Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2012 BMW 6 Series, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Unknown or other1
- Engine1
- Electrical system1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Registered new in Europe in 2012
7,430 new BMW 6 Series cars were registered in the EU, Norway and Iceland in 2012; the largest markets were Germany (2,644), the United Kingdom (2,276), France (633).
- Average mass
- 1,876 kg
- Average power
- 248 kW
- Fuel type recorded
- Diesel 68% · Petrol 32%
European Environment Agency, CO₂ emissions from new passenger cars · averages weighted by registrations; CO₂ is the type-approval value; fuel type as recorded at registration, where many non-plug-in hybrids appear as petrol · re-use permitted with acknowledgement
Engines
The most common engines in 2012 BMW 6 Series cars on Dutch roads are the 3.0 petrol (235 kW, 315 hp), 4.4 petrol (300 kW, 402 hp) and 3.0 diesel (230 kW, 308 hp), out of 4 versions with at least 20 cars.
| Engine | Power | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 3.0 petrol | 235 kW 315 hp | 139 |
| 4.4 petrol | 300 kW 402 hp | 52 |
| 3.0 diesel | 230 kW 308 hp | 40 |
| 4.4 petrol | 330 kW 443 hp | 22 |
RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars
In the Netherlands
255 first registered in 2012 are on Dutch roads; 56% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €128,497.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde116
- Stuur- of fuseekogel met slijtage kleiner of gelijk 1,0 mm54
- Band onvoldoende profiel52
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen44
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm39
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld36
- Fusee(kogel) te veel speling16
- Band beschadigd16
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
1,291 cars built in 2012 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 233 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 1,615 of these cars first registered in 2012 took their annual MOT test. 80% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2012 the figure was 66%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 2012 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 3.4% | 7.0% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 1.6% | 14.3% |
| Suspension | 1.3% | 12.2% |
| Visibility | 0.9% | 5.0% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 0.6% | 0.9% |
| Brakes | 0.4% | 7.7% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In Finland
86 of these cars first registered in 2012 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 180,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
79 2012 cars are on the New Zealand register; 80% arrived as used imports, 16% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Recalls in Canada
5 Transport Canada recalls for the 2012 BMW 6 Series.
| 2024544 15 Aug 2024 | Label Issue: On certain vehicles, the tire and loading information label does not list that there is no spare tire in both official languages. The label reads as "N… |
| 2018195 19 Apr 2018 | Electrical On certain vehicles, the auxiliary water pump (which cools the turbocharger after the engine is turned OFF) can overheat and fail. This could result in a vehicl… |
| 2017388 9 Aug 2017 | Airbag On certain vehicles, the housing of the driver's frontal airbag inflator may have been incorrectly welded during manufacturing and could separate from the base … |
| 2016505 13 Oct 2016 | Fuel System On certain vehicles, the wires going to the in-tank fuel pump may not have been crimped correctly. An incorrect crimp could increase the resistance of the circ… |
| 2011376 21 Oct 2011 | Electrical On certain vehicles, the auxiliary water pump (which cools the turbocharger after the engine is turned OFF) can overheat and fail. This could result in a vehic… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
BMW IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 5-SERIES, 5-SERIES GRAN TURISMO, MODEL YEAR 2012 6-SERIES CONVERTIBLE, 7-SERIES, X5 SAV, AND X6 SAV VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 8- OR 12-CYLINDER, TURBOCHARGED, ENGINES BECAUSE THE CIRCUIT BOARD FOR THE ELECTRIC AUXILIARY WATER PUMP CAN OVERHEAT.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What BMW told its dealers about the 2012 BMW 6 Series: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11005478 | Roller Sunblind Return |
| 10249437 | The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met. |
| 10249027 | The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle discharged battery complaints. |
| 10215025 | Shipping specific non-deployed vehicle safety devices to lighting resources, llc. This service Information bulletin provides information on shipping "specific" noin-deployed vehicle safety devices that are classified as Dangerous Goods (DG) to Lighting resources, LLC |
| 10215024 | The engine?s intake charge-air duct limited warranty extension to 10 years/120,000 miles applies to ?eligible USspecification |
| 10148246 | BMW Motorrad USA has become aware of a potential durability issue with the film type fuel level sender ?Fuel Strip? equipped on certain model year 2005 to 2013 R and K series motorcycles. |
| 10143557 | RETRACTABLE HARDTOP STATUS REQUEST SUPPLEMENT |
| 10142943 | Side View Camera Does Not Display Picture. |
| 10142940 | NO AUDIO PLAYBACK AFTER REPLACING THE HEAD UNIT HIGH 2 (HU-H2): After replacing the Head Unit High (HU-H2) and performing ISTA4 programming, there is no audio playback. |
| 10142933 | TAILGATE UNINTENTIONALLY OPENS: Trunk/tailgate may open when vehicle is locked. |
| 10142929 | CRACKING NOISES FROM THE FRONT AXLE AREA WHILE TURNING THE WHEELS, WHEN STATIONARY OR PARKING: Cracking noises are heard from the front axle area while maneuvering at low speeds (e.g., parking lot maneuvers) or when turning the steering wheel while stationary. |
| 10138410 | IPHONE: CALL LIST MISSING AFTER RESTART: The call list from iPhone 8 or iPhone X, that is displayed, is missing after cycling the ignition. |
| 10138408 | REAR VIEW CAMERA CANNOT BE CONTROLLED VIA IDRIVE: When the Parking menu is active (reverse gear selected) in the CID (Central Information Display), activation or deactivation of the rear view camera via the iDrive controller does not work. |
| 10138405 | COMFORT ACCESS SPORADICALLY INACTIVE VIA DOOR HANDLE: Sporadically, CA (Comfort Access) locking or unlocking of the vehicle does not work via the door handles. |
| 10138402 | INSTRUMENT CLUSTER OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE DISPLAY IMPLAUSIBLE: In the Instrument Cluster (Kombi) display you may observe an implausible outside temperature reading. |
| 10138392 | TICKING NOISE FROM THE FRONT AXLE WHEN CORNERING: The customer may complain of a metallic ticking noise from the front axle when cornering, maneuvering, parking or pulling away from a parking space. |
| 10138386 | CRACKING NOISES FROM THE FRONT AXLE AREA WHILE TURNING THE WHEELS, WHEN STATIONARY OR PARKING |
| 10136745 | ConnectedDrive/BMW Assist System Diagnosis Information |
| 10136738 | NBT Head Unit High (HU-H) Resets Intermittently or Permanently |
| 10136361 | HEADUNIT NAVIGATION MAPS (HU-H HU-H2 HU-B): The Headunit High (HU-H), also called NBT, began replacing the Car Information Computer (CIC) on certain MY2013 vehicles with option 609 (7/2012+). |
| 10136355 | HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES HAVE VISIBLE INTERNAL MOISTURE/CONDENSATION: Water on the inside (A) or misting (B) of both headlight lenses that is visible from outside. |
| 10136344 | TAILGATE UNINTENTIONALLY OPENS: Trunk/tailgate may open when vehicle is locked. |
| 10135054 | BMW APPS RANDOMLY STARTS PLAYING ON ITS OWN: While listening to FM, or AM, or Satellite Radio (SDARs), the audio source randomly switches to BMW Apps (Pandora, Spotify, Audible etc.) with no input from driver or passenger. |
| 10135032 | TICKING NOISE FROM THE FRONT AXLE WHEN CORNERING: The customer may complain of a metallic ticking noise from the front axle when cornering, maneuvering, parking or pulling away from a parking space. |
| 10135021 | N63, N63TU, S63 and S63TU Engines: Oil Leak from the Rear: Customer complains that engine oil is leaking from the center of the vehicle. When verified, the engine oil residue can be seen leaking from between the engine and the transmission bell housing. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation