- Vehicles
- 410,000
- Built between
- Apr 1988 – Jul 1997
- Models
- 16
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 30 October 1997
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between April 1988 and July 1997. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1992-1997 BMW 318IBuilt July 1992 to July 1997
- 1994-1997 BMW 318ICBuilt February 1994 to July 1997
- 1992-1997 BMW 318ISBuilt July 1992 to July 1997
- 1995-1997 BMW 318TIBuilt December 1994 to July 1997
- 1992-1995 BMW 325IBuilt January 1991 to October 1995
- 1994-1995 BMW 325ICBuilt September 1993 to October 1995
- 1992-1995 BMW 325ISBuilt January 1991 to October 1995
- 1989-1995 BMW 525IBuilt April 1988 to December 1995
- 1992-1995 BMW 525ITBuilt September 1991 to December 1995
- 1994-1995 BMW 530IBuilt September 1993 to December 1995
- 1994-1995 BMW 530ITBuilt September 1993 to December 1995
- 1994-1995 BMW 540IBuilt September 1993 to December 1995
- 1993-1997 BMW 740IBuilt June 1992 to July 1997
- 1994-1997 BMW 840CIBuilt September 1993 to December 1996
- 1995-1997 BMW M3Built March 1994 to July 1997
- 1996-1997 BMW Z3Built July 1995 to July 1997
What the defect is
The cruise control and throttle cables are attached to the same throttle valve actuating lever at the throttle housing. It is possible that the plastic bushing on either cable could break due to environmental influences coupled with vibration. If the bushing breaks, the outer cable housing can separate from the bushing. In this case, during application of the throttle pedal without cruise control being engaged, the outer tube could catch on the edge of the broken bushing.
What could happen
This could cause the throttle valve to remain partially open. It his were to occur, the car might not decelerate as expected increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A SPRING STEEL CLIP ON THE OUTER TUBE OF EACH CABLE IN THE AREA OF THE ADJUSTING SCREW AND PLASTIC BUSHING. THE CLIP IS DESIGNED TO PREVENT THE OUTER TUBE FROM DISLODGING FROM THE BUSHING.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtApril 1988 to July 1997
- Recall reported to NHTSA19 August 1997
- Owners notified30 October 1997
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 August 1997.
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.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE
- 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
Owner notification is expected to begin by the end of october 1997. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.ALSO contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-800-424-9393.
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.