Westwood, N.J. — July 18, 2016 — A pair of BMW recalls are addressing two separate issues in several of its models. According to Autoblog, the combined actions involve 210,161 potentially impacted units, with manufacture years spanning from 2010 to the present.
Report receipt dates for both of these recalls occurred this May, and are expected to begin this July. The company announced each recall with a corresponding press release. Neither of these problems are known to have caused any injuries as of June 15.
The first recall: Driveshaft joints
Of the two recalls, the earliest refers to a possibly ineffective driveshaft joint. As the release stated, the front driveshaft universal joints in affected vehicles could fail if outside debris enters, possibly impacting vehicle traction or other components. As such, there are multiple possible occupant risks attached to this single concern.
Both the press release and the Part 573 Safety Recall Report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said this recall will affect 21,493 possibly impacted units from the 2011 model year, with 1 percent of these estimated to have the defect. The report went even further and broke the autos down into four groups. All of these are light SUVs.
The first and largest of these includes about 13,728 BMW X5 xDrive35i, X5 xDrive50i and X5 M vehicles. The second group consists of around 4,436 BMW X5 xDrive35d autos, the third involves approximately 3,300 BMW X6 xDrive35i, X6 xDrive50i and X6 M units. The final of these concerns approximately 29 BMW X6 ActiveHybrid hybrid electric vehicles. Specific manufacture dates for each group vary, but all range between April and November 2010.
Despite the differences among these models, the hazard described in the report is essentially the same. Drivers should be aware of possible noises or vibrations in the front drivetrain area, since this could indicate corrosion or possible debris under the joint seal. The risk of a crash or accident is even higher in some traffic conditions, the source said.
Initial investigations into this issue started in April 2014. In July, the manufacturer began working with the NHTSA. After a rise in related consumer complaints, the company decided to officially initiate a recall in May. The original report didn’t explain the details of the remedy program, although it did state that it would involve replacing the driveshaft.
The second recall: Child restraint systems
This recall involves 188,668 potentially affected vehicles, most of which (approximately 172,984) are BMW X3 sDrive28i, X3 xDrive28i and X3 xDrive35i units produced between July 2, 2010 and April 14, 2016.
The other two remaining vehicle groups include about 4,032 2015-2017 BMW X3 xDrive28d vehicles and approximately 11,652 BMW X4 xDrive28i, X4 xDrive35i and X4 xDriveM40i units. Production dates range between March 10, 2014 and March 31, 2016 for the first of these groups, and March 3, 2014 and April 15, 2016 for the second.
In these SUVs, “excessive stresses” may damage the lower anchor bars needed child restraint systems. Users may notice the damage themselves, according to the report. If it’s present, this kind of damage could possibly lead to injury for any child passengers. To remedy the issue, the NHTSA report calls for welding a reinforcing bracket to the lower anchor bars. Owner notification is planned for July 12.
The report did emphasize a possible difference in vehicles that could impact them in this recall: LATCH-based child restraint systems may be less likely to damage vehicle anchor bars over time as part of this concern.
Since most of the child restraint systems in the U.S. use this flexible connector, the majority of drivers may feel protected. Instead, the source connected the “European-ISOFIX-type rigid-style connector child restraint system” with this risk. This may not be the dominant model in the U.S., but it is still available here.
