BMW Claims That All of These EVs Could Potentially Fail | Carscoops

      Owners will receive notification about the recall on September 5.

      15 hours ago

      by Brad Anderson

      BMW is recalling 136 electric vehicles in the United States due to risks associated with battery module frames.

      Improper assembly pressure could lead to battery module failure after multiple charging sessions.

      Dealers have been directed to replace certain battery modules in the affected models.

      Just under a month ago, BMW disclosed a recall affecting over 70,000 of its electric vehicles due to a software problem that might cause the high-voltage system to shut down unexpectedly. Fast forward to July, and the German manufacturer has announced another recall for various EVs in the U.S., also concerning improperly assembled battery cell modules.

      Read: BMW Recalls Thousands Of EVs That Can Lose Power While Driving

      The recall notice indicates that the problem arises during the compression of individual battery cells to create a single module. BMW has stated that the force applied to assemble the cells within the module may have exceeded the required specifications. Consequently, over the lifespan of the vehicle and with repeated charging, the module frame could be at risk of failure.

      Possible Issues

      If the frame does deteriorate or fail, it could cause the high-voltage system to shut down. This would result in a complete loss of propulsion, posing a potential crash hazard. Additionally, there is an increased risk of fire in the event of a failure.

      The recall affects a total of 136 vehicles. Typically, only a small fraction of the vehicles in a recall are believed to have the issue, but here, BMW is confident that all 136 vehicles contain battery cell modules that may not have been assembled to specifications.

      The recalled vehicles include the 2022-2025 BMW iX models manufactured between November 3, 2021, and February 14, 2024, the 2023-2024 BMW i7s built from June 12, 2023, to July 19, 2023, and the 2022-2023 BMW i4s assembled from June 2, 2022, to May 11, 2023.

      Importantly, the vehicles included in the recall may not experience any issues for a considerable time. BMW states that damage to the module frame of the affected models may not manifest until late 2026. Nonetheless, the company has opted to issue a recall now.

      Owners will start receiving notification letters on September 5. Dealers have already been instructed to replace the affected high-voltage battery cell modules in all impacted vehicles.