BMW Visibility: Power Window Devices and Controls

BMW is recalling about 14,011 vehicles over a problem with the visibility. If the sunroof continues to close after the vehicle is shut off, it may increase the risk of injury.

Campaign
21V091000
Manufacturer
BMW of North America, LLC
Reported
18 February 2021
Vehicles
14,011
Built between
Not published
Models
2
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
16 April 2021
Repaired
99%
Unrepaired
181

Does this affect my vehicle?

The manufacturer did not publish a build-date range for this recall, so the model and year list below is the only way to tell whether your vehicle is covered.

  • 2020-2021 BMW 228I
  • 2020-2021 BMW M235I

Repair progress

181 of 14,011 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q1 2023.

99% repaired — 13,830 of 14,011 reported

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 2020-2021 228i, 228i xDrive, and M235i xDrive vehicles. If the driver initiates an automatic closure of the sunroof, and the vehicle key status is changed to "off" or "lock," the sunroof may continue to close. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 118, "Power-operated Window Systems."

What could happen

If the sunroof continues to close after the vehicle is shut off, it may increase the risk of injury.

What gets fixed

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will update the sunroof electronic coding software, free of charge. The recall began April 16, 2021.

Parts involved

  • N/A; vehicle programing issueN/A; vehicle programing issueN/A; vehicle programing issue

Part numbers are as filed by the manufacturer and are listed for reference. Your dealer will confirm the correct part for your vehicle.

Timeline

  1. Recall reported to NHTSA18 February 2021
  2. Owners notified16 April 2021
  3. Latest repair reportQ1 2023 — 99% 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 18 February 2021.

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 118
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