BMW Electrical System: Wiring

BMW is recalling about 702,965 vehicles over a problem with the electrical system. Wiring that overheats could cause the electrical connectors to melt, and increase the risk of a fire, even when the vehicle is unattended.

Campaign
17V676000
Manufacturer
BMW of North America, LLC
Reported
25 October 2017
Vehicles
702,965
Built between
Feb 2005 – Dec 2011
Models
12
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
29 June 2018
Repaired
50%
Unrepaired
332,999

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between February 2005 and December 2011. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2006-2011 BMW 323IBuilt February 2005 to December 2011
  • 2006-2011 BMW 325IBuilt February 2005 to December 2011
  • 2006-2011 BMW 325XIBuilt February 2005 to December 2011
  • 2006-2011 BMW 328IBuilt February 2005 to December 2011
  • 2006-2011 BMW 328XIBuilt February 2005 to December 2011
  • 2006-2011 BMW 330IBuilt February 2005 to December 2011
  • 2006-2011 BMW 330XIBuilt February 2005 to December 2011
  • 2009-2011 BMW 335DBuilt March 2008 to July 2011
  • 2006-2011 BMW 335IBuilt February 2005 to December 2011
  • 2007-2011 BMW 335ISBuilt April 2006 to May 2011
  • 2006-2011 BMW 335XIBuilt February 2005 to December 2011
  • 2006-2011 BMW M3Built February 2005 to December 2011

Repair progress

332,999 of 702,965 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q3 2019.

50% repaired — 351,986 of 702,965 reported

Scrapped or exported
17,980

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 2006-2011 323i, 325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 330i, 330xi, 335i, 335xi and M3, 2007-2011 328i xDrive, 335i xDrive and 335is and 2009-2011 335d vehicles. The wiring and electrical connectors for the system that controls air flow for the heating and air conditioning system may overheat.

What could happen

Wiring that overheats could cause the electrical connectors to melt, and increase the risk of a fire, even when the vehicle is unattended.

What gets fixed

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the wiring and electrical connectors, free of charge. Interim letters were mailed on November 27, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when the remedy becomes available.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtFebruary 2005 to December 2011
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA25 October 2017
  3. Owners notified29 June 2018
  4. Latest repair reportQ3 2019 — 50% 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 25 October 2017.

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.

Same component

Same brand