NHTSA Complaint #720343 — 2000 BMW 323I

I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT THE NEW BMW 323CI CONVERTIBLE HAS A DANGEROUS DESIGN DEFECT THAT COULD POTENTIALLY PUT CONSUMERS IN JEOPARDY. SPECIFICALLY, THE REINFORCED WINDOW FRAME IS SLANTED DRAMATICALLY DOWNWARD AND THE BLUNT TOP CORNERS OF THE WINDOW FRAME ARE POINTED INWARD, DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO THE HEADS OF THE PASSENGERS. DESPITE OTHER EXCELLENT SAFETY FEATURES OF THE BMW, IT WOULDN'T TAKE MUCH OF AN IMPACT TO HIT THE CORNER OF THE BLUNT WINDOW FRAME WITH YOUR HEAD (ONLY A FEW INCHES)! THE DOWNWARD SLANT OF THE WINDOW ALSO HINDERS AN OPTIMAL DRIVING VIEW. THIS IS A NEW DESIGN FOR 2000, AND THE PREVIOUS BMW CONVERTIBLES DID NOT HAVE THIS SLANT ISSUE OR THE PLACEMENT OF BLUNT CORNERS NEAR THE HEADS OF THE PASSENGERS. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE ON THIS DEFECT. BMW WILL BEGIN RELEASING THESE MODELS TO THE PUBLIC IN THE MAY TIMEFRAME. DEMOS ARE NOW AVAILABLE AT THE DEALERSHIPS. I LOVE BMW AUTOMOBILES, AND I ORDERED THIS PARTICULAR CONVERTIBLE. I'M WRITING WITH THE HOPES THAT YOUR OFFICE WILL LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE ASAP AND HELP/ADVISE BMW TO TAKE CORRECTIVE ACTION IF A TRUE PROBLEM EXISTS BEFORE THEY RELEASE THESE VEHICLES IN THE UNITED STATES IN MASS. I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY INFORMATION YOU CAN PROVIDE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION IN THIS MATTER. I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU IN THE NEAR FUTURE. *AK