ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, DUE TO A SOFTWARE ERROR, A DESYNCHRONIZATION OF THE VALVETRONIC MOTORS

Jul 01, 2003 — Recall Campaign #03V240000

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, DUE TO A SOFTWARE ERROR, A DESYNCHRONIZATION OF THE VALVETRONIC MOTORS FOR ENGINE BANKS I AND II MAY OCCUR. IF THIS OCCURS, THE ENGINE COULD STALL.

The recall was influenced by the manufacturer with about 5,470 units affected.

See recall notice

NHTSA Safety Recall Notice

03V240000

Manufacturer:	BMW of North America, LLC
Recall date:	July 01, 2003
NHTSA Campaign #:	03V240000
Units affected:	5,470

Description:: ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, DUE TO A SOFTWARE ERROR, A DESYNCHRONIZATION OF THE VALVETRONIC MOTORS FOR ENGINE BANKS I AND II MAY OCCUR. IF THIS OCCURS, THE ENGINE COULD STALL.
Consequeces:: IN THOSE CASES, THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE. DEPENDING ON THE LEVEL OF ENGINE ROUGHNESS, OR STALLING, AS WELL AS TRAFFIC CONDITIONS AND THE DRIVER'S REACTIONS, THIS COULD LEAD TO A CRASH.
Corrective action:: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE DIGITAL ENGINE MANAGEMENT CONTROL UNIT. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 8, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-831-1117.
Notes:: CUSTOMERS CAN ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

Affects the following:

2003 BMW 745I Complaints
The contact owns a 2003 BMW 745i. The contact stated while pulling into the garage and depressing the brake pedal, the engine revved up loudly. The contact stated that upon releasing the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly, crashed into a refrigerator and pushed the refrigerator into the wall. The air bags did not deploy. There was no injury sustained. There was no police report filed. The contact parked and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred the following day. The contact stated that the ABS warning light and the brake warning light had illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 10V446000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic), and the contact was referred to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under the recall because the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000.;
2003 BMW 745LI Complaints
The contact owns a 2003 BMW 745LI. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the brake fluid warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and diagnosed with rotors, brake wear sensors, and brake failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 174,500.;