Vanos bolts backed out after recall service replacement completed. Vehicle went into safe mode on the freeway suddenly.

- Edmonds, WA, USA

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.

- Chapel Hill, NC, USA

The 2011 vehicle with less than 65,000 miles normal runs at highway speed in a range of 2K rpms. A warning regarding the transmission immediately caused the car to rev up to 5K RPM (very high for a diesel engine sedan) and the speed reduces 30-40mph while driving. It is incredibly scary and dangerous. Assumed this was a one-off. Pulled to the shoulder, turned off the car and it ran fine. Took it to BMW for inspection and they said they could not diagnose the problem but would replace the transmission and charge me more than half the value of the car. The issue has since repeated and is very dangerous to all on the road.

- South Orange, NJ, USA

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.

- Costa Mesa, CA, USA

Driving along and car lost acceleration for unknown reason. This has happened twice. First incident, the dealer replaced the fuel pump in the tank. Second incident, cannot replicate the issue and I am refusing to accept the car as concerned for my safety. Instructed dealer to drive the car.

- Bridgewater, NJ, USA

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).

- Kewanee, IL, USA

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.

- Aurora, IL, USA

The contact owns a 2011 BMW 335xi. The contact stated while the brakes were depressed the rpms increased, as if it was going to surge forward. The failure occurred three times. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The manufacturer was notified, but the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 9,300 and the current mileage was 9,780. Updated 10/31/11 the consumer stated on three occasions, while the vehicle was in drive and at a full stop, the engine speed increased towards full throttle without touching or depressing the accelerator pedal. The mat was not the cause, and it was not driver error. Updated 11/02/11 updated 11/04/11 updated 11/07/11

- Vestal, NY, USA