BMW 330e Owner Says Car Accelerated on Its Own Before CrashAutoblogAnton AndresThu, September 24, 2026 at 11:17 AM UTCAdd us on GoogleAutoblog and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article.The Mysterious Case of Unintended AccelerationThe term unintended acceleration exploded in the '80s because of Audi. Although the company was cleared of any wrongdoing, the reputational damage was done. It didn't help that 60 Minutes rigged a car, specifically a 5000, for one of its segments, and never issued an apology to the German automaker. Odd, then, that Audi never seemed to pursue legal action against the show, but that's a story for another day.Then, in 2009, Toyota was hit with the same issue after a tragic accident, and after billions in fines and settlements, Toyota redesigned its all-weather floor mats, and how they're installed, and added a brake override system that disengages the throttle in such instances. Mitsubishi wasn't immune, either, as there were cases in the Philippines (and strangely, just the Philippines) claiming the Montero Sport suffered the same issue. But more often than not, unintended acceleration has been attributed to pedal misapplication.(Alleged) Runaway BMWNow, it's BMW's turn to face such allegations. If you happen to be on TikTok or any other social media platform, chances are, you've seen a clip of an owner claiming that his G20 330e had a case of unintended acceleration after he met with an accident with it. The car was a 2024 model purchased second-hand from a Toyota dealership.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe owner stated that the car would rev even when idling, a pattern that had occurred before the accident. On the day of the incident, he made a left-hand turn, took his foot off the throttle, but then said the car continued to accelerate. He pushed down on the brakes, but nothing happened, eventually hitting a curb and rear-ending another motorist. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.Zac PalmerBMW Said No IssuesAfter the incident, the car was repaired and sent to a BMW center for inspection, where it was claimed no fault was found after a month-long investigation. The owner then took a video of the car revving by itself with his feet well away from the pedals and showed it to another technician from a BMW center. While the tech agreed there was a problem, BMW again said the car was not at fault.Speaking to Motor1, the owner said, "I'm not going to risk driving a car that has already caused a crash," adding, "Posting this video was a last-ditch effort." This may be one of the first instances of the current (and outgoing) generation of the 3 Series exhibiting this behavior. According to the NHTSA database, no recalls have been issued regarding the car's throttle.Too Early to TellBefore anyone jumps in the comments section and draws up their own conclusions, it's still too early to tell what's really going on with the car. That said, it's understandable to be skeptical of the company and, to some degree, the owner, but its virality could spark a government investigation. Either way, this is far from an open-and-shut case.AdvertisementAdvertisementIf your throttle gets stuck, here are a few ways to handle it. First, don't panic; instead, press the brake pedal firmly. While you do that, put the car in neutral while maintaining firm pressure on the brakes. Steer safely to the side of the road and shut off the vehicle. If your vehicle has a push-to-start button, hold it down for three or more seconds or press it rapidly to shut it off. If possible, put the car in park; if not, apply the parking brake or steer the wheels toward the curb to prevent it from rolling away.Joe SantosThis story was originally published by Autoblog on Sep 24, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.