BMW of North America, LLC: Power Train › Driveline › Driveshaft
BMW of North America, LLC reported this defect to federal regulators on May 17, 2016 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 21,493. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2011 X5 xDrive 35i, xDrive50i, X5 M, X6 xDrive35i, X6 xDrive50i, and X6 M vehicles manufactured April 5, 2010, to November 20, 2010, 2011 X5 xDrive35d diesel vehicles manufactured April 7, 2010, to November 20, 2010, and 2011 X6 Active Hybrid vehicles manufactured April 15, 2010, to November 17, 2010. The affected vehicles have a front driveshaft universal joint that may not seal out water and debris from getting in and damaging the joint, which could lead to its failure.
The risk
If the front universal joint fails, the front wheels would not be driven, affecting vehicle traction. Additionally, continued driving of the vehicle with a broken front universal joint may damage other components. Either condition may increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driveshaft, free of charge. The recall began on July 8, 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
4 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 BMW X5 | 263 | 14 | 15 | 5 |
| 2011 BMW X5 Diesel Sav | 44 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 2011 BMW X6 | 31 | 11 | 3 | 0 |
| 2011 BMW X6 Activehybrid Sac | 0 | 8 | 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 16V311000.
Full record for the 2011 BMW X5 → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →