NHTSA Complaint #11689232 — 2012 BMW 328I

While traveling at night on the toll road between Washington, DC and Pittsburgh, PA, the vehicle suddenly shut off without warning. Power was lost completely, including power steering, while in motion on a major freeway, creating an immediate and severe risk of collision for us and surrounding motorists. Although the vehicle did restart, it stalled again shortly afterward while still on the toll road. The failure repeated when decelerating on the highway or coming to a stop after exiting. At no point were there warning lamps, check-engine lights, messages, or reduced-power mode indicators prior to the stalls; the shutdowns occurred without any advance notice. The vehicle was towed to an independent BMW-only repair shop in Pittsburgh. Their initial assessment indicated a high likelihood that the failure involved the VANOS assembly bolts, though the engine was not disassembled at that time, so the diagnosis could not be confirmed with certainty. Because the shop did not have immediate availability, we were asked to transport the car home until they could perform a full repair. After sitting for several weeks, the car was towed back for further inspection, at which point the shop discovered that a VANOS bolt had likely sheared off and caused irreparable damage to the engine. Our only options now are to replace the engine or scrap the vehicle. The vehicle remains in Pittsburgh, PA in our possession and is available for inspection upon request. At this time, the failure has not been reproduced or confirmed by a BMW dealer, nor has it been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. Importantly, there is an existing recall on VANOS bolts for the 328xi station wagon, but our vehicle’s production date ([XXX]) falls just outside the recall window of October 1, 2009–August 4, 2011. Notably, for the sedan body model, the recall window was extended until December 6, 2011. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)