Bayerische Motoren Werke: Exterior Lighting › Brake Lights › Switch
Bayerische Motoren Werke reported this defect to federal regulators on Jul 1, 1996 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 180,000. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH CAN FAIL ALLOWING THE SWITCH TO REMAIN IN THE "BRAKE LIGHTS OFF" POSITION OR IN THE "BRAKE LIGHTS ON" POSITION.
The risk
IF THIS HAPPENS, THE BRAKE LIGHTS EITHER WILL NOT OPERATE OR WILL BE CONTINUOUSLY ON, REGARDLESS OF BRAKE PEDAL POSITION. FOLLOWING DRIVERS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE VEHICLE IS STOPPING, INCREASING THE POTENTIAL FOR A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE EXISTING BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED SWITCH.
35 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 BMW M3 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| 1994 BMW 325i | 17 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1994 BMW 325Ic | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1994 BMW 325Is | 10 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1994 BMW 525i | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 BMW 525It | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 BMW 530i | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 BMW 530It | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 BMW 540i | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 BMW 740i | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 BMW 740Il | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993 BMW 325i | 21 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993 BMW 325Is | 16 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1993 BMW 525i | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1993 BMW 525It | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993 BMW 740i | 15 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 1993 BMW 740Il | 9 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1992 BMW 325i | 40 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 1992 BMW 325Is | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 BMW 525i | 18 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| 1992 BMW 525It | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 BMW 535i | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1992 BMW 735i | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1992 BMW 735Il | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 BMW 750i | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 BMW 525i | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 BMW 535i | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 BMW 735i | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 BMW 735Il | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 BMW 750i | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990 BMW 525i | 11 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1990 BMW 535i | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 1990 BMW 735i | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990 BMW 735Il | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1990 BMW 750i | 0 | 1 | 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 96V111000.
Full record for the 1995 BMW M3 → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →