What 125 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 BMW 328i Xdrive

I drove my car to a parking garage yesterday. As I was pulling into a parking spot slowly, my car started to accelerate. I then pressed the brake pedal harder and the car went faster. The car stopped by hitting the wall in front. All airbags came out. The police came for the investigation. The car was not functioning so the police called the towing company to remove my car. No one was hurt, except some scratches and bruises on the face, chest and legs. No damage to the wall. But there is enough damage to my car so that the insurance company is deciding whether it has been totaled. I found online posts that people reported similar situations with the same model car (BMW328i). It could be related to accelerator module defects based on the online posts.

NHTSA ODI 11569590

My son's 2015, BMW 328i was taken to BMW in Canton, Ohio due to "fluttering" in gas pedal and "possible transmission slipping and variations in transmission while driving. The check engine light was on and was diagnosed at dealership that the Mass Flow Sensor was malfunctioning. The wires to the Mass Flow Sensor were corroded and needed fixed before sensor could be assessed. The wires were fixed and the check engine light went out so the car was considered by the BMW dealer service department to be fixed and I paid $545 for $42 in parts and $503 in labor. The service advisor named Mark, assured me that it had been test driven by service technician and that the car was in proper working condition. I picked the car up, for my son, at 10 am and drove south to West Virginia to deliver the car to my son. At 12:15, I pulled off the freeway and stopped at a light that was at a busy intersection, with a car in front of me. I came to a complete stop with my foot on the brake and my car accelerated at a high speed with my foot completely on the brake almost to the floor. I rammed into the car in front of me and the car flew forward 500 feet. My BMW stopped after it hit the car in front of me. I sat in the car in shock with my foot still on the brake as the driver in front of me came to my window and asked me " what the hell are you doing"? She could clearly see that my foot was still on the brake. There were minor scratches on her bumper and, her and her son had sore necks. The front of my car had a broken grill, and other broken pieces. Broken pieces were lying on thre road. I called AAA and had it towed to BMW in St. Albans, West Virginia. A call was made to Canton, BMW and Corporate BMW to make a report on BMW rapidly accelerating with brakes completely on. Corporate personelle are to call me to get a report from me and send a special team to investigate the "rapid acceleration" while the brakes were on. Now awaiting for the 2015 BMW 328i to be looked at.

NHTSA ODI 11521081

Reporting very dangerous sudden unintended acceleration of 2015 BMW 328i: When about to back out of a parking space in a parking garage, I pressed the brakes and turned on the ignition switch. After looking around to ensure no cars or people were near the car, I put the gear shift in reverse, turned my whole head entirely over my right shoulder to look through the back windshield and, seeing nothing behind me, began to slowly lift my foot from the brake to reverse out of the parking space. I turned the steering wheel towards the left and the back of the car went to the left. The bumper gently tapped a white column that had been out of sight all the way further over my right shoulder. I gently pressed on the brake, and when I switched the gear shift into drive, the car suddenly and explosively accelerated forward extremely fast and sped out of control. I pressed the brakes to stop the car, which did nothing, and the car slammed into cement wall so hard that it sounded like an explosion and the air bags deployed. I hit my mouth/face/head on the air bag and got whiplash from the sudden stop. When I got out of the car, a couple who’d heard the explosion drove by and asked if I was ok. After a few moments I reached into the car to turn off ignition switch. This event resulted in very serious damage to the car, which was totaled, and I received medical injuries. This incident was reported to my automobile insurance company and to North America BMW, who has escalated the report to higher levels due to the seriousness of the incident, and will be doing investigations this week. The accelerator pedal or gear box dangerously and seriously malfunctioned, and the car is available for inspection upon request. My safety was seriously at risk as I have headaches and whiplash symptoms. If there were no wall there, or if there had been people or cars anywhere in front of the car, they would have been killed and smashed because the car suddenly accelerated so quickly.

NHTSA ODI 11504968

I WAS INVOLVED IN A CAR ACCIDENT INVOLVING FAILURE FOR THE CAR TO BRAKE PROPERLY AND REVING UP AFTER BEING ALMOST AT A COMPLETE STOP. I WAS DRIVING ON A TWO LANE ROAD AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH BEFORE NEEDING TO STOP. I APPLIED MY BRAKES AT A REASONABLE DISTANCE TO STOP FOR THE TRAFFIC AHEAD FOR A TRAFFIC LIGHT. IT WAS NOT A SUDDEN STOP OR TAILGATING SITUATION. I APPLIED MY BRAKES AND THE CAR CAME TO A STOP OR VERY NEAR STOP APPROXIMATELY 18 INCHES FROM THE REAR BUMPER OF THE CAR AHEAD OF ME. IT SUDDENLY REVVED UP AND ACCELERATED AND MOVED FORWARD WHILE MY FOOT WAS DEPRESSED FIRMLY ON THE BRAKE AT ALL TIMES. THE REVVING CONTINUED FOR SECONDS AND THE CAR LUNGED FORWARD SEVERAL TIMES. IT HIT THE CAR THE FIRST TIME AND CONTINUED REVVING AND MOVED FORWARD HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT SEVERAL TIMES. THE CAR IN FRONT WAS AT A COMPLETE STOP ALL READY WHEN I HIT IT. MY CAR WOULD NOT STOP DESPITE MY CONTINUING TO HOLD THE BRAKE DOWN FIRMLY.. IT CONTINUED TO HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME 3 OR 4 TIMES BEFORE FINALLY STOPPING. THIS RESULTED IN THREE SUBSEQUENT CARS IN FRONT OF ME ALL BEING PUSHED INTO EACH OTHER. I ADVISED MY INSURANCE CARRIER AND POLICE OF THE SITUATION. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE BMW DEALER NEAR ME TODAY, OCTOBER 16TH AND I TOLD THEM OF THE SITUATION. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING 40 YEARS AND NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE THIS AND AM VERY VERY CERTAIN THE BRAKE WAS DEPRESSED AND THE CAR AND IT WAS NOT DRIVER ERROR. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS CAR AND AM PRESENTLY AWAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM THE CAR DEALER TO HEAR OF THEIR FINDINGS. IN SPEAKING WITH THE MECHANIC (NOT THE SERVICE ADVISOR WHO WAS FINE) AND TELLING HIM THE SPECIFICS AS STATED HERE, I SENSED SKEPTICISM THAT THIS ACTUALLY OCCURRED.

NHTSA ODI 11033956