NHTSA complaint: 2015 BMW 428I — SERVICE BRAKES
I STARTED THE CAR AND GOT IT OUT OF MY GARAGE. STOPPED THE CAR, ENGAGED "PARK" ON THE ELECTRONIC GEAR-SHIFT LEVER, AND ACTIVATED THE PARKING BRAKE BY PULLING ON THE MANUAL LEVER. GOT OUT OF THE CAR WITHOUT TURNING IT OFF AND MANUALLY CLOSED MY GARAGE DOOR. THE CAR, STOOD STILL FOR ABOUT 45 SECONDS ON MY DRIVEWAY (WHICH HAS A 10 INCLINE) WHILE I CLOSED MY GARAGE DOOR. AS SOON AS I TOUCHED THE VEHICLE'S DOOR HANDLE TO GET BACK IN THE CAR, THE CAR STARTED ROLLING FORWARD. THE CAR HIT MY GARAGE DOOR. I WAS STILL OUTSIDE OF THE CAR WHEN THIS HAPPENED. THIS WAS TRIGGERED BY TOUCHING THE CAR'S DOOR HANDLE, LIKELY DUE TO THE SAME MECHANISM THAT UNLOCKS THE CAR DOORS WHEN I TOUCH THE DOOR HANDLE. (THE VEHICLE HAS A KEYLESS ENTRY FEATURE THAT UNLOCKS THE CAR WHEN TOUCHING THE HANDLE AS DESCRIBED ABOVE) WHEN I GOT BACK IN THE CAR I CONFIRMED THAT THE CAR WAS STILL IN THE "PARK" MODE AND THAT THE PARKING BRAKE WAS STILL ENGAGED. THIS INCIDENT APPEARS TO BE SIMILAR TO PREVIOUSLY REPORTED ROLL AWAY BMW'S. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH ONLINE, IT APPEARS SIMILAR TO INCIDENTS REPORTED WITH BMW SERIES 7 AND X5 MODELS. MY CAR IS CURRENTLY AT THE BMW DEALERSHIP AND THEY ARE INVESTIGATING THE INCIDENT. *JS
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation