NHTSA Complaint #707985 — 1994 BMW 325

THE SPEEDOMETER OF THE CAR SUDDENLY WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE END, PASSING THE MAXIMUM NUMBER, 160 MPH, BUT THE CAR WAS GOING AT ONLY 40 MPH. WHILE THIS HAPPENED, THE ODOMETER OF THE CAR WAS ACCELERATING LIKE IT WAS GOING AT 160+MPH, THAT IS IN ONLY ONE MILE, THE ODOMETER READ LIKE IT HAD TRAVELLED 4-5 MILES. WHILE THIS WAS HAPENNING, THE CAR COULD NOT GO MORE THAN ABOUT 55-60 MPH. AS SOON AS THE RPM TOUCHED 3000, THE ENGINE WOULD SHUT OFF, AND WHEN IT GOT BELOW 3000RPM, IT WOULD GO BACK ON AGAIN. I STOPPED THE CAR, AND STARTED AGAIN, AND THE PROBLEM WAS GONE. A FEW DAYS LATER, I WAS GOING DOWNHILL AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN. THE CAR WAS GOING AT 50 MPH AND THE ENGINE SHUT OFF, AND DID NOT GO BACK ON AGAIN. WHILE THE CAR WAS GOING DOWNHILL AND SPEEDING UP, I WAS ABLE TO START IT AGAIN. THIS PROBLEM DID NOT HAPPEN OCCASIONALLY. I EXPLAINED THAT TO OPEN ROAD BMW AT 731 US HWY 1 SOUTH, EDISON NJ, 08817, TEL 732-985-8450, BUT THEY SAID BECUSE I COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM RIGHT THERE, THERE WAS NO WAY THEY COULD KNOW WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR. THE PROBLEM BECAME WORSE MORE THAN A YEAR OR SO LATER, BUT STILL I COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM IN FRONT OF THE DEALER. FINALLY, I TOOK A VIDEOTAPE OF THE PROBLEM, AND PRESENTED IT TO THE DEALER. THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM FOR ME, BUT THEY SAID MY CAR WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY ANYMORE. I KEPT EXPLAINING TO THEM THAT THE ACTUAL MILEAGE OF THE CAR WAS MUCH LESS THAN WHAT IT SHOWED, BUT THEY WOULD NOT CHANGE THEIR MINDS. THEY SAID THE PROBLEM WAS THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. *AK