The defect
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 8 AND 12 CYLINDER ENGINES, THE DIGITAL ENGINE MANAGEMENT CONTROL (EMC) UNITS WERE NOT PRODUCED ACCORDING TO SPECIFICATIONS.
The risk
AS A RESULT, ENGINE STALLING WILL OCCUR AFTER A SHORT PERIOD OF OPERATION. THE VEHICLE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RESTART. ALSO, A LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND, AFTER REPEATED ACTUATION OF THE BRAKE PEDAL, A LOSS OF BRAKE POWER ASSIST WILL OCCUR. THESE CONDITIONS COULD RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW DIGITAL ENGINE MANAGEMENT CONTROL UNIT. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 16, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-831-1117.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| BMW 5 Series | 2004 |
| BMW 6 Series | 2004 |
| BMW 7 Series | 2004 |
| BMW X5 | 2004 |
Components: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| BMW 5 Series | 2004 | 64 | 6 |
| BMW 6 Series | 2004 | 3 | 4 |
| BMW 7 Series | 2004 | 28 | 4 |
| BMW X5 | 2004 | 64 | 4 |
Other power train recalls in 2004
22 of the 601 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2004 concerned the power train; BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE filed 145 campaigns in all.
| 04V590000 15 Dec 2004 | FREIGHTLINER LLC |
| 04V449000 13 Sept 2004 | PACCAR INCORPORATED |
| 04V435000 9 Sept 2004 | SPARTAN CHASSIS, INC. |
| 04V408000 19 Aug 2004 | NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 04V409000 18 Aug 2004 | BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC |
| 04V405000 12 Aug 2004 | VOLVO TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 04V320000 6 Jul 2004 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
| 04V317000 1 Jul 2004 | TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2004