The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 BMW 540d xDrive vehicles. The crankshaft sensor may be equipped with incorrect firmware, preventing the sensor from properly processing input from the crankshaft reluctor ring, possibly resulting in a vehicle stall. On September 12, 2018, BMW expanded the recall to a total of 5,309 vehicles including certain 2018-2019 BMW 540d xDrive, 230i M240i, M240i xDrive, X2 sDrive28i, X2 xDrive28i, X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, 330i, 330i xDrive, 340i, 340i xDrive, 330i xDrive Gran Turismo, 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, 530e, 530e xDrive, 640i xDrive Gran Turismo, 330e, 2019 430i Gran Coupe, 430i xDrive Gran Coupe, 440i Gran Coupe, 440i xDrive Gran Coupe, 430i, 430i xDrive, 440i, 440i xDrive, 740i, 740i xDrive, MINI Cooper, Cooper S, JCW, MINI Countryman (Cooper, Cooper All4, Cooper S, Cooper S All4, JCW All4), and MINI Clubman (Cooper, Cooper S, Cooper All4, Cooper S All4, JCW All4) vehicles.
The risk
A vehicle stall can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the crankshaft sensor, free of charge. The recall began September 6, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
Components: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
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 230i | 2018 | 4 | 2 |
| BMW 330e | 2018 | 7 | 2 |
| BMW 330i | 2018 | 32 | 1 |
| BMW 340i | 2018 | 3 | 1 |
| BMW 430i | 2019 | 23 | 3 |
| BMW 440i | 2019 | 4 | 3 |
| BMW 530e | 2018 | 29 | 4 |
| BMW 530i | 2018 | 26 | 2 |
| BMW 540d | 2018 | 3 | 4 |
| BMW 540i | 2018 | 31 | 2 |
| BMW 640i | 2018 | 5 | 2 |
| BMW 740i | 2019 | 4 | 1 |
| BMW M240I | 2018 | 3 | 2 |
| BMW X1 | 2018 | 60 | 4 |
| BMW X2 | 2018 | 16 | 1 |
| MINI Clubman | 2019 | 6 | 1 |
| MINI Cooper | 2019 | 12 | 2 |
| MINI Cooper S | 2019 | 5 | 1 |
| MINI Countryman | 2019 | 11 | 2 |
| MINI JCW | 2019 | 0 | 1 |
Other engine and engine cooling recalls in 2018
30 of the 912 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2018 concerned the engine and engine cooling; BMW of North America, LLC filed 347 campaigns in all.
| 18V892000 17 Dec 2018 | Blue Bird Body Company |
| 18V861000 4 Dec 2018 | Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA |
| 18V854000 30 Nov 2018 | Ducati North America |
| 18V834000 27 Nov 2018 | Ducati North America |
| 18V830000 26 Nov 2018 | BMW of North America, LLC |
| 18V828000 26 Nov 2018 | Chrysler (FCA US LLC) |
| 18V772000 1 Nov 2018 | Subaru of America, Inc. |
| 18V755000 25 Oct 2018 | BMW of North America, LLC |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2018