NHTSA Complaint #11625392 — 2019 BMW 640XI

The car was making a strange noise when the starter was engaged. The local BMW dealer discovered the starter motor bolts had "backed themselves out" of their mounting, which resulted in the starter motor shifting. The shift resulted in the starter motor contacting the transmission bell housing and cracking the transmission case. The shift also damaged the flywheel; specifically, some teeth on the flywheel are damaged. The car has 60,000 miles on the odometer and has been in service 72 months. The car has only been serviced by BMW, and they deny ever working on the starter motor. The car now requires a new transmission, a new flywheel and a new starter motor assembly. If the starter had broken away at highway speeds it could cause a chain reaction mechanical failure and could have caused an accident.