NHTSA Complaint #11408397 — 2017 BMW I3

ROADS WERE CLEAR BUT EDGES SLUSHY. TEMP WAS 27 DEGREES.DROVE 2 MILES AT 40ISH MPH TO STARBUCKS, GOT COFFEE. NORMAL REAR WHEEL DRIVE TRACTION ISSUES WHEN CHANGING LANES, ETC. I WAS DRIVING CAREFULLY AND ABOUT 5 MPH UNDER WHAT EVERYONE ELSE WAS DOING. ABOUT A MILE AWAY FROM THE COFFEE DRIVE THROUGH, I CHANGED LANES (RIGHT TO LEFT) OVER A PILE OF SLUSH...NORMAL MILD TRACTION ISSUES. WAS IN THE LEFT LANE AND HAD "RECOVERED" WHEN SUDDENLY MORE YELLOW TRACTION WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON (ONE ON DRIVERS CONTROL PANEL, ONE ON THE INFO PANEL)...READING IT LATER, IT SAID TO DRIVE GENTLY, THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM WAS RECALIBRATING. I AM A VERY GOOD DRIVER...I LOST COMPLETE CONTROL. I WAS STEERING INTO THE SKID, BUT IT DIDN'T FEEL LIKE A NORMAL SKID. IT DIDN'T SLOW (I KNOW NOT TO BRAKE - AND THERE WASN'T ANY TRAFFIC TO WORRY ABOUT). COMPLETELY INTO THE RIGHT BREAKDOWN LANE, RECOVERED SOMEWHAT, INTO THE LEFT LANE UNTIL I FINALLY GENTLY HIT THE CURB AT ABOUT 10 MPH. I WAS GOING ABOUT 35 MPH WHEN THE NIGHTMARE STARTED. EVEN AFTER GAINING SOME MODICUM OF CONTROL, I COULDN'T GO MORE THAN ABOUT 20 MPH WITHOUT COMPLETELY LOSING ANY KIND OF TRACTION CONTROL. PULLED OVER, TURNED THE CAR OFF/ON...NO CHANGE. PULLED OVER, RESET THE CAR BY WALKING 15 YDS AWAY WITH THE KEYS FOR 15 MINUTES, I COULD PULL OUT AND DRIVE NORMALLY FOR 100 YDS, THEN THE "RECALIBRATING" NOTIFICATION WOULD COME ON AND I WOULD LOSE CONTROL. I WAS ON 4 LANE HIGHWAY WITH MEDIAN. EVEN AFTER WAITING 2 HOURS FOR A TOW, THE PAVEMENT WAS DRY AND I HAD NO CONTROL.