ATLANTA — A Georgia BMW owner is accusing the carmaker of trying to fix one problem, only to create another one far more dangerous.
His lawsuit, now in Atlanta Federal Court, says BMW never told drivers who came for service that they were going tweak the engine's software and what the consequences may be.
"I can't drive around my family, my fiancée and my kids. I can't drive around in that car, because I don't know when it's going to die," said Shawn McCullers.
"You believe this car's a danger?" asked Channel 2 consumer investigator Jim Strickland.
"I do, absolutely. I know it is. I don't just believe it, I've experienced it. I know it's a danger," McCullers said.
At Braxton Automotive in Atlanta, veteran technician Jason Brock showed Strickland a component BMW decided to reprogram in order to fix a rattle in the engine's turbo. %
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The result was less turbo pressure and less power. Owners call it "turbo lag."
"You press the gas and the car doesn't go," said Brock. "(It's) scary, really. Especially because it always seems to happen when you least expect it."
The problem isn't new. McCuller's lawsuit is similar to one BMW settled in 2010.
The company admitted no wrongdoing in settling a case filed in Arkansas.
"I want accountability. I'm tired of folks not being accountable to people that they harm," said McCullers.
The company responded to Strickland's questions in an email. It refused to comment on McCullers' suit or any of the mechanical issues involved with the N54 engine.
Cox Media Group
