BMW Electrical System: Wiring

BMW is recalling about 7,000 vehicles over a problem with the electrical system. As a result, engine hesitation or misfiring could occur, which could result in a crash.

Campaign
03V483000
Manufacturer
BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE
Reported
25 November 2003
Vehicles
7,000
Built between
Dec 2002 – Aug 2003
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
10 December 2003
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between December 2002 and August 2003. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2003 BMW R ModelBuilt December 2002 to August 2003

What the defect is

On certain motorcycles, the electrical wiring for the oxygen sensor and the ignition lead for the right-hand secondary spark plug have a parallel routing over part of their installation path. The close proximity of these cables may allow the signal from the ignition lead to interfere with the signal from the oxygen sensor wiring.

What could happen

As a result, engine hesitation or misfiring could occur, which could result in a crash.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL RE-ROUTE THE ELECTRICAL WIRING TO THE OXYGEN SENSOR. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN DECEMBER 10, 2003.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtDecember 2002 to August 2003
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA25 November 2003
  3. Owners notified10 December 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 25 November 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 should contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117, option #4.

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.

Same component

Same brand