NHTSA Complaint #11654719 — 2014 BMW 428I

The contact owns a 2014 BMW 428I. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 - 70 MPH and attempting to change lanes, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The message “Chassis Unstable” was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact used excessive force to steer the vehicle to pull over to the side of the road to inspect the vehicle. The contact was unable to find the cause of failure and continued to drive the vehicle without power steering functionality. The message of an excessive power drain for the battery was displayed. The vehicle was unable to switch to different settings, such as Sport 1, Sport 2, and Eco Pro due to the drive setting remaining stuck in Comfort Mode. The cruise control failed intermittently. While driving approximately 65 -70 MPH, the contact noticed a burning plastic odor coming from the front-end of the vehicle into the cabin. After arriving at the destination and inspecting underneath the hood of the vehicle, the contact noticed that the terminal door for the jumper cables and the housing were smoking. Additionally, there were burned areas surrounding the battery. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the electronic control module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V704000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.