An owner of the renowned German vehicle BMW i3 model has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. claiming that the electric vehicle is prone to abruptly lose power when a feature specifically designed to double the car's driving range is used.

The legal action was filed in a federal court in Los Angeles on Tuesday,  May 17, 2016. The case seeks damages, but is limited to owners of BMW's i3 model in the U.S. and California. The plaintiff urges the German company to buy back their vehicles as an alternative option.

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Edo Tsoar initiated the case after experiencing a sudden plummet in the vehicle's speed without warning once he switched on the "Range Extender" feature. The extender boosts a two-cylinder gas powered, 34-horsepower engine to kick in once the electric vehicle's battery is running low.

Tsoar claims that the incident has happened to him more than once. He further observed that this usually takes place when the vehicle is significantly loaded, such as when he has passengers or when he's driving uphill. The driver went as far as setting a personal driving speed limit of under 80 miles due to these occurrences.

Other BMW i3 drivers have reported to the U.S. National Highway Traffic that their vehicles' speed went down by half even when they were going full throttle.

Jonathan Michaels, Tsoar's legal counsel, has pointed out that a sudden or unexpected power loss in a motorized vehicle can lead to a terrible situation. He claims that the i3 is unsafe and should remain off the roads.

BMW has not yet issued a statement regarding the case.