- Vehicles
- 156,137
- Built between
- Sep 2009 – Feb 2012
- Models
- 12
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 24 September 2014
- Repaired
- 81%
- Unrepaired
- 12,003
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between September 2009 and February 2012. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2010-2011 BMW 128IBuilt January 2010 to August 2011
- 2011-2012 BMW 135IBuilt January 2010 to August 2011
- 2010-2011 BMW 328IBuilt September 2009 to February 2012
- 2011-2012 BMW 335IBuilt September 2009 to February 2012
- 2011 BMW 528IBuilt September 2009 to February 2012
- 2011 BMW 535IBuilt September 2009 to February 2012
- 2010-2012 BMW 535I Gran TurismoBuilt September 2009 to November 2011
- 2012 BMW 640IBuilt May 2011 to October 2011
- 2010-2011 BMW X3 SAVBuilt January 2010 to September 2011
- 2010-2012 BMW X5 SAVBuilt November 2009 to October 2011
- 2011-2012 BMW X6 SAVBuilt February 2010 to October 2011
- 2010-2011 BMW Z4Built January 2010 to February 2011
Repair progress
12,003 of 156,137 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q4 2015.
81% repaired — 126,057 of 156,137 reported
- Owners not reachable
- 11,752
- Scrapped or exported
- 6,325
Manufacturers file these figures with NHTSA each quarter. Vehicles the manufacturer could not trace, or that have been scrapped or exported, are counted separately and are not included in the unrepaired figure.
What the defect is
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 128i Coupe, 128i Convertible, 328i Sedan, 328i xDrive Sedan, 328i Coupe, 328i Convertible, 328i Sports Wagon and Z4 sDrive 30i, 2011-2012 135i Coupe, 135i Convertible, 335i Sedan, X5 xDrive 35i, and X6 xDrive 35i, 2011 335i xDrive Sedan, 335i Coupe, 335i Convertible, 528i Sedan, 535i Sedan, 535i xDrive Sedan, X3 xDrive 28i, and X3 xDrive 35i, 2010 X3 xDrive 30i, and X5 xDrive 30i, 2012 640i Coupe, and 640i Convertible and 2010-2012 535i Gran Turismo vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the bolts that secure the housing for the variable camshaft timing adjustment (VANOS) unit can loosen over time and may possibly break.
What could happen
If the bolts loosen or break the engine may have reduced power or stall. An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.
What gets fixed
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the four VANOS housing bolts for both VANOS units (intake and exhaust), free of charge. In addition, owners of approximately 170,172 model year 2010-2012 BMW vehicles equipped with inline 6 cylinder engines not covered by this recall, will receive an extended warranty to address this condition. The recall began on September 24, 2014.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtSeptember 2009 to February 2012
- Recall reported to NHTSA10 April 2014
- Owners notified24 September 2014
- Latest repair reportQ4 2015 — 81% repaired
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 10 April 2014.
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 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 Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
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.