NHTSA Complaint #11580700 — 2011 BMW 328I

BMW issued a recall for VANOS bolts on Oct 20, 2023. Vehicle had service engine soon light illuminate. Vehicle was diagnosed by Tucson BMW as having issue with VANOS bolts shortly before (within a month) recall being issued. At that time car was not repaired-but BMW suggested bolts be replaced at a cost of approximately $6,000. BMW advised car was not safe to drive. BMW had a solution- but wanted to charge for it (as the recall had not yet been issued). Now that recall has been issued BMW seems to be waiting out the clock and hoping owners get rid of the car before they have to repair the vehicle. Also they are now saying we can drive the vehicle until the remedy is available, which directly conflicts with dealers advice when they wanted to charge for the repair. They have not given any indication of time frames. We do not feel comfortable driving the car on highways due to risk of stalling. BMW states "The VANOS Assembly (Engine) Bolts May, Over Time, Loosen, And Eventually Break. If This Occurred, A Reduced Engine Power (Safe Mode) May Be Activated. In Some Cases, The Engine May Not Be Able To Be Restarted After Switching Off And, In Rare Cases, The Engine Could Stall Which Could Increase The Risk Of A Crash." In the meantime it has been over 6 months with no updates as to when the recall remedy will be made available. I want BMW repair the car as soon as possible. I have been in contact with BMW customer care who have not given any viable solutions/time frame for the repair.