BMW Lawsuit: The Engine that Couldn’t, or Just Won’t?

August 2nd, 2016. By LucyC

When you hear the three magic letters “BMW “—what comes to mind? A well-engineered, high performance motor car, with a German pedigree and price tag to match—or something like that? Possibly, you think fast, sexy, expensive, fun—and best not to elaborate too wildly on that. I’m willing to bet, however, that the word “clunker” doesn’t come to mind. Nor should it, as BMW enjoys a very good reputation.

However, it seems they may be having some issues getting to grips with green technology. A chink in the power cell appeared when a defective automotive class action lawsuit was filed against BMW recently, alleging its electric (your first clue) BMW i3 has a bit of a motivational issue. Specifically, it’s not keen on hills or heavy loads—such as a car full of passengers. (Maybe it’s having an identity crisis—after all, cars full of passengers—heavy loads—isn’t that what Ford minivans are for?)

The BMW lawsuit centers around the BMW i3 “Range Extender” feature. This option, called REx for short, or because it sounds cute, outfits the vehicle with a two-cylinder gasoline engine producing 34 horsepower that switches on when the battery charge depletes to five percent, giving the vehicle another 70 miles of range. BMW claims that the Range Extender “doubles your electric driving range” from the vehicle’s standard 81-mile range.

According to the folks that filed the lawsuit, the reality is a little different. Never would have guessed. In practice, when the gasoline engine kicks in, it doesn’t produce enough power to prevent a dramatic decrease in the vehicle’s performance. As alleged, if the car is under any kind of significant load (such as going up a hill, or loaded with passengers), the speed of the car will dramatically decrease as the battery charge diminishes. Like it’s stamping its feet saying “Nope, can’t make me…” The little engine that won’t.

According to the complaint, this alleged defect can result in the car slowing to speeds of 45 miles per hour on the freeway, without warning. This sudden and unexpected loss of power in a motor vehicle can result in a catastrophic situation for all those on the road, the plaintiffs assert.

Oh yes, that is dangerous indeed, not to mention very bad for the ego. There you are, burning up the highway as if you’re on the AutoBahn when suddenly you find yourself almost in reverse. People are driving by pointing you out to their kids, and not in a good way, before they leave you in their dust. Nope, not pretty—and that’s your best case scenario.

And what about this range of 81 miles, which would, presumably, get you to an exit safely on most freeways. If you’re only tearing up the neighborhood side streets or your local shopping mall—then possibly not such a massive loss of face. That said, let’s call a spade a spade—81 miles is not great. I’m assuming, that means the vehicle requires charging every 80 miles or so. But then again, these vehicles don’t spew out carbon dioxide—so that is the trade off—at least when they are in electric mode.

Admittedly, images of Fred Flintstone and the Modern Stone age Family (cue the music!) hoofing it down the highway do come to mind in this unfortunate scenario. But wait—maybe that’s an option? Fit a treadmill to the footwells and get a workout while you drive? Load the car with passengers and suddenly you’re doing 60 mph! Ok—don’t laugh—it may just have legs (bad pun, I know), but likely not worth holding your breath for.

The plaintiffs who filed the defective automotive suit against BMW are looking to have the vehicles redesigned and repaired at BMW’s expense, and to halt the sale of all i3 vehicles until repairs can be made. The claim also seeks compensation for all the owners of the vehicles, who were not told of the serious safety defect. Who was told of the defect? I can’t imagine a car dealership ponying up on that one.

Alas, it looks like it’s back to the minivan…but one can dream… including BMW.

Tags: BMW, Defective Products

This was posted on Tuesday, August 2nd, 2016 at 6:21 pm and is filed under Defective Products . Feel free to respond, or trackback. Read our comments policy.