2010 BMW 5 Series Recall

On certain vehicles, the tire and loading information label does not list that there is no spare tire in both official languages. The label reads as "NONE" when it should read as "NONE / AUCUN". Canadian regulations require the information to be listed on the label in both English and French.

This error does not affect vehicle safety.

This is not a recall. The company has corrected the tire and loading information label for all new vehicles.

On certain vehicles, the variable camshaft timing (VANOS) adjustment unit housing bolts could loosen or break. As a result, the camshaft could become incorrectly adjusted and cause the engine to enter a reduced power mode (limp mode) or to stall while driving.

A sudden loss of engine power could increase the risk of a crash.

BMW will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to replace the VANOS bolts.

On certain vehicles equipped with an N52 or N52K 6-cylinder engine, a manufacturing problem could cause the PCV valve heater (blow-by heater) to short circuit and overheat. Note: This replaces Transport Canada recalls 2017-470 and 2019-170. Only vehicles equipped with an N52 or N52K engine require this repair.

An overheated engine PCV valve heater could create the risk of a fire, even while the vehicle is parked and turned off.

BMW will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to install a wire harness repair kit. BMW recommends that you should park your vehicle outdoors until the recall repairs have been completed.

On certain vehicles, the auxiliary water pump (which cools the turbocharger after the engine is turned OFF) can overheat and fail. This could result in a vehicle fire causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will replace the auxiliary water pump. Note: Owners are advised to park the vehicle outdoors until the remedy is applied. Additional note: This is an expansion of recalls 2011-376 and 2012-008.

A failure of this component (electrical) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles equipped with the N52 6-cylinder engine, an electrical short could occur in the PCV valve heater due to manufacturing irregularities. If this occurs, the surrounding plastics could overheat, melt and potentially cause a fire, which could increase the risk of injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will replace the PCV valve heater.

A failure of this component (engine) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles, the wires going to the in-tank fuel pump may not have been crimped correctly. An incorrect crimp could increase the resistance of the circuit which could cause the contact pin to heat and melt the surrounding plastic. This could potentially cause the fuel pump to stop working causing the vehicle to stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Also, in a very rare case, a fuel leak combined with an external ignition source, could increase the risk of fire causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will replace the fuel delivery module.

A failure of this component (fuel system) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles, housing bolts for the variable camshaft timing system could break, allowing camshaft timing to deviate. If this occurs, the engine would revert to "limp home mode", limiting available engine power. In rare instances the engine could stall, increasing the risk of a collision causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will replace housing bolts that break and perform associated repairs for 10 years/unlimited mileage from the vehicle's in-service date. Note: This applies only to vehicles not covered by recall 2014-127.

A failure of this component (engine) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles, housing bolts for the variable camshaft timing system could break, allowing camshaft timing to deviate. If this occurs, the engine would revert to "limp home mode", limiting available engine power. This could increase the risk of a collision causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will replace affected bolts.

A failure of this component (engine) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

Certain vehicles may experience the loss of one or more rear lamp functions (tail, brake, turn and reverse). Failure of any rear lamp function may result in the following road users being unaware of the driver's intentions, as well as reducing vehicle conspicuity during hours of darkness, which could increase the risk of a crash causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will replace rear bulb carriers with an updated design.

A failure of this component (lights and instruments) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles, the insulated bulkhead connector (used to join the two halves of the positive battery cable) may have been incorrectly installed during vehicle assembly. Over time, the bolt connection could loosen, which would increase electrical resistance. In addition, an incorrectly insulated bulkhead connector could allow humidity to accumulate at this location, causing current leakage. These issues could cause the cable connection to overheat, which could result in a vehicle fire causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will inspect and, as necessary, secure the insulated bulkhead connector. In addition, protective grease will be added to the area and the plastic battery positive terminal cover will be replaced.

A failure of this component (electrical) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles, the auxiliary water pump (which cools the turbocharger after the engine is turned OFF) can overheat and fail. This could result in a vehicle fire causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will replace the auxiliary water pump. Note: Owners are advised to park the vehicle outdoors until the remedy is applied.

A failure of this component (electrical) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles, a check valve in the brake vacuum pump may leak a small amount of lubricating oil. Over time, this could result in contamination of the brake booster. Loss of brake power assist could occur which, in conjunction with traffic, road conditions, and driver's reactions, could increase the risk of a crash causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the brake booster and master cylinder. Additionally, the brake vacuum line (including the check valve) will be replaced to eliminate the possibility of oil reaching the brake booster.

A failure of this component (brakes) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles, the sender unit within the fuel tank could become stuck, causing the fuel gauge to display a greater quantity of fuel than that which is actually remaining in the tank. As a result, if the tank were to become empty, engine stalling could occur which, in conjunction with traffic, road conditions, and driver's reactions, could increases the risk of a crash causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will replace the fuel level sender with a revised version.

A failure of this component (fuel system) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

Certain vehicles are equipped with a tire information label that does not conform to the Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard. It is indicating that the vehicle's seating capacity is five (5) passengers but the actual seating capacity is only for four (4) passengers. However the tire size, tire pressure and vehicles capacity weight on label are correct. Correction: New labels will be applied/provided.

A failure of this component (label) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).