- Vehicles
- 21,493
- Built between
- Apr 2010 – Nov 2010
- Models
- 4
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 8 July 2016
- Repaired
- 71%
- Unrepaired
- 374
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between April 2010 and November 2010. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2011 BMW X5Built April 2010 to November 2010
- 2011 BMW X5 Diesel SAVBuilt April 2010 to November 2010
- 2011 BMW X6Built April 2010 to November 2010
- 2011 BMW X6 Activehybrid SACBuilt April 2010 to November 2010
Repair progress
374 of 21,493 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q4 2017.
71% repaired — 15,183 of 21,493 reported
- Owners not reachable
- 4,361
- Scrapped or exported
- 1,575
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 2011 X5 xDrive 35i, xDrive50i, X5 M, X6 xDrive35i, X6 xDrive50i, and X6 M vehicles manufactured April 5, 2010, to November 20, 2010, 2011 X5 xDrive35d diesel vehicles manufactured April 7, 2010, to November 20, 2010, and 2011 X6 Active Hybrid vehicles manufactured April 15, 2010, to November 17, 2010. The affected vehicles have a front driveshaft universal joint that may not seal out water and debris from getting in and damaging the joint, which could lead to its failure.
What could happen
If the front universal joint fails, the front wheels would not be driven, affecting vehicle traction. Additionally, continued driving of the vehicle with a broken front universal joint may damage other components. Either condition may increase the risk of a crash.
What gets fixed
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driveshaft, free of charge. The recall began on July 8, 2016.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtApril 2010 to November 2010
- Recall reported to NHTSA17 May 2016
- Owners notified8 July 2016
- Latest repair reportQ4 2017 — 71% 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 17 May 2016.
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
- 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.