Recalls


CampaignManufacturerManufacturing dateType# of units affectedDate Owner notified MfgRecall Initiated byManufacturers of recalled vehicles/productsReport Recieved DateRecord Creation DateRegulation Part NumberFMVSS Number
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY - CABLES
12V126000BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLCfrom 06/01/2003 to 12/31/2009V (Vehicle)36768204/30/2012MFRBMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC03/26/201203/26/2012
Defect SummaryBmw is recalling certain model year 2004-2010 5-series, model year 2004-2010 6-series, model year 2006-2010 m5, and model year 2007-2010 m6 vehicles. the insulated bulkhead connector for the positive battery cable may have been incorrectly attached to the trunk floor panel, which can lead to a loosening of the bolt connection. as it loosens, an increase in electrical resistance at this cable connection is possible and could cause the cable connection to overheat.
Consequence SummaryOverheating could lead to a fire, even while the vehicle is not in use. as a precaution, owners are advised to park outside until the remedy has been made.
Corrective SummaryBmw will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and secure the battery bolt cable connection as necessary, free of charge. the safety recall began on april 30, 2012. owners may contact bmw customer relations and services at 1-800-525-7417.
NotesCustomers may contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty: 1-800-424-9153); or go to http://www.safercar.gov.

Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
SIB-12-09-0702/01/200810032780Bmw vehicle: service engine soon light illuminated: s85-various vanos related faults stored. (e60 (5series), e63 & e64 (6series). no model years listed. *pe05/21/2010
SIB-12-09-0802/01/200810032781Bmw vehicle: driveability complaints due to cooling fan relay failure. the customer may complain of intermittent driveability problems, described as-engine is lacking power when accelerating uphill; transmission will not upshift under hea05/21/2010
SI-B-12-04-0510/01/200810028370Bmw: check engine lamp illuminated and/or vehicle overheats. models e83, e85, e86, e70, e90, e91, e92, e93, e60 and e61. *pe03/26/2009
122010510/01/200512200510012788Loss of power while decelerating and turning or coming to a stop. *eh bmw 5 series, 6 series, 7 series produced between 09/03 to 8/04. *tt03/28/2005
61140310/01/2004611403100072002004 my various software errors corrected with cip. *tt *mj06/03/2004
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY
SIB-61-37-1212/01/201210051519Bmw: the high-voltage (hv) battery cells could be damaged if the vehicle is prevented from entering sleep mode for an extended period of time. updated 03/11/2013 *js03/11/2013
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - SOFTWARE
SIB-12-07-0610/01/200910032650Bmw: service engine soon lamp illuminated-fc 23f4 map thermostat. in some vehicles have insufficient heat. e90, e91 (3 series), e60, e61 (5 series) 3/06 and e83 (x3 series) 9/08. *pe04/23/2010

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
11/17/201189655
 Warning notice on i drive system that there was an emergency with the lighting system and the car should be stopped immediately. directional signals no longer worked, emergency flashers were inoperative and headlights not operating properly. brought car to dealer the next day and the problem was corrected with an update to the i drive software leading me to believe that bmw is aware of this very serious safety issue but has chosen to ignore it until owners experience the problem and then the owner has to pay for the update to correct the software glitch. my cost was $320.92
07/24/201088000
 Tl- the contact owns a 2004 bmw 545i. the contact stated that he noticed that there were various warning lights that illuminated on the instrumental panel. he stated that the vehicles i-drive would malfunction causing the radio to fail, gps, and he was unable to make phone calls from the vehicle. the speedometer also displayed 0 instead of the actual mph that was being driven. the vehicle was inspected by a dealer and they were unable to diagnose the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 88,000. the vin was unavailable. rk
07/24/201088000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2004 bmw 545i. the contact stated that he noticed that there are various warning lights that illuminate on the instrumental panel. he stated that the vehicles i-drive would malfunction by the radio not working, the gps, unable to make phone calls from the vehicle, or the speedometer may read 0 instead of the actual mph. the vehicle was inspected by a dealer and they were unable to diagnose the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 88,000. the vin was unavailble. tb
10/16/201060000
 Tl* the contact would like to use his submitted email as the actual complaint. our 2004 bmw 530i had the driver's heated seat catch fire. i am not getting much help from bmw on this matter. to me, this is one helluva of an easy way to cause a major accident. only because of my partner's quick thinking and turning off the heater was she able to stop the fire. it was hot enough that it melted the foam (toxic i am sure) in the seat. something like this happening while you are going down the road is right up there with toyota and their acceleration problems. either way a major accident can happen. not to mention that a person could be severely burned. while the car is out of warranty this seat has never been abused. the driver of the car weighs in at about 120 pounds. from checking the internet there seems to be a quite a number of such instances. thank you scott the failure mileage was 60,000.
10/16/201060000
 Tl. the contact would like to use the email as the complaint. our 2004 bmw 530i had the driver's heated seat catch fire. i am not getting much help from bmw on this matter. to me, this is one helluva of an easy way to cause a major accident. only because of my partner's quick thinking and turning off the heater was she able to stop the fire. it was hot enough that it melted the foam (toxic i am sure) in the seat. something like this happening while you are going down the road is right up there with toyota and their acceleration problems. either way a major accident can happen. not to mention that a person could be severly burned. while the car is out of warranty this seat has never been abused. the driver of the car weighs in at about 120 pounds. from checking the internet there seems to be a quite a number of such instances. thank you scott the failure mileage was 60,000. jo
09/25/201098000
 04 bmw 545 electrical failure mpm
11/12/200854000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2004 bmw 5 series. the contact noticed a burning smell and felt something burning her leg. she sustained burns to her thigh and buttocks area due to the seat warmer. the manufacturer was unable to assist. the contact was able to locate nhtsa campaign id number 08v384000 (air bags:frontal) for the same year, make, and model vehicle. she also stated that the passenger side air bag was inoperable. the manufacturer advised her to expect a recall on the air bag; however, without a recall, they could not assist. the manufacturer stated that there were no open recalls based on her vin, but nhtsa campaign id number 04v575000 (seats:front assembly:seat heater/cooler) was referenced. the failure and current mileages were less than 54,000.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING
08/25/2005232811012/19/2003
 Dt: 2004 bmw 530 i. the consumer complained about several electrical problems, such as air bag warning light coming on/windows rolling down and then malfunctioning/trunk opening, and halo lights staying on. the onstar or sos systems was not working. took the vehicle to the dealership. the manufacturer considered this vehicle a lemon. the dealership and manufacturer were not complying with the lemon law. this process was to buy back the vehicle. they were taking too long to resolve this matter. *ak