BMW announced two recalls recently. The first impacts over 50,000 vehicles in the U.S. that could expose drivers to accident risks. The second involves over 21,000 vehicles that were fitted with faulty seat belt components that can expose children to personal injury risks.
Increase In Warranty Claims Prompts BMW To Investigate Braking Issue
The first recall impacting over 50,000 vehicles is associated with an engine management software issue that can cause loss of braking assist.
While BMW said in its report that the mechanical braking capability remains despite the software problem, drivers will not be able to rely on the boosted assistance, making accidents more likely to happen.
The firm learned about this problem after noticing an increase in warranty claims early this year, which prompted the firm to investigate.
BMW is not aware of any accidents caused by this problem.
Impacted cars include the 2019 through 2021 BMW Z4 M40i, the 2020 BMW 540i, 540i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, and X3 M40i, and the 2020 and 2021 BMW 745Le xDrive, X4 M40i, and Toyota Supra.
Seat Belt Issue Could Expose Children To Personal Injury
The second auto recall impacts 2021 vehicles only.
In the impacted units, the automatic locking retractor (ALR) in the seat belt mechanism may not engage as it is designed to do, preventing the proper installation of a car seat.
The firm stated that while the emergency locking retractor (ELR) would still secure a car safety seat in the event of an accident, Consumer Reports warned that the faulty ALR would not allow for a tight enough car seat installation, making the car seat more likely to be loosely restrained.
Impacted models include the BMW 2 Series coupes and convertibles, 3 Series and M3 sedans, 4 Series and M4 coupes, 5 Series sedans, X1 and X2 SUVs, Z4 convertibles, Mini Cooper hatchbacks and convertibles, Mini Clubman hatchbacks, Mini Countryman SUVs, Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUVs, Rolls-Royce Ghost and Phantom sedans, and Toyota Supra coupes.
If you were impacted by either of these recalls, you should expect to receive a letter in the mail between September and October requesting that you schedule a visit to a dealer to have the issue addressed.
All repairs will be carried out for free.