ROAD THE ENGINE SUDDENLY STOPPED. THERE WAS A NEAR ACCIDENT SINCE THE CAR BEHIND HONKED LOUDLY. SINCE THE ENGINE OIL IS RELATED THE CRITICAL SAFETY ISSUE, I BELIEVE ALL PASSENGER CAR SHOULD BE EQUIPPED WITH ENGINE OIL WARNING FEATURE (I SEE IT IN FMVSS REQUIREMENT). BMW OWNER'S MANUAL DESCRIBES "THE OIL LEVEL IS MONITORED ELECTRONICALLY DURING DRIVING AND SHOWN ON THE CONTROL DISPLAY" (SEE ATTACHED 1), BUT MY CAR DID NOT SHOW THIS KIND OF WARNING. THERE ARE TWO POSSIBILITIES: (1) THE FUNCTION OF WARNING DEFECTED OR (2) THIS FUNCTION WAS NOT ACTUALLY EQUIPPED ORIGINALLY (MANUFACTURER LIES TO CONSUMER). EACH WAY, THERE IS A DESIGN DEFECT. BY THE WAY, I CHECKED THE ENGINE OIL LEVEL AFTER THE ENGINE MALFUNCTIONED. THE CONTROL DISPLAY SHOWS GREEN "ENGINE OIL LEVEL IS OK (SEE ATTACHED 2) I BELIEVE THAT SAME DEFECT EXISTS IN MULTIPLE MODELS OF BMW CAR. THERE ARE POTENTIALLY MORE DRIVERS WILL MISS THE ENGINE OIL CHANGE BECAUSE THERE IS NOT ENGINE OIL CHANGE WARNING. THEREFORE THERE ARE HIGH POTENTIAL HIGHWAY ACCIDENTS HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE SINCE THIS DEFECT. BMW SHOULD IMMEDIATELY RECALL ALL MODELS WITH THIS DEFECT. I SEE THERE IS A RECALL CASE IN NHTSA WEBSITE DUE TO "LACK OF DRIVER WARNING FOR LOW ENGINE OIL PRESSURE", RECALL NUMBER IS 13V592000.