- Vehicles
- 340,000
- Built between
- Jan 1987 – Nov 1994
- Models
- 36
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 31 March 1999
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between January 1987 and November 1994. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1992-1995 BMW 318IBuilt March 1991 to November 1994
- 1992-1995 BMW 318IABuilt March 1991 to November 1994
- 1992-1995 BMW 318ICBuilt March 1991 to November 1994
- 1992-1995 BMW 318ICABuilt March 1991 to November 1994
- 1992-1995 BMW 318ISBuilt March 1991 to November 1994
- 1992-1995 BMW 318ISABuilt March 1991 to November 1994
- 1992-1995 BMW 325IBuilt March 1991 to November 1994
- 1992-1995 BMW 325IABuilt March 1991 to November 1994
- 1992-1995 BMW 325ICBuilt March 1991 to November 1994
- 1992-1995 BMW 325ICABuilt March 1991 to November 1994
- 1992-1995 BMW 325ISBuilt March 1991 to November 1994
- 1992-1995 BMW 325ISABuilt March 1991 to November 1994
- 1989-1995 BMW 525IBuilt February 1988 to November 1994
- 1989-1995 BMW 525IABuilt February 1988 to November 1994
- 1989-1995 BMW 525ITABuilt February 1988 to November 1994
- 1989-1995 BMW 530IBuilt February 1988 to November 1994
- 1989-1995 BMW 530IABuilt February 1988 to November 1994
- 1989-1995 BMW 530ITABuilt February 1988 to November 1994
- 1989-1995 BMW 535IBuilt February 1988 to November 1994
- 1989-1995 BMW 535IABuilt February 1988 to November 1994
- 1989-1995 BMW 540IBuilt February 1988 to November 1994
- 1989-1995 BMW 540IABuilt February 1988 to November 1994
- 1988-1995 BMW 735IBuilt January 1987 to November 1994
- 1988-1995 BMW 735IABuilt January 1987 to November 1994
- 1988-1995 BMW 735ILABuilt January 1987 to November 1994
- 1989-1995 BMW 740IABuilt January 1987 to November 1994
- 1988-1995 BMW 740ILABuilt January 1987 to November 1994
- 1988-1995 BMW 750ILABuilt January 1987 to November 1994
- 1991-1995 BMW 840CIABuilt April 1990 to November 1994
- 1991-1995 BMW 850CIBuilt April 1990 to November 1994
- 1991-1995 BMW 850CIABuilt April 1990 to November 1994
- 1991-1995 BMW 850CSIBuilt April 1990 to November 1994
- 1991-1995 BMW 850IBuilt April 1990 to November 1994
- 1991-1995 BMW 850IABuilt April 1990 to November 1994
- 1992-1995 BMW M3Built March 1991 to November 1994
- 1989-1995 BMW M5Built February 1988 to November 1994
What the defect is
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. A malfunction or failure of a coolant system component, such as a thermostat, water pump, or fan belt, can result in significantly increased coolant temperature and system pressure. If the indications of a critical overheating condition is not noticed by the driver, it is possible that damage to, or failure of, a coolant system component could occur.
What could happen
If a crack were to form or a seam were to separate in the heater core end piece, hot coolant could suddenly be expelled, increasing the risk of personal injury to a vehicle occupant.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW DESIGN RADIATOR CAP TO CONTROL PRESSURE AND PROVIDE GREATER COOLANT OVERFLOW IN THE EVENT OF OVERHEATING.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJanuary 1987 to November 1994
- Recall reported to NHTSA4 August 1998
- Owners notified31 March 1999
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 4 August 1998.
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 began march 31, 1999. 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 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
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.