Speed Control Cable Problems of BMW 318

I am an engineer who performs failure analysis - my observations are based on significant experience in this field. The car is a 1996 BMW 318ti with a 5 spd manual transmission. The engine is stock. I was driving my 318ti on the interstate highway and noticed that the speed was increasing without throttle input. I turned the cruise control off thinking that it somehow had malfunctioned - the speed continued to increase. When the speed passed 80 mph, I depressed the clutch, which of course allowed the car to slow, but the engine immediately attempted to redline - as the tach got close to the red line, I shut the ignition off, and steered the car to the shoulder. With the car in neutral, I try to start it again, and the engine speed increased very rapidly to redline. I tried this 3-4 times over 5 minutes with the same result each time. I finally opened the hood and found that the throttle cable had come loose from the plastic bushing on the lever housing. This problem was the subject of a 1997 recall, and my car had the repairs made (metal rings) that were specified in the recall. They seem to be failing now. There is a news article from england that seems to show an identical failure in a 318. . Read more...

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