NHTSA Complaint #11581423 — 2024 BMW 340I

The rear cross traffic alert system is a major safety issue on my 2024 BMW M340i. It basically does not operate. To get any kind of notification that there is a vehicle approaching from either right or left if you are backing up the approaching vehicle has to be traveling at a speed greater than 7 mph and then you only get an alert within 2 seconds of impact. This is a pointless operation as then it is too late to avoid a collision. The window is to narrow to provide any useful alert and safety function. Also, I receive no alert if a pedestrian should be walking behind the vehicle nor a small child. I had this issue checked at my dealership and was told the system is operating as intended. So I then escalated it to BMW of America customer service. After some back and forth with BMW of America CS as they had initially defaulted to the dealers stated finding (operating as intended) they agreed agreed to send a factory Engineer to the dealership to look at the issue after I said I would report the issue to the NHTSA . The field engineer was at the dealership on 3/11/2024 he checked my car for the issues and determined the Rear Cross Traffic Alert System is operating as designed. This is an unacceptable response and an unacceptable operation of a safety system. BMW uses this feature as a selling point to make customers believe that this a a fully functional safety system and it enhances general safe driving. There are many complaints on multiple BMW forum sites that state the same issue with many models and years of BMW's.