BMW Recalling 156K Vehicles to Address Stalling Risk
The SUVs and luxury cars covered by the recall may have defective bolts holding a component on the six-cylinder engine.
2012 BMW 3 Series sedan photo courtesy of BMW.
2012 BMW 3 Series sedan photo courtesy of BMW.
BMW is recalling 156,137 vehicles in the U.S. because bolts holding a component on the six-cylinder engine may loosen or break and cause the engine to stall or suffer damage, USA Today reports.
The recall covers the following vehicles with the in-line six-cylinder engine:
2010-12 1 Series
2010-12 3 Series
2010-2012 5 Series
2010-12 5 Series Gran Turismo
2012 6 Series
2010-2012 X3 crossover
2010-12 X5 crossover
2010-12 X6 crossover
2010-12 Z4 sports car.
The bolts in question secure the housing for the variable camshaft timing unit. But if the bolts are defective and they loosen or break, the engine may go into “safe” mode and trigger the “check engine” and “service engine soon” warning lights. Continued driving could result in stalling, engine damage or engine failure when attempting to restart the car.
BMW is advising vehicle owners to contact a dealer for service immediately. If the vehicle stalls, the driver should pull to the side of the road and have the vehicle towed.
Vehicle owners can reach BMW USA at 1-800-525-7417.
More Safety
Top 50 Executive Fleets
It is that time of year again! Time for the 2026 list of the Top 50 Executive Fleets, presented by Automotive Fleet and Volvo as part of its annual Fleet 500. Download now to see this year's list of companies!
Read More →
How Better Visibility Cut Speeding Violations by 48%
Fleet leaders don't need more data, they need clearer visibility into what the data is saying. This case study explores how one utility replaced speeding-event counts with a single metric — miles driven in violation — to strengthen safety and significantly reduce speeding violations.
Read More →
Operation Safe Driver Week: Why the Industry's Oldest Safety Campaign Still Matters to Fleets
A look at how a 2007 enforcement initiative became one of the most consequential weeks on the fleet safety calendar, and what it means for your drivers in 2026.
Read More →
Nexar-Nauto Merger Aims to Give Fleets Better Safety Intelligence Through Larger Driving Dataset
Stefan Heck tells Automotive Fleet that combining more than 10 billion miles of driving history with Nexar's AI models will give fleets deeper insights into driver risk and roadway conditions than either company could provide independently.
Read More →
From Silos to Solutions: Relationship Management for Safer Fleets
From telematics adoption and driver accountability to policy consistency and risk mitigation, this episode breaks down what it really takes to build a safer fleet culture without slowing business down.
Read More →
IIHS Launches First Commercial Vehicle Safety Evaluations
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has begun evaluating heavy-duty pickups and cargo vans for driver protection. Which models earned top marks?
Read More →
Reducing Risk by Eliminating Phone Use Behind the Wheel
Hosted with the cofounder of Lifesaver Mobile, this episode addresses phone use behind the wheel and how to design a driving environment that actually helps prevents accidents.
Read More →
Cameras, Safety and Insurance: From Reactive Claims to Real-Time Prevention (Part 2 of 2)
Part Two: Commercial auto remains one of the most challenging and costly lines of coverage for fleet operators and insurers alike. Continue learning more about how to effectively address these issues from Onur Aksan, Enterprise Business Development Executive, Geotab
Read More →
How 5-Second Telematics Data Is Changing Fleet Safety
This episode connects with Steve Santostasi of Ford Pro and covers how a few seconds of data can make a difference in fleet safety.
Read More →
The Two Biggest Summer Downtime Threats for Fleets
A conversation with a maintenance expert reveals the two most common summer maintenance pains and how to prevent them.
Read More →