- Vehicles
- 740,561
- Built between
- Feb 2006 – Dec 2011
- Models
- 8
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 18 June 2018
- Repaired
- 52%
- Unrepaired
- 331,872
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between February 2006 and December 2011. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2008-2011 BMW 128IBuilt November 2007 to February 2011
- 2007-2011 BMW 328IBuilt May 2006 to December 2011
- 2007-2011 BMW 525IBuilt February 2006 to August 2011
- 2007-2011 BMW 528IBuilt February 2006 to August 2011
- 2007-2011 BMW 530IBuilt February 2006 to August 2011
- 2007-2011 BMW X3Built August 2006 to September 2011
- 2007-2011 BMW X5Built May 2006 to March 2010
- 2007-2011 BMW Z4Built June 2006 to August 2011
Repair progress
331,872 of 740,561 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q3 2019.
52% repaired — 384,964 of 740,561 reported
- Scrapped or exported
- 23,725
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 2008-2011 128i and 2007-2011 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 525i, 525xi, 528i, 528xi, 530i, 530xi, X3 3.0si, X3 xDrive30i, X5 xDrive30i, Z4 3.0i, Z4 3.0si and Z4 sDrive30i vehicles. The heater for the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve may short circuit.
What could happen
An electrical short can cause the parts within the PCV valve to melt, increasing the risk of a fire, even when the vehicle is not in use.
What gets fixed
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the PCV valve heater, free of charge. Interim letters were mailed on November 27, 2017. Owners will receive a second notification by the end of October 2018.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtFebruary 2006 to December 2011
- Recall reported to NHTSA30 October 2017
- Owners notified18 June 2018
- Latest repair reportQ3 2019 — 52% 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 30 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.