BMW Electrical System

BMW is recalling about 16,641 vehicles over a problem with the electrical system. A loss of electrical power can cause the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Campaign
19V472000
Manufacturer
BMW of North America, LLC
Reported
19 June 2019
Vehicles
16,641
Built between
Jun 2007 – Oct 2011
Models
4
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
14 August 2019
Repaired
54%
Unrepaired
7,020

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between June 2007 and October 2011. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2009 BMW 328IBuilt August 2008 to September 2008
  • 2009 BMW 328XIBuilt August 2008 to September 2008
  • 2009-2011 BMW 335DBuilt March 2008 to June 2011
  • 2008-2012 BMW M3Built June 2007 to October 2011

Repair progress

7,020 of 16,641 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q4 2020.

54% repaired — 9,035 of 16,641 reported

Scrapped or exported
586

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 328i and 328xi, 2009-2011 335d, 2008-2012 M3 Coupe and M3 Convertible, and 2008-2011 M3 Sedan vehicles. The connection of the positive battery cable at the fuse box terminal may degrade, resulting in an intermittent loss of electrical power.

What could happen

A loss of electrical power can cause the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

What gets fixed

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace and secure the positive battery cable connector, free of charge. The recall began August 14, 2019.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtJune 2007 to October 2011
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA19 June 2019
  3. Owners notified14 August 2019
  4. Latest repair reportQ4 2020 — 54% 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 19 June 2019.

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 is an expansion of a previous recall, number 18V-314.

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