BMW issued a recall affecting just 552 cars, but enough separate models that it looks much bigger than it is. Dealers need owners to bring these in because their automatic transmissions can leak oil, causing their gears to seize.
The recall affects 10 products, with one being a Toyota (the current Toyota GR Supra is based on the BMW Z4 and built in the same Austrian factory).
Affected models:
- 2023 BMW 3 Series
- 2023 BMW 4 Series
- 2023 BMW 5 Series
- 2023 BMW 8 Series
- 2023 BMW X3
- 2023 BMW X4
- 2023 BMW X5
- 2023 BMW X6
- 2023 BMW Z4
- 2023 Toyota GR Supra
BMW tells the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that, in the affected vehicles, a supplier may have improperly welded two halves of a housing for the transmission control unit. That can allow transmission oil to leak into the unit, where it could contact electrical components.
“If the function and operation of the transmission was affected, this could lead to a seizure of the transmission gears,” the company says. “Transmission seizure at high speed could affect vehicle handling and control and increase the risk of a crash.”
BMW says it knows of no accidents or injuries related to the problem, which the transmission supplier discovered.
Dealers will replace the entire transmission mechatronics module and the automatic transmission fluid, as necessary, to correct the problem. Recall repairs are always free.
Many cars are recalled to fix safety defects, sometimes more than once. While automakers try to reach every owner to ask them to bring the vehicle in for repair, they rarely reach them all. Millions of vehicles on American roads need free recall repairs. To find out if your car is one of them, check the easy VIN tool at our recall center.
