The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2011-2012 135i Coupe, 1 Series M Coupe and 135i Convertible vehicles, 2011 Z4 sDrive 35i, 335i, 335d, 335i Coupe, 335is Coupe, 335i Convertible, 335is Convertible, 535i, 535i xDrive, 535i Gran Turismo and 550i xDrive Gran Turismo vehicles and 2012 740i and 740Li vehicles. The rear driveshaft constant velocity (CV) joint on the affected vehicles may fatigue and break.
The risk
If the CV joint breaks, the vehicle may have a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear driveshaft CV joint and, based on its production date, will replace it, free of charge. The recall began April 21, 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| BMW 1 Series M | 2011, 2012 |
| BMW 135i | 2011, 2012 |
| BMW 335d | 2011 |
| BMW 335i | 2011 |
| BMW 535i | 2011 |
| BMW 535I Gran Turismo | 2011 |
| BMW 550I Gran Turismo | 2011 |
| BMW 740i | 2012 |
| BMW 740Li | 2012 |
| BMW Z4 | 2011 |
Components: POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:CONSTANT VELOCITY JOINT
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 1 Series M | 2011 | 2 | 3 |
| BMW 1 Series M | 2012 | 0 | 3 |
| BMW 135i | 2011 | 27 | 6 |
| BMW 135i | 2012 | 19 | 6 |
| BMW 335d | 2011 | 29 | 6 |
| BMW 335i | 2011 | 98 | 7 |
| BMW 535I Gran Turismo | 2011 | 2 | 2 |
| BMW 535i | 2011 | 112 | 4 |
| BMW 550I Gran Turismo | 2011 | 7 | 2 |
| BMW 740Li | 2012 | 5 | 1 |
| BMW 740i | 2012 | 4 | 1 |
| BMW Z4 | 2011 | 46 | 6 |
Other power train recalls in 2017
47 of the 810 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2017 concerned the power train; BMW of North America, LLC filed 347 campaigns in all.
| 17V840000 22 Dec 2017 | PACCAR Incorporated |
| 17V821000 20 Dec 2017 | Chrysler (FCA US LLC) |
| 17V796000 11 Dec 2017 | Aston Martin The Americas |
| 17V730000 17 Nov 2017 | Daimler Trucks North America LLC |
| 17V706000 9 Nov 2017 | Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) |
| 17V702000 6 Nov 2017 | Crysteel Manufacturing Inc |
| 17V671000 24 Oct 2017 | Ford Motor Company |
| 17V669000 23 Oct 2017 | Ford Motor Company |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2017