NHTSA Complaint #11367037 — 2013 BMW X3

ION OCT 27, 2020 WHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLE ACCOMPANIED BY MY WIFE, ON A LOCAL STREET IN THE VICINITY OF LAKE ZURICH, IL, A 'DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION' MESSAGE FLASHED ON THE DASHBOARD AND THE VEHICLE WENT INTO PARK MODE. I COULD NOT GET THE ENGINE TO RESTART AND HAD IT TOWED TO THE NEARBY BMW SERVICE CENTER. THE NEXT DAY, THE SERVICE ASSOCIATE SENT ME AN ESTIMATE, INFORMING THAT THERE WAS A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. BOTH THE ENGINE AND THE TURBOCHARGER NEED TO BE REPLACED WITH THE COST FOR SUCH AMOUNTING TO SOME $18000 + TAXES! THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 73000 MILES AND I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE ASSOCIATE THAT I HAPPENED TO BE JUST UNLUCKY THAT THIS HAPPENED AND IT WAS NOT DUE TO ANYTHING I HAD DONE (OR OMITTED TO DO BY WAY OF ROUTINE MAINTENANCE). LOOKING AT ALL SUCH SIMILAR COMPLAINTS FOR THE 2013 MODEL YEAR FOR BMW X3, THERE IS OBVIOUSLY A DESIGN ISSUE WITH THE ENGINE AND ASSOCIATED COMPONENTS. I AM ALSO PARTICULARLY THANKFUL IT HAPPENED ON A SIDE STREET BEFORE I GOT ON TO THE HIGHWAY. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE AND BMW MUST BE HELD TO ACCOUNT FOR NOT ISSUING A RECALL OR CHANGING THEIR SERVICE PROCEDURES TO MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF THE PROBLEM.