ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, DUE TO A SOFTWARE ERROR, A DESYNCHRONIZATION OF THE VALVETRONIC MOTORS FOR ENGINE BANKS I AND II MAY OCCUR. IF THIS OCCURS, THE ENGINE COULD STALL.
Safety risk
IN THOSE CASES, THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE. DEPENDING ON THE LEVEL OF ENGINE ROUGHNESS, OR STALLING, AS WELL AS TRAFFIC CONDITIONS AND THE DRIVER'S REACTIONS, THIS COULD LEAD TO A CRASH.
Manufacturer remedy
DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE DIGITAL ENGINE MANAGEMENT CONTROL UNIT. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 8, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-831-1117.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP RUNS AT A ROTATIONAL SPEED THAT COULD RESULT IN REDUCED LUBRICATION OF ITS INTERNAL COMPONENTS. OVER AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, WEAR-INDUCED INTERNAL DAMAGE TO THE FUEL PUMP COULD RESULT IN INSUFFICIENT FUEL SUPPLY TO THE ENGINE WHEN THE FUEL TANK CONTAINS ONE-THIRD OR LESS OF ITS MAXIMUM FUEL CAPACITY.
Safety risk
IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR, THE ENGINE COULD STALL AND NOT BE RESTARTED UNTIL MORE FUEL WAS ADDED TO THE FUEL TANK. THIS COULD OCCUR EVEN THOUGH THE FUEL GAUGE INDICATED THAT FUEL STILL REMAINED IN THE TANK.
Manufacturer remedy
DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE FUEL PUMP CONTROL SYSTEM. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JUNE 28, 2002. 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 1-800-332-4269.
Owner complaints
A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.
Component
Complaints
Median mileage
Air bags
9
89,000 mi
Power train
8
122,000 mi
Power train: automatic transmission
8
91,000 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic
8
101,000 mi
Electrical system
6
66,000 mi
Engine
3
104,000 mi
Parking brake
3
60,000 mi
Seat belts
3
144,300 mi
Air bags: frontal
2
67,000 mi
Electrical system: ignition
2
7,620 mi
Fuel system, gasoline
2
16,000 mi
Seats
2
89,000 mi
Service brakes
2
150,000 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic: power assist: vacuum
2
70,000 mi
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
90,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling
1
139,345 mi
Engine and engine cooling: engine
1
16,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling: engine: gasoline
1
—
Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system: emission control: crankcase (PCV)
1
7,620 mi
Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
1
10,000 mi
Equipment adaptive/mobility
1
90,000 mi
Fuel/propulsion system
1
80,000 mi
Latches/locks/linkages: doors: latch
1
—
Power train: driveline
1
—
Steering
1
—
Structure: body: trunk lid
1
—
Unknown or other
1
16,000 mi
Vehicle speed control
1
134,005 mi
The 2001 model has 74 times as many complaints as this one. The 2003 model has about 1.5 times as many complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.
Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.