BMW has issued a recall for most of its EVs in the U.S. over an issue that can cause the motors to shut down while you're on the move. The affected models are the 2022-2024 i4, 2022-2024 iX, 2023-2024 i7, and 2024 i5. Formal notifications haven't been mailed out to owners yet, but if you have one of these electric Bimmers, you should be receiving one sometime in August.
So which part on the car is failing? Technically, none. This is a software issue, where the on-board computer becomes unable to determine whether or not the car's high-voltage systems are in a double-isolation or single-isolation state. It then does what any self-respecting machine would do when it's unsure of something — panic and shut the whole thing down. At least it was being nice enough to flash the driver a warning for 15 seconds first.
After that, the motors would shut off, though BMW makes it clear in its filing that the steering and brakes would continue to work just fine. That's a big step up from, oh say, the Tesla Cybertruck, which might just keep accelerating when it fails. That said, this isn't the first time BMW has issued a recall due to its high-voltage system, so maybe Munich needs to go over that system with a fine-toothed comb.
Artistic Operations/Shutterstock
Don't worry too much, since the odds that this issue affect you are pretty low. Only 0.1% of models are affected, in fact, which of around 71,000 American vehicles amounts to about 71 cars. With the recall in effect, you can get your software updated a dealership for free. Too much work? That's fine, since the car will update over-the-air, too, so your car will probably fix itself anyway.
For what it's worth, BMW certainly hasn't been alone this week. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has also announced recalls for Chrysler, Lincoln, Chevrolet, Kia, and Subaru, totalling hundreds of thousands of cars all combined. Those are all hardware issues, though, so those models will actually have to go to the dealer. EVs might have their bugs, but you know what's nice about bugs? You can just download a patch at home.
Facebook Conversations