Kantrowitz, Goldhamer & Graifman, P.C., together with its co-counsel, have filed a consumer class action against BMW alleging defects in the primary and secondary timing chain tensioning systems installed in certain BMW models which include but are not limited to the E84, E89, F10, F25, and F30 (the “Subject Vehicles”). This defect involves 2012 through 2015 vehicles which are equipped with four cylinder multi-valve in-line engines including but not limited to engine codes N20 and N26 sold and/or leased in the United States.
A primary chain assembly partial or complete failure allows the chain to skip teeth on the chain sprockets. This occurrence causes the camshafts and crankshaft to fall out of synchronization and lose power or cause the engine’s pistons and valves to violently collide into one another. Depending on the degree of camshaft and crankshaft misalignment, the engine will operate poorly resulting in stalling and a limited ability to accelerate or maintain vehicle speed. In subject vehicles equipped with manual transmissions, the drive wheels will lock and cause loss of directional stability and steering. In other instances, the engine may fail to start, leaving the driver and passenger stranded mid-journey. In addition, primary chain assembly failures can also cause sudden and catastrophic engine self-destruction as the valves impact the cylinder pistons where the chain skips multiple teeth of the sprockets in one occurrence or the chain breaks
The secondary chain (counterbalance shaft and oil pump drive chain) in class engines connects the oil pump and balance shaft assemblies to the crankshaft. The secondary chain assembly is also defective and prematurely fails. Secondary chain failure is caused by materials and design that are required to be high-wear resistant but instead are made of insufficient materials which fail to prevent high resistance wear, resulting in premature chain elongation, chain sprocket damage and chain slippage.
If you have experienced this issue and wish to speak with an attorney about this matter, please contact Gary S. Graifman, Esq., Kantrowitz, Goldhamer & Graifman, P.C., at [email protected] 747 Chestnut Ridge Road, Suite 200, Chestnut Ridge, New York 10977 or via telephone: (888) 311-4803; or Fax: (845) 356-4335.
