BMW Electrical System: Wiring

BMW is recalling about 41,981 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
19V579000
Manufacturer
BMW of North America, LLC
Reported
6 August 2019
Vehicles
41,981
Built between
Nov 2007 – Sep 2011
Models
3
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
4 October 2019
Repaired
62%
Unrepaired
15,297

Does this affect my vehicle?

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

  • 2008-2012 BMW 128IBuilt November 2007 to September 2011
  • 2008-2012 BMW 135IBuilt November 2007 to September 2011
  • 2008-2012 BMW 135ISBuilt November 2007 to September 2011

Repair progress

15,297 of 41,981 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q1 2021.

62% repaired — 25,966 of 41,981 reported

Scrapped or exported
718

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 2008-2012 BMW 128i, 135i, 135is Coupes and 128i, 135i Convertible vehicles. The wiring and electrical connectors in the blower-regulator wiring harness 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 inspect the blower-regulator wiring harness, and replace it with a new part, free of charge. The recall began October 4, 2019.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtNovember 2007 to September 2011
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA6 August 2019
  3. Owners notified4 October 2019
  4. Latest repair reportQ1 2021 — 62% 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 6 August 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 an earlier recall number 17V-676.

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