BMW Again Issues Massive Recall For Fire Risk In Over 1M Vehicles

Certain BMW vehicles are facing a recall in the US due to fire risk, affecting over 900,000 vehicles. This is announced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in campaign number 22V-119.

 Only BMW models ranging from the 1 Series Coupe up to the Z4 Roadster, which were produced on certain ranges of dates, are affected. Production dates go as far back as January 2005. The table below shows the affected models and the corresponding production dates, as stated in the Part 573 Safety Recall Report.

Model
Production Dates
BMW 1 Series Coupe
November 08, 2007 - October 04, 2013
BMW 1 Series Convertible
November 12, 2007 - October 09, 2013
BMW 3 Series Coupe
May 10, 2006 - June 26, 2013
BMW 3 Series Sedan
February 01, 2005 - December 16, 2011
BMW 3 Series Wagon
June 14, 2005 - May 29, 2012
BMW 3 Series Convertible
November 28, 2006 - October 01, 2013
BMW X3
April 12, 2006 - August 24, 2010
BMW 5 Series Sedan
January 28, 2005 - December 17, 2009
BMW 5 Series Wagon
January 19, 2005 - February 22, 2007
BMW X5
May 23, 2006 - March 18, 2010
BMW Z4 Coupe
April 18, 2006 - August 11, 2008
BMW Z4 Roadster
April 28, 2005 - August 24, 2011

The culprit of this massive recall involves a Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) valve heater (blow-by-heater). According to BMW, this component may not have been produced by the supplier to specifications, with irregularities that could lead to a short circuit causing the PCV to overheat. If this occurs, it could lead to increased fire risk.

The component was made by Mahle International GmbH from Germany.

Exactly 917,106 vehicles are part of the recall, with only one percent estimated to come with the defect. However, Bloomberg reports that 98,000 vehicles in Canada and 18,000 in South Korea are also affected, with the information coming from a BMW spokesperson.

In 2017, BMW has issued a recall involving 1.4 million vehicles due to a similar issue with similar risks. That was another set of vehicles with different production dates, as part of the NHTSA recall campaign number 17V-683.

In 2019, NHTSA recall campaign number 19V-273 involved another set, involving 2006 model years 3er, 5er, and Z4.

Without VIN included in the NHTSA campaign reports, it's hard to pinpoint whether your BMW is part of these massive recalls. If you suspect so, you might want to check with your dealer to confirm whether your Bimmer needs to have the said issue fixed.

BMW has already notified dealers of the said recall. The company will also be notifying owners by April 25, 2022.