NHTSA Complaint #11574402 — 2011 BMW 535I

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 535i. The contact stated while jump-starting another vehicle in the driveway, he reversed to park the vehicle by the side of the other vehicle; however, the vehicle surged and accelerated unintendedly. The contact stated that he depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle sped into the garage, hit equipment, and hit the contact's wife. The contact stated that he then shifted into drive (D) to drive out of the garage; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle sped through the driveway, struck a stone retaining wall, and entered the roadway. The contact stated that he slightly steered the vehicle to the right and hit a utility pole to stop the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The contact hit his forehead against the rearview mirror and sustained a bruise. The contact's wife sustained a fractured left lower leg. The ambulance transported the contact's wife to the hospital, where she underwent surgery. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The insurance company then towed the vehicle to another tow lot, where the damage was being estimated. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.