BMW Fuel System, Diesel: Pre-Heater

BMW is recalling about 2,120 vehicles over a problem with the fuel system, diesel. The fuel filter heater could remain activated even when the ignition is off and lead to a dead battery.

Campaign
11V441000
Manufacturer
BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC
Reported
19 August 2011
Vehicles
2,120
Built between
Not published
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
11 October 2011
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

The manufacturer did not publish a build-date range for this recall, so the model and year list below is the only way to tell whether your vehicle is covered.

  • 2009 BMW X5

What the defect is

BMW is recalling certain model year 2009 X5 XDRIVE35D vehicles equipped with a diesel engine and manufactured from october 1, 2008, through june 12, 2009. The fuel filter heater, which is used for warming up the diesel fuel during vehicle operation at low outside temperatures, could experience an electrical overload condition and become permanently activated.

What could happen

The fuel filter heater could remain activated even when the ignition is off and lead to a dead battery. The unit could also overheat, possibly leading to a vehicle fire.

What gets fixed

BMW WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL FILTER HEATER FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 11, 2011.

Timeline

  1. Recall reported to NHTSA19 August 2011
  2. Owners notified11 October 2011

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 19 August 2011.

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 may contact BMW customer relations and services at 1-800-525-7417.

Official source

Recalling manufacturer
BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC
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

Owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to <a href=http://www.safercar.gov>http://www.safercar.gov</a> .

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