BMW Exterior Lighting: Switch

BMW is recalling about 17,700 vehicles over a problem with the exterior lighting. If this happens, the brake lamps either will not operate or will be continuously illuminated, regardless of brake pedal position.

Campaign
00V048000
Manufacturer
BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE
Reported
17 February 2000
Vehicles
17,700
Built between
Sep 1999 – Oct 1999
Models
10
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
15 May 2000
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between September 1999 and October 1999. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2000 BMW 323IBuilt September 1999 to October 1999
  • 2000 BMW 328IBuilt September 1999 to October 1999
  • 2000 BMW 528IBuilt September 1999 to October 1999
  • 2000 BMW 528ITBuilt September 1999 to October 1999
  • 2000 BMW 540IBuilt September 1999 to October 1999
  • 2000 BMW 540ITBuilt September 1999 to October 1999
  • 2000 BMW 740IBuilt September 1999 to October 1999
  • 2000 BMW 740ILBuilt September 1999 to October 1999
  • 2000 BMW 750ILBuilt September 1999 to October 1999
  • 2000 BMW M5Built September 1999 to October 1999

What the defect is

Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The brake lamps in these vehicles are controlled by a switch activated by the movement of the brake pedal. This switch could fail internally, causing it to remain either in the "brake lamps off" position or in the "brake lamps on" position.

What could happen

If this happens, the brake lamps either will not operate or will be continuously illuminated, regardless of brake pedal position.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE EXISTING BRAKE LAMP SWITCH WITH AN IMPROVED SWITCH.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtSeptember 1999 to October 1999
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA17 February 2000
  3. Owners notified15 May 2000

Your rights

A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.

That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 17 February 2000.

To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.

Official source

Recalling manufacturer
BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE
Recall initiated by
MFR

Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Additional notes

Owner notification began may 15, 2000.OWNERS who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.ALSO contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

Check your own vehicle

This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.

A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.

Same component

Same brand