- Vehicles
- 357
- Built between
- Mar 2003 – Apr 2003
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 23 June 2003
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between March 2003 and April 2003. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2003 BMW X5Built March 2003 to April 2003
What the defect is
On certain passenger vehicles, it is possible that the distance between the brake line and the steering shaft joint is not sufficient. If this occurs, the brake line could come into contact with the joint and eventually suffer damage and corrosion.
What could happen
A loss of brake fluid, indicated by a warning light in the instrument panel, could occur. This will be accompanied by a reduction in front brake performance. This could lead to a crash.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE BRAKE LINE AND THE STEERING SHAFT JOINT, AND IF NECESSARY, INCREASE THE DISTANCE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JUNE 23, 2003.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtMarch 2003 to April 2003
- Recall reported to NHTSA27 May 2003
- Owners notified23 June 2003
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 27 May 2003.
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.
Manufacturer contact
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.
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
Customers can 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.