Quote:
Originally Posted by ABMW
You said "that I've ever heard of" in your remarks above. That's a key statement.
You never heard of unintended Toyota accelerations until August when floor mats were recalled, despite rumblings about it since 2004.
Single individuals can only make so much noise, and "investigative reporters" on the nightly news are usually local in nature.
It took 400 complaints before Toyota informed the world there was an issue.
I don't know if 1989 model cars were Drive-by-wire (DBW) equipped, but things like the Internet have sped communication drastically. If there was a problem in 1989, one would have had to write the NHTSA a type written letter, on a type writer or by hand, look up the mailing address at a library or call information and document their complaint.
That's quite a bit of effort. How then would the next person who had such an incident know about it, back in 1989? They would likely have had to make a formal request for information, and would have had information send back to them via snail mail. Point being, times have changed.
Many similar issues may have taken place, without the knowledge of the public due to issues with the dissemination of information.
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I did qualify my remarks with "that I have heard of" because I cannot claim to be familiar with ever single car BMW has produced -- except that with regard to the 8ers, I've been actively involved in the 8 series world for the past nine years. Really actively involved, to include membership on the Board of Directors of the 8-Fest organization. Believe me, if there was ONE incident of unintended acceleration involving an 8 series car, I'd have heard of it.
And, yes, 1989 model BMWs were drive by wire equipped -- the V12 models. The 1988 750il was, as were all 8 series cars that came after beginning in 1990 (1991 in the US). In fact, BMW is the largest producer of V12 powered cars in the world (did you know that?), and they have all been drive by wire.
This internet thing, it just might catch on, you know? I know I've been using it to interact with other interested enthusiasts since at least 1989. While forums such as this one have gained in popularity and numbers in more recent years, the internet has been around a lot longer. Before these forums, there were email digests, and usenet groups. Information was available for those who sought it. The simple fact is that BMW drive by wire systems work as intended, without problems, and have for many, many years.