2014 BMW I3 REX Power Train Problems

THE CAR, WHILE DRIVING ON A 2 LANE ROAD, CEASED IT OPERATION ANNOUNCING IT HAD DRIVE TRAIN FAILURE. LUCKILY I WAS SLOWING FOR A LIGHT, AS THE STEERING AND BRAKES ALSO BECAME UNRESPONSIVE. THE CAR COULD BE MANUALLY TURNED OFF (THE REMAINING FUNCTIONS AND POWER OFF). IT THEN COULD BE TURNED BACK ON AND DRIVEN. IN OTHER WORDS, THE CAR DECIDED TO GO OFF LINE WHILE IN A STATE OF ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ROAD AND THE DRIVER.

THIS CAR IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. 'THE EME MALFUNCTION HAPPENED THE FIRST DAY THAT I DROVE THE CAR AFTER PURCHASING. NOT LONG AFTER I STARTED DRIVING IN THE MORNING THE COMPUTER SAID THAT THE REX WASN'T WORKING. ABOUT 40 MINUTES LATER ON MY TRIP, THE COMPUTER SAID THAT THE CAR WAS PERFORMING MAINTENANCE ON THE REX. IN THE EVENING WHILE DRIVING HOME, THE COMPUTER SAID THAT THE BATTERY WAS DISCHARGING, AND THEN THE CAR LOST POWER ON THE FREEWAY. I WAS ABLE TO GET IT TO START AGAIN AFTER SOME TIME. THIS WAS PARTICULARLY SCARY AT THE TIME AS I HAD MY 18 MONTH GRANDSON IN THE BACK SEAT. 'THE SECOND EME FAILURE WAS SERIOUSLY MORE DANGEROUS. I WAS TRAVELING ON 405 SOUTHBOUND WHEN THE POWER TRAIN MALFUNCTION WARNING CAME ON AND IMMEDIATELY THE CAR LOST POWER. I WAS NOT ABLE TO PULL OFF THE FREEWAY AND THE CAR STOPPED IN...

LEFT MOTOR MOUNT BOLT BROKE WHEN TRAFFIC LIGHT TURNED GREEN AT 4:00 PM IN FRIDAY RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. THE BOLT FAILURE SHIFTED MOTOR DOWN ~3" AND BROKE POWER CABLE(S) AND BATTERY COOLING LINES. THE CAR SHIFTED INTO "N", ONCE, AND ROLLED OFF THE ROAD INTO A PARKING PLACE. SHIFTED INTO "P" AND CONTACTED BMW ROAD SIDE SERVICE. BMW SERVICE ASKED TO SHIFT INTO "N" BUT THE CAR REMAINED IN "P". THEY DID NOT HAVE WORKAROUND INSTRUCTIONS TO FORCE IT INTO "N" AND REPORTED THERE WERE NO TIRE "SKATES" TO SLIDE CAR ON A FLAT-BED. MORE TECHNICAL DETAILS AT: HTTP://WWW.MYBMWI3.COM/FORUM/VIEWTOPIC.PHP?F=15&T=4266#P37104

DRIVING SOUTHBOUND ON I680 IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, CAR SWITCHED TO THE RANGE EXTENDER JUST BEFORE ME GETTING TO THE ALTAMONT PASS. PART WAY UP THE HILL CAR LOST POWER UNEXEPTEDLY. TOOK CAR BACK TO BMW DEALERSHIP AS IT WAS IN THE SHOP THE WEEK BEFORE FOR A DRIVE TRAIN MALFUNCTION. DEALER SAID THIS POWRE LOSS WAS NORMAL FOR THE VEHICLE ON THE GRADE AS THE REX CANNOT KEEP HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY CHARGED UP ENOUGH WHILE GOING UPHILL. THEY SAID IT WAS TO BE EXPECTED. NOTHING RECEIVED PRIOR TO SALE INFORMATION OF THIS POSSIBLITY.

I TEST DROVE A BMW I3. I GOT INTO TROUBLE BECAUSE THEY FORGOT TO CHARGE IT UP COMPLETELY WHEN I DROVE IT. ALMOST DIED. CONSUMER REPORTS DESCRIBES IT ALL BETTER THAN I CAN: "A NEW LAWSUIT ALLEGES THAT BMW I3 ELECTRIC CARS CAN SUDDENLY SLOW DOWN WHEN THEIR BATTERY POWER IS LOW, POTENTIALLY PUTTING PASSENGERS IN DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. FILED TUESDAY IN U.S. DISTRICT COURT IN LOS ANGELES, THE CLASS-ACTION SUIT ALLEGES THAT THE I3'S 'RANGE EXTENDER FEATURE ... DOESN'T PRODUCE ENOUGH POWER TO PREVENT A DRAMATIC DECREASE IN THE VEHICLE'S PERFORMANCE. AS ALLEGED, IF THE CAR IS UNDER ANY KIND OF SIGNIFICANT LOAD (SUCH AS GOING UP A HILL, OR LOADED WITH PASSENGERS), THE SPEED OF THE CAR WILL DRAMATICALLY DECREASE AS THE BATTERY CHARGE DIMINISHES,' ACCORDING TO A PRESS RELEASE FROM PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY JONATHAN MICHAELS OF NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF." -- CONSUMER REPORTS MAGAZINE REPORTS.

TEST DRIVING THIS BMW I3, I NOTICED THE REX RANGE EXTENDER ENGINE WAS DANGEROUSLY SLOW. THE 34 HP SCOOTER ENGINE IS A HAZARD IN TRAFFIC. I ALSO NOTICED THE BRAKE LIGHTS WOULD NOT COME ON WHEN SLOWING TO A STOP. CONSUMER REPORTS OUTLINED IT, AND I CAN'T SAY IT BETTER. .... WHY ARE THERE NOT MINIMUM FMVSS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS TO COVER THE HAZARDS WHILE IN REX-MODE (BATTERY DEAD, RUNNING ON SCOOTER MOTOR IN HEAVY, FAST, TRAFFIC)? THIS IS A NEW AREA: WEIRD BEHAVIOR FROM EVS IN REX MODE. HTTP://WWW.CONSUMERREPORTS.ORG/CRO/NEWS/2014/10/BEWARE-TAILGATING-A-BMW-I3/INDEX.HTM HTTP://WWW.CONSUMERREPORTS.ORG/CRO/NEWS/2014/10/BMW-I3-HAS-THE-LITTLE-ENGINE-THAT-COULD/INDEX.HTM

I WAS DRIVING ON A WINDY, HILLY ROAD WHEN I HEARD A BANG AND THE CAR RAPIDLY DECELLERATED AND CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. DISPLAY SHOWED "DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION - DO NOT DRIVE CAR" THE BATTERY SHOWED THERE WAS STILL POWER LEFT, AND THE RANGE EXTENDER (REX) HAD A FULL TANK OF GAS, BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. IT ALSO COULD NOT BE SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL IN ORDER TO BE PUSHED OUT OF THE ROAD AND AWAY FROM TRAFFIC. AFTER HOURS OF DIRECTING ONCOMING TRAFFIC AROUND THE CAR ON THIS TWO-LANE ROAD, A FLATBED FINALLY ARRIVED AND HAD TO DRAG THE CAR WITH LOCKED WHEELS UP ONTO THE FLATBED USING A WINCH. BMW SAID THE CAR HAD MANY FAULTS STEMMING FROM A "PROBLEM IN THE SME. ALSO SAID "PUMA RESPONSE WAS TO REPLACE KLE" CAR HAS SINCE BEEN WORKING FINE BUT IF THIS HAD HAPPENED ON A BUSY ROAD, IT...

WHILE IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC, ON A SMOOTH SURFACE STREET, WE HEARD A POP OR BANG AND IMMEDIATELY AN ERROR MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED "DRIVETRAIN MALFUNCTION, PULL OVER AND STOP". BEFORE I COULD PULL OVER, THE VEHICLE WENT INTO PARK WHILE I WAS STOPPED AND COULD NOT BE PUT INTO NEUTRAL. I WAS IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC AND HAD TO DIRECT TRAFFIC AROUND MT CAR FOR 1.5 HOURS BEFORE A TOW TRUCK ARRIVED, HAD I BEEN ON TRAIN TRACKS OR IN A HIGHER SPEED SECTION OF ROAD, I COULD HAVE BEEN IN A DANGEROUS SITUATION. THIS FAILURE MODE MUST BE CORRECTED FOR ME TO WANT TO KEEP THE CAR. A DRIVER MUST BE ABLE TO PUSH THEIR CAR OUT OF HARMS WAY IF THERE IS A MALFUNCTION.

BMW SHOULD IMMEDIATELY RECALL OR WARN DRIVERS ABUT THE I3 RANGE EXTENDER MODEL. SOMEONE COULD BE KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED IN AN ACCIDENT CAUSED BY A DEADLY FLAW IN THE CAR THAT I EXPERIENCED. YESTERDAY MORNING, THE BATTERY WAS LOW IN POWER AND I WAS IN REX MODE AND DRIVING UP THE CONEJO GRADE RETURNING TO LA FROM SANTA BARBARA. I WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 65 MILES PER HOUR IN THE FAST LANE. I AM NOT SURE ABOUT THE PRECISE SPEED BECAUSE I WAS DRIVING INTO THE SUN AND THE CRUISE CONTROL WOULD NOT OPERATE (SEE BELOW). SUDDENLY, AND WITHOUT WARNING, THE CAR LOST POWER. DESPITE HAVING MY FOOT PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR DOWN TO THE FLOOR, THE CAR QUICKLY DROPPED SPEED. AS THE CAR DROPPED SPEED ALL THE WAY TO ABOUT 35 MILES PER HOUR, I QUICKLY MOVED OVER LANE BY LANE TO THE RIGHT WHERE I FINALLY HAD TO LIMP...

ON AUGUST 29, 1:25PM, WHEN I DROVE THE BMW I3 CAR IN THE COMCAST PARKING LOT INTO A PARK SPOT, THE VEHICLE SPEED WAS ALMOST SLOW DOWN TO ZERO AFTER I LEFT MY FOOT FROM THE ACCEL. PEDAL SINCE THE CAR WILL SLOW DOWN WITHOUT ACCEL. PEDAL PRESSED. THEN, I PRESSED THE P BUTTON IN THE SWITCH KNOB AS I DID MANY TIMES OVER THE 700 MILES EXPERIENCES IN THIS CAR. THE CAR WAS ABRUPTLY SPEED UP WITH A VERY BIG TORQUE, I USED BY FOOT TO PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL. IT DIDN'T WORK. THE CAR WAS IN AN AROUND 50-MILE-SPEED (ACCORDING TO AN OBSERVER IN THE COMCAST PARK LOT) RUSHING FORWARD. IT RUSHED OVER THE CONCRETE-PARKING-LOT-STOP-BAR, AND THEN RUSHED OVER THE PARKING LOT CURB INTO THE SMALL HILL AND THE BUSHES. THE CAR WAS SLOWED DOWN BY THE CONCRETE-STOP-BAR, THEN BY THE PARKING LOT CURB, AND IT WAS FINALLY...

I WAS DRIVING MY BMW I3 REX FROM THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA TO THE BEACH NEAR SANTA CRUZ VIA HIGHWAY 17 WITH MY WIFE AND TWO CHILDREN. GETTING TO THE BEACH FROM MOST OF THE SF BAY AREA REQUIRES DRIVING OVER SOME COASTAL HILLS. AS I APPROACHED THE HILLS, MY EV BATTERY WAS VERY LOW. THE I3 WITH "REX" (SIMILAR TO THE CHEVY VOLT) HAS A GASOLINE ENGINE THAT ACTIVATES WHEN THE MAIN EV BATTERY IS DEPLETED. IN THESE HILLS, THE REX ENGINE TURNED ON. FOR SEVERAL MINUTES, THE CAR DROVE NORMALLY AND KEPT PACE WITH MODERATE TRAFFIC IN THE SLOW LANE. THE SPEED LIMIT ON HIGHWAY 17 VARIES FROM 50MPH TO 65MPH. ON THE HILLY PARTS, IT IS A TWO LANE HIGHWAY WITH NO SHOULDER ON EITHER SIDE, INFREQUENT EXITS AND OCCASIONAL TURN-OUTS. WITHOUT ANY WARNING FROM THE CAR, I EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN AND DRAMATIC REDUCTION IN POWER,...