- The recall impacts X5, X6, X7, 7-Series, 8-Series, and 3-Series models.
- In addition to having starter motors that may not work, impacted BMWs pose a fire risk.
- Dealers will be able to resolve the issue through a simple software update.
BMW has issued a recall for more than 105,000 sedan, coupe, convertible, and SUV models in the United States, revealing the starter motor could have mechanical damage that could prevent the engine from turning over.
Starting in March 2023, BMW received several field reports of fire damage within engine compartments and engines that wouldn’t turn on. It was initially unclear if there was a correlation between the “thermal damage” and engines that wouldn’t start but following an in-depth investigation, as well as more reports of incidents in the field, BMW concluded the two are connected.
Read: BMW’s Exploding Airbag Recall Extends To 5, 6-Series, M4, X3 And X5
According to the manufacturer, engine acoustic protection material could be contaminated by oil, potentially triggering a fire. This could damage the starter, as could a driver repeatedly trying to start the engine through “excessively long starting attempts.”
In total, 105,588 vehicles are involved in the recall. The most widely impacted are 2019-2020 X5 sDrive40i and X5 xDrive40i models, totaling 68,105 examples manufactured from August 1, 2018, to May 31, 2020. The recall also impacts 2020 X6 sDrive40i and X6 xDrive40i models built from April 9, 2019, to May 28, 2020, and 2019-2020 X7 xDrive40i units built from September 25, 2018, to May 31, 2020.
The recall also includes 2020-2021 740i and 740xi models, the 2020 840i Convertible and 840xi Convertible, 2020 840i Coupe and 840xi Coupe, 2020 840i Gran Coupe and 840xi Gran Coupe, and 2020 M340i and M340xi models.
Dealers were alerted to the recall on August 1, while owners will be notified by First Class mail from September 23, 2024. Owners will be advised to schedule an appointment with a BMW dealer where a software update will be performed that prevents the starter from being electrically overloaded after multiple starting attempts.
