The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced the recall of approximately 45,500 BMW vehicles due to a defect involving the electronic connection between the vehicle’s electronic key, the gear shifter, and the shift-by-wire transmission that automatically shifts into Park when the Start/Stop button is pressed to shut down the engine. If the driver presses this button multiple times within a short interval, the transmission may shift into Neutral instead of Park. This can result in a rollaway car accident.
The vehicles affected by this recall were manufactured between August 23, 2004 and July 24, 2008 and are equipped with the Comfort Access electronic key option. They include the following model year 2005 to 2008 7-series vehicles:
- BMW 760LI
- BMW 760I
- BMW 750 LI
- BMW 750I
- BMW 745LI
- BMW 745I
BMW notified the owners of the recall in November 2012, but revised software will not be available to fix the defect until March 2013. For more information, owners can email BMW at CustomerRelations@bmwusa.com or call them at (800) 525-7417.
Vehicle defects may be a sign of poor design or negligent manufacturing. If you have been injured in a New Jersey car accident caused by a malfunction or defect, the experienced NJ auto defect attorneys at Blume Forte can help you determine whether you may have a valid claim for compensation. To learn more about your legal rights and potential options, call us at 973-845-4421 for a no-cost consultation.