BMW is recalling 189,130 vehicles from the 3 Series, 5 Series, and 7 Series lineups over a starter relay that isn’t properly sealed against water. The starter relay on affected cars doesn’t have sufficient protection against water ingress. Given enough time and exposure, moisture works its way in and corrodes the internal contacts. Corrosion of that kind can bridge a short circuit, and a short circuit near a starter motor is not a minor electrical gremlin, it’s a fire risk.

Which Cars Are Affected

The recall spans three separate model lines, the 3 Series, 5 Series, and 7 Series, built between July 29, 2014, and November 12, 2020. BMW hasn’t broken out the total by individual chassis code, but that date range covers the F30-generation 3 Series through the early G20, the F10 into the G30 5 Series, and the F01/F02 into the G11/G12 7 Series. In other words, this is a shared part that made it into two full model generations across BMW’s core sedan range, which explains the six-figure recall count.

The Fix

Owners don’t need to diagnose anything themselves. At the authorized workshop, technicians will replace the entire starter motor rather than just the relay, which should eliminate the water path into the component. The campaign is being run through BMW’s authorized dealer network worldwide, and it’s being monitored in Germany by the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt under reference number 16791R, with internal BMW part codes 0012820600 and 0012840600 tied to the affected units.

This recall was, so far, issued in Germany. If you own a 3 Series, 5 Series, or 7 Series from this era, the safest move is to check with your local BMW dealer using your VIN rather than waiting for a mailed notice, since international recall timelines don’t always land on the same schedule.

First published by https://www.bmwblog.com