You know the sound. GONG! Yea, there it is. Nothing makes your butt tighten up quite like the sound of your BMW’s iDrive telling you something is wrong (or it’s cold out). But in the past five years or so, I hear that sound less. Or not at all. BMW recalls are down, and quality is up.
So what happened with this latest brake issue? My poor mom is stuck in the middle of it as her new X6 is sits on a lot, waiting to be delivered.
BMW Quality really has improved
You could look to surveys and Consumer Reports, but I can tell you from my own experience that BMWs are built better.
No more making fun of the oil puddles and the smell of coolant. While cars like the 335 broke often, my current fleet has had almost no complaints.
A few years back, BMW installed a task force that has kept an eye on suppliers, and it’s been a big help in assuring improved quality. Having been to the factory where the X3 is built, I can tell you it’s a complex process, with thousands of parts from hundreds of suppliers all coming together at juuust the right moment to make your car in 47 minutes.
Mistakes are bound to happen with that kind of complexity. And this is a big mistake.
So what is the BMW recall for brakes?
As stated above, this affects 1.5 million cars, with 1.3 million already in the loving hands of people like you and I.
Unless you’re my mom, because BMW has issued a stop sale order. All the affected cars must be fixed before being delivered to customers. BMW says it’s 300,000 or so, with about 30% of that already earmarked as “sold”. That means Momma’s X6 xDrive40i has sat on a dealer lot for a month. They await the parts to fix it.
What parts? Sigh. BMW says “faulty integrated braking system”, and it’s a made by Continental, placed in cars between June 2022 and August 2024.
BMW says that the company “has developed a diagnostic software to detect the brake fault before it occurs.” If a malfunction happens, which BMW says is “very unlikely,” the system should also revert to “safe mode” — which makes sure that brakes work and meet legal standards, but requires drivers to apply more force when using them.
Pushing on a brake pedal without power assistance can sometimes be surprisingly difficult. However, good news: nothing bad has happened yet.
If you get a BMW recall notice, don’t worry
BMW is covering their butts with that stop sale, but I’m sure a majority of cars are fine.
Remember the old Toyota “unintended acceleration” recall from the early 2000s? Insanity. Learn basic car control, and you’ll be able to bring it in for a landing. Provided the car is listening to you.
Auto makers are not your friend
They want to make money. A lot of money. And if governments of the world didn’t hold them accountable, I’m not sure modern vehicles would have seat belts, or be as safe as they currently are.
And when there’s a screw up, it’s the government that usually holds them accountable. It’s not a perfect setup, but it’s better than nothing.
And this BMW brake recall…even measured by other recalls, this is a monumental screw up that impacts 1.5 million vehicles and will cost in the double-digit million euro area to fix. BMW has had to lessen their profit projection for the rest of 2024 for this, a kick in the nuts if ever there was one.
You think they want to do it?
The funny thing is, as I was writing this article, Mrs. Machines made a mail delivery.
It’s a recall letter from BMW, for the X3’s cargo rails. No fix yet, of course.
GONG!
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