BMW Engine and Engine Cooling: Engine

BMW is recalling about 33,214 vehicles over a problem with the engine and engine cooling. If the idler pulley bolt breaks, the vehicle may unexpectedly lose power-assisted steering, increasing the risk of a crash.

Campaign
18V336000
Manufacturer
BMW of North America, LLC
Reported
23 May 2018
Vehicles
33,214
Built between
Mar 2008 – Jun 2013
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
NHTSA investigation
Owners notified
11 March 2019
Repaired
73%
Unrepaired
8,482

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between March 2008 and June 2013. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2009-2013 BMW X5Built March 2008 to June 2013

Repair progress

8,482 of 33,214 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q2 2020.

73% repaired — 24,222 of 33,214 reported

Scrapped or exported
510

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 2009-2013 X5 xDrive 35d diesel vehicles. The engine idler pulley bolt may loosen over time and break.

What could happen

If the idler pulley bolt breaks, the vehicle may unexpectedly lose power-assisted steering, increasing the risk of a crash.

What gets fixed

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the idler pulley bolt with an improved part, free of charge. The recall began March 11, 2019.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtMarch 2008 to June 2013
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA23 May 2018
  3. Owners notified11 March 2019
  4. Latest repair reportQ2 2020 — 73% 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 23 May 2018.

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 103
Recall initiated by
ODI

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