BMW of North America, LLC: Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
BMW of North America, LLC reported this defect to federal regulators on Apr 10, 2014 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 156,137. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 128i Coupe, 128i Convertible, 328i Sedan, 328i xDrive Sedan, 328i Coupe, 328i Convertible, 328i Sports Wagon and Z4 sDrive 30i, 2011-2012 135i Coupe, 135i Convertible, 335i Sedan, X5 xDrive 35i, and X6 xDrive 35i, 2011 335i xDrive Sedan, 335i Coupe, 335i Convertible, 528i Sedan, 535i Sedan, 535i xDrive Sedan, X3 xDrive 28i, and X3 xDrive 35i, 2010 X3 xDrive 30i, and X5 xDrive 30i, 2012 640i Coupe, and 640i Convertible and 2010-2012 535i Gran Turismo vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the bolts that secure the housing for the variable camshaft timing adjustment (VANOS) unit can loosen over time and may possibly break.
The risk
If the bolts loosen or break the engine may have reduced power or stall. An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the four VANOS housing bolts for both VANOS units (intake and exhaust), free of charge. In addition, owners of approximately 170,172 model year 2010-2012 BMW vehicles equipped with inline 6 cylinder engines not covered by this recall, will receive an extended warranty to address this condition. The recall began on September 24, 2014. Owners may contact BMW at 1-800-525-7417.
23 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 BMW 135i | 19 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 BMW 335i | 23 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 2012 BMW 535i Gran Turismo | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 BMW 640i | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2012 BMW X5 Sav | 21 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 2012 BMW X6 Sav | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 BMW 128i | 50 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| 2011 BMW 135i | 27 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| 2011 BMW 328i | 579 | 7 | 26 | 19 |
| 2011 BMW 335i | 98 | 7 | 1 | 2 |
| 2011 BMW 528i | 118 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 2011 BMW 535i | 112 | 4 | 6 | 5 |
| 2011 BMW 535i Gran Turismo | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 BMW X3 Sav | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 BMW X5 Sav | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 BMW X6 Sav | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 BMW Z4 | 46 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 2010 BMW 128i | 22 | 7 | 2 | 1 |
| 2010 BMW 328i | 155 | 6 | 6 | 3 |
| 2010 BMW 535i Gran Turismo | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 BMW X3 Sav | 23 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 2010 BMW X5 Sav | 19 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 2010 BMW Z4 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 14V176000.
Full record for the 2012 BMW 135i → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →