BMW
BMW is the latest automaker to issue a recall of some electric vehicles. We have identified an issue with the battery management software in the tow battery of some i4 and i7 sedans, as well as some iX SUVs, which can cause the vehicle to temporarily lose power. As a result, the company wants to update the software in these vehicles’ battery electronic control units.
The issue came to the attention of BMW in China last June when it reported that one of its EVs had a drivetrain warning light. This was due to the high voltage battery ECU, at which point BMW began investigating the issue. By late November, 10 of his warranty cases involving temporary power loss were confirmed in the US.
By this time, BMW engineers had determined that the problem could occur in other vehicles, and in mid-December, BMW decided to issue a recall.
BMW is recalling 14,086 EVs, but believes only 1% of those cars are affected by the issue. Specifically, from February 4, 2021 he is recalling his 5,389 iXs manufactured between October 28, 2022. Between March 17, 2021 and October 26, 2022, he produced 8,659 i4s. Between February 22, 2022 and October 27, 2022, 38 i7s were built.
The fix includes battery ECU software updates, but no over-the-air updates. BMW has asked the dealer to do this work and will contact the owner in early February.
