re: NHTSA campaign 20V094000
Laguna Hills, CA – February 6, 2020 – BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is issuing a recall citing third brake lights that could loosen and detach from certain 2014 – 2019 M6 Gran Coupe vehicles.
If a third brake light detaches from the vehicle, it would not provide adequate exterior lighting to surrounding traffic, ultimately resulting in a higher risk of crash.
The potential number of affected vehicles is 2,728.
The defect
In certain BMW 2014 – 2019 M6 Gran Coupe vehicles the third brake light could loosen and detach from the vehicle. The first incidents cited of loose third brake lamp assemblies came in July, 2019.
BMW decided to issue an engineering review and field data analysis in August, suggesting the possible cause could be local weather due to the close proximity and dates of each of the incidents.
Since the M6 Gran Coupe was no longer in production, a specific review of the production process could not be performed, but the problem was expected to lie in the unique carbon fiber roof, a specific feature of the M6 Gran Coupe.
The months of September through November were spent assembling parts and vehicles for testing. Once the parts were assembled multiple tests were performed which consisted of long term environmental exposure to the carbon roof to determine its interaction with the third brake lamp.
In December, the tests were deemed inconclusive and environmental ware on the brake lamp fasteners and carbon roof were ruled out.
In January 2020, an additional series of tests were performed to determine the effect of loose and missing fasteners on the attachment of the third brake lamp.
By late January, BMW noted that prior to the official testing of the M6 Gran Coupe, fasteners for the third brake lamp were already loose. On January 31, tests concluded that the separation of the third brake lamp from the vehicle was due to missing or loose fasteners not environmental conditions.
On February 12, 2020 BMW decided to release an official recall, citing the test results.
The solution
All 2014 – 2019 M6 Gran Coupe vehicle owners will receive a letter in April from BMW of North America, LLC citing the official recall. Vehicle users may still operate the vehicle if the third brake light becomes detached but are strongly advised not to.
Instead, BMW asks that all affected vehicle owners schedule an appointment at any authorized BMW center to perform the proper repair, free of charge. The repair of the detached brake light, new fasteners will be installed to secure the brake lamp into place.
This repair will take approximately one hour to complete. Owners wishing to have their vehicle serviced are advised to wait until they receive the official letter from BMW, so as to ensure the necessary tools, parts and procedures are available. In the meantime owners are free to schedule an appointment at any authorized BMW center.
You can check your car’s recall status using MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.
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