NHTSA Complaint #11150987 — 2013 BMW X3

DRIVING THE CAR ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE SCREEN ON THE CAR FLASHES A 'DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION ERROR', NO PRIOR ISSUES OR WARNINGS AND IT SAID TO DRIVE MODERATELY, NO OTHER WARNING OR TO STOP. I PULLED INTO THE NEAREST DEALER WHICH WAS LESS THAN A MILE AWAY AND TURNED THE CAR OFF, THE SERVICE MANAGER CAME OUT AND TRIED TO TURN THE CAR BACK ON AND COULDN'T, SO THEY REPLACED THE BATTERY AND WERE ABLE TO START IT EXCEPT THEY COULDN'T GET THE CAR OUT OF PARK, THE CAR WAS FLAT BEDDED TO THE BMW DEALER AND AFTER A MONTH THEY LET ME KNOW THAT MY CAR HAD COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO THE TIMING CHAIN BREAKING WHICH CAUSED THE 'CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE'. I HAVE READ HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF OTHER STORIES THAT MIRROR MY EXPERIENCE TO A TEE, SOME HOWEVER WERE NOT AS LUCKY AS I WAS TO BE ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY/ROAD BEFORE THEIR CAR COMPLETELY LOCKED UP AND DID NOT MOVE. BMW ADMITS THAT THESE CARS HAVE ISSUES WITH THE TIMING CHAIN MATERIAL THEY USED, WHICH HAPPENS TO BE PLASTIC; HOWEVER, DUE TO THE COST OF REPLACING ALL OF THESE PARTS IN THE KNOWN CARS THAT THEY WOULD COST BMW NA MORE $500 MILLION. IF THE NHTSA DOES NOT STEP IN AND FORCE THEM TO FIX THESE FAULTY PARTS THEY WILL END UP HAVING ONE OF THESE BMW'S WITH THE N20 OR N26 ENGINES FAIL WHILE DRIVING ON A ROAD AND SOMEONE IS GOING TO END UP GETTING KILLED BECAUSE OF IT. BMW IS HIDING THE SEVERITY OF THESE FAILURES IN THEIR PARTS AND BECAUSE NOBODY HAS DIED OR FACED AN INJURY THEY WILL NOT TAKE THE INITIATIVE AND ISSUE A RECALL, THEY JUST EXTENDED THE WARRANTY FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THESE PARTS FOR AN ADDITIONAL 10K MILES BECAUSE THEY KNOW THE PLASTIC TIMING CHAIN LASTS ON AVERAGE TO ABOUT 70K WHICH IS WHY THE WARRANTY IS NOW FOR 7 YEARS/70K MILES OR WHICHEVER COMES FIRST. IN CLOSING, MY CAR ENGINE FACED ENGINE FAILURE AND COMPLETELY SEIZED AT 77K MILES.