What 146 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 BMW 335i

VANOS BOLTS BACKED OUT AFTER RECALL SERVICE REPLACEMENT COMPLETED. VEHICLE WENT INTO SAFE MODE ON THE FREEWAY SUDDENLY.

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I WAS DRIVING IN A PARKING LOT AT ABOUT 5MPH, AND THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STOPPED ON ITS OWN WHILE I WAS STILL PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR. I CONTINUED TO PRESS THE ACCELERATOR, BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE. AFTER 3 OR 4 MINUTES OF TRYING TO DETERMINE WHAT THE ISSUE WAS, I PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND RESTARTED THE ENGINE. THE CAR WAS ABLE TO ACCELERATE ONCE I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTED. IF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED WHILE IN TRAFFIC, IT WOULD HAVE PUT MANY PEOPLE AT RISK. NO ONE WAS HARMED BECAUSE I WAS IN A WALMART PARKING LOT TRAVELING AT 5MPH WHEN THE CAR STALLED, BUT I AM UNSURE WHAT CAUSED THIS TO OCCUR. THIS SITUATION SEEMS TO BE RELATED TO THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC ADMINISTRATION'S RECALL NUMBER 14V176000, AS IT DESCRIBES WHAT I EXPERIENCED WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE.

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ENGINE SHUT OFF LOSS OF POWER STEERING LOSS OF ABILITY TO ACCELERATE WHILE DRIVING ON 7/27/17, OUR 2011 BMW 335I'S ABILITY TO ACCELERATE STOPPED, RPM INCREASED BUT STILL IN DRIVE NOT IN NEUTRAL. DURING LOSS OF ACCELERATE, POWER STEERING FAILED AND WAS UNABLE TO PULL OFF SIDE OF THE ROAD. THIS HAPPENED WHILE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION ON A BUSY CITY STREET. HAD TO PUT ON HAZARDS IN MIDDLE OF STREET.

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UPON DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED (70+MPH) THE CAR SLOWED DOWN (ENGINE BRAKING) TO APPROX 40MPH INSTANTLY. THE CARS BEHIND ME WERE FORCED TO BRAKE FORCEFULLY. AN ACCIDENT WAS AVOIDED BECAUSE IT WAS SUNDAY MORNING AND LIGHT TRAFFIC. THE CAR DISPLAYED "ENGINE MALFUNCTION-DRIVE TO THE DEALERSHIP". THE CAR WAS WITHOUT POWER - JUST COASTING AT 40MPH OR SO, NOT ABLE TO ACCELERATE. I MANAGED TO GET IT OVER TO THE DEALER - FIELDS BMW OF NORTHFIELD, IL. THEY KEPT IT FOR A WEEK - TOLD ME IT WAS A COMPUTER MALFUNCTION THAT CUT OFF POWER TO THE PRESSURE CONVERTER FOR THE TURBOCHARGER. WHEN ASKED IF THIS CAN HAPPEN AGAIN, THEY SAID POSSIBLY. I CALLED BMW OF NORTH AMERICA CUSTOMER SERVICE 1-800-831-1117 SPOKE TO [XXX] EXTENSION [XXX]. I DESCRIBED THE LIFE THREATENING MALFUNCTION AND I ASKED HIM TO TALK TO THE ENGINEERS AND TO GET BACK TO ME ON WHETHER THIS CAN BE AVOIDED IN THE FUTURE. NEXT TIME WE WILL BE LOOKING AT A FATALITY FOR ME OR OTHER DRIVERS. I ALSO ASKED HIM TO EXTEND THE WARRANTY TO 100,000 MILES DUE TO THE PROVEN LACK OF SAFETY AND RELIABILITY. HE NEVER RESPONDED TO MY REQUESTS - I CALLED TODAY - 8/25 - HE TOLD ME AS FAR AS BMW OF NORTH AMERICA IS CONCERNED - THERE IS NO ISSUE WITH THE VEHICLE. I BELIEVE THAT DUE TO THE POSSIBLE FUTURE LOSS OF LIFE, THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED. I AM AVAILABLE FOR COMMENTS/CONTACT. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

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I WOULD FORMALLY LIKE TO REPORT A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN I HAVE REGARDING MY NEW 2011 BMW 335IS CONVERTIBLE. FROM A STANDSTILL WITHOUT MODIFYING ANY OF THE DEFAULT CONFIGURATIONS ON THE CAR, FLOORING THE GAS PEDAL, THE CAR LURCHES FORWARD (AS EXPECTED) AND THEN POWER COMPLETELY CUTS OUT FOR A SECOND AND THEN WILL CONTINUE ON ITS WAY. MY GUESS IS THE DSC IS KICKING IN CAUSING POWER TO BE REDUCED AND THEN RE-ESTABLISHED. MY CONCERN IS THAT A BRAND NEW CAR SHOULD BE ABLE TO BE FLOORED WITHOUT THIS HAPPENING. I RECENTLY HAD THIS EXACT SITUATION OCCUR AS I WAS PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC AND VERY NARROWLY MISSED GETTING PUMMELED BY ANOTHER CAR WHEN POWER WAS CUT TO MY CAR. I HAVE TAKEN MY CAR TO MY BMW SERVICE STATION AND ALTHOUGH THEY AGREE THAT THE CAR SHOULD NOT DO THIS?THEY AT THE SAME TIME SAY THE CAR IS OPERATING NORMALLY. THEIR ADVICE WAS TO TURN OFF DSC IN A SITUATION I WANT TO FLOOR IT. THIS IS MY 3RD BMW 3 SERIES CONVERTIBLE AND I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS. ALSO, I DO NOT THINK THE DRIVER SHOULD BE FORCED TO CONSIDER THIS BEFORE PULLING OUT IN TRAFFIC. AND, IF I WERE TO LEND MY CAR TO A FAMILY MEMBER, HOW WOULD THEY KNOW. *TR

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