2008 Bmw X3 Cruise Control Problems

WHILE THE CAR WAS TRAVELLING AT A RATE OF ABOUT 45 MPH, IT DID SOMETHING I NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE. IT STARTED TO SHAKE, SPUTTER AND LOSE POWER WHILE ASCENDING A ON A PAVED CITY STREET THAT HAD ABOUT A 20 DEGREE UPHILL GRADE. THE VEHICLE BEHIND ME DIDN'T EXPECT MY SUDDEN SPEED CHANGE AND NEARLY REAR ENDED ME.. THE ENGINE ICON APPEARED ON THE DASH AND I SPUTTERED ALL THE WAY HOME.

AS AN EXAMPLE, WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE THE VEHICLE ONTO A MOVING TRAFFIC SITUATION THE CAR HESITATES/LAGS/DELAYS BEFORE THE ENGINE CATCHES, THEN IT TAKES OFF LIKE A RABBIT WHEN YOU DON'T EXPECT IT. THIS VEHICLE BEHAVIOR HAS CAUSED NEAR MISS ACCIDENTS MORE THAN ONCE WHEN I WAS DRIVING. IT'S NOT A DELAY WHICH DECREASES A TRANSIENT SURGE. IT INCREASES THE TRANSIENT SURGE AS THE CAR DOES NOT RESPOND TO THE THROTTLE FOR A HALF SECOND THEN BOLTS FORWARD WITH AN AWKWARD LURCH AND A SLAM. IT'S MUCH ROUGHER THAN A NORMAL TAKEOFF WOULD BE. IT'S NOT AT ALL SMOOTH. SOME HAVE DESCRIBED IT AS BEING REAR-ENDED. THE HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR IN NOVEMBER 2010 MANY BMW OWNERS HAVE REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO BMW AS I HAVE. THE ANSWER I GOT AS WELL AS MANY OTHERS FROM BMW WAS, "IT'S NORMAL". *TR

I BROUGHT MY CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE IT STALLED AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON BRIEFLY AND SHUT OFF. THE CAR WAS ALSO HESITATING ON ACCELERATION. THE DEALER DETERMINED THE CAUSE WAS A NEEDED THERMOSTAT REPLACEMENT. HOWEVER, ONCE UNDER THE CAR, THE TECHNICIAN NOTED 3 OF 4 ENGINE MOUNT BOLTS WERE "BROKEN" AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. HE SAID IT WAS CONSIDERED "WEAR AND TEAR" AND WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY EVEN THOUGH ONLY ONE BOLT WAS NOW HOLDING THE ENGINE FROM FALLING OUT. THIS REPAIR WOULD COST APPROXIMATELY $400. UPON INVESTIGATION, I NOTICED THIS WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.BIMMERFEST.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=528870 WHERE PEOPLE POST ABOUT THEIR BMWS. IT SEEMS THAT SEVERAL OTHERS HAVE HAD THIS SERIOUS PROBLEM AROUND THE SAME MILEAGE POINT WITH THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL, AND SEVERAL COMPLAINED THAT THE REPAIR WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, EVEN THOUGH IT APPEARS TO BE A MANUFACTURING DEFECT AS THE BOLTS ARE MADE OF ALUMINUM, NOT A STRONG MATERIAL, AND ONE THAT EASILY BREAKS. *TR