BMW Exterior Lighting

BMW is recalling about 13,443 vehicles over a problem with the exterior lighting. The vehicle may be less visible to other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.

Campaign
15V188000
Manufacturer
BMW of North America, LLC
Reported
31 March 2015
Vehicles
13,443
Built between
Jan 2013 – Jun 2013
Models
9
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
27 July 2017
Repaired
69%
Unrepaired
3,837

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between January 2013 and June 2013. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2014 BMW 525D Xdrive
  • 2013-2014 BMW 528IBuilt January 2013 to June 2013
  • 2013-2014 BMW 528XIBuilt January 2013 to June 2013
  • 2013-2014 BMW 535IBuilt January 2013 to June 2013
  • 2013-2014 BMW 535XIBuilt January 2013 to June 2013
  • 2013-2014 BMW 550IBuilt January 2013 to June 2013
  • 2013-2014 BMW 550XIBuilt January 2013 to June 2013
  • 2013 BMW Active Hybrid 5Built January 2013 to June 2013
  • 2013-2014 BMW M5Built January 2013 to June 2013

Repair progress

3,837 of 13,443 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q4 2018.

69% repaired — 9,300 of 13,443 reported

Scrapped or exported
306

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 2013 528i, 528i xDrive, 535i, 535i xDrive, 550i, 550i xDrive, and ActiveHybrid 5 vehicles. The rear reflex reflectors may not reflect enough light. As such, the vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

What could happen

The vehicle may be less visible to other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.

What gets fixed

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear reflex reflectors, free of charge. The recall began July 28, 2017.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtJanuary 2013 to June 2013
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA31 March 2015
  3. Owners notified27 July 2017
  4. Latest repair reportQ4 2018 — 69% 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 31 March 2015.

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 service at 1-800-525-7417.

Official source

Recalling manufacturer
BMW of North America, LLC
Safety standard
FMVSS 108
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.

Same component

Same brand