BMW Electrical System: Software

BMW is recalling about 1,398 vehicles over a problem with the electrical system. If the engine stalls during operation, it increases the risk of a crash.

Campaign
16V689000
Manufacturer
BMW of North America, LLC
Reported
26 September 2016
Vehicles
1,398
Built between
Mar 2013 – Oct 2015
Models
2
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
16 December 2016
Repaired
48%
Unrepaired
733

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between March 2013 and October 2015. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2013-2016 BMW G650GSBuilt March 2013 to October 2015
  • 2013-2015 BMW G650GS SertaoBuilt March 2013 to May 2014

Repair progress

733 of 1,398 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q1 2018.

48% repaired — 665 of 1,398 reported

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 2013-2016 BMW G650GS motorcycles manufactured March 8, 2013, to October 12, 2015, and 2013-2015 BMW G650GS Sertao motorcycles manufactured March 8, 2013, to May 23, 2014. The affected motorcycles may stall during operation due to an engine control unit (ECU) software issue.

What could happen

If the engine stalls during operation, it increases the risk of a crash.

What gets fixed

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will update the ECU software, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin November 18, 2016.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtMarch 2013 to October 2015
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA26 September 2016
  3. Owners notified16 December 2016
  4. Latest repair reportQ1 2018 — 48% 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 26 September 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. Note: This recall supersedes recall 15V-537. Motorcycles that were repaired under that recall need to have their software updated again as part of this campaign.

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.

Same component

Same brand