← NHTSA complaints

2010 BMW 535I — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

firecrash2 injured · 937615 · 2012-09-04

Vehicle

Make
BMW
Model
535I
Year
2010
Manufacturer
BMW of North America, LLC
Component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Miles at failure
27,271
Speed
25 mph

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
2
Fire
Yes
Crash
Yes
Police report
No
Medical attention
No
Vehicle towed
No

Narrative

WITHIN TWO WEEKS OF TAKING OWNERSHIP OF THIS CAR, I EXPERIENCED A SERIES OF FAULTS IN THE SYSTEM WHERE THE CAR FROZE UP AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR. OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, THE CAR HAS EXPERIENCED A VARIETY OF MALFUNCTIONS IN THE ELECTRONIC WARNING SYSTEM. ON 5/22/12, UPON LEAVING MY RESIDENCE, I LOST MOMENTARY CONTROL OF THE CAR. THE CAR STOPPED, JERKED AND THEN I HIT A CURB AND WHEN I RIGHTED THE CAR, I PRESSED DOWN ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, BUT THE CAR ACCELLERATED TO A HIGH SPEED. I TRAVELLED APPROXIMATELY 100' TO WHERE THERE WERE THREE CARS AND ONE MOTORCYCLE STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT. I WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE CAR AND HIT THE DRIVER OF THE MOTOR CYCLE AT A HIGH SPEED. THE CAR WAS REPAIRED WITH NEARLY $25,000 IN DAMAGE. THE FOLLOWING MORNING AFTER I HAD RECEIVED THE CAR, AND DURING A COLD START, THE CAR DID THE SAME THING AGAIN. IT "JERKED" THE WHEEL TURNED AND THIS TIME I RIGHTED THE CAR. OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS, THE CAR DID IT AGAIN SEVERAL TIMES. ONE WEEK LATER WHEN I WAS DRIVING IT (AGAIN A COLD START AND WITHIN 1/2 MILE OF MY HOME GARAGE), THE CAR DID THE "JERKING" MOVEMENT AND I TEMPORARILY LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND CALLED BMW TO REPORT THE SITUATION AND HAVE THE CAR TOWED. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS A FAULT IN THE CAR'S SOFTWARE SYSTEM. BMW HAD THE CAR AT ITS SHOP FOR 10 DAYS, RETURNED IT TO ME AND I'VE NOT EXPERIENCED THE MALFUNCTION SINCE.

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
10474681
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown