BMW to Recall 134,000 Vehicles for Electrical Malfunction

BMW will recall about 134,000 5 Series models from 2008-10 because the tail lights may not work, the automaker told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in a report posted Friday on the agency’s Web site.

The automaker says a problem with an electrical connection could lead to failure of the brake lights, backup lights, turn signals and tail lights. However, the high-mounted brake light would continue to work. The automaker said it was not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the problem. BMW also told N.H.T.S.A. that it “does not believe that an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety exists” but that it was recalling the vehicles based on a precedent set by a recall BMW conducted in 2011.

The 2011 recall affected about 241,000 3 Series vehicles from the 2002-5 model years, also for a problem with the tail lights. That recall was prompted by a commercial airline pilot from Texas who filed a defect petition with N.H.T.S.A. in 2009 asking it to investigate repeated rear light failures. The agency investigated, and while BMW resisted, N.H.T.S.A. pushed the case until BMW agreed in 2011 to a recall.

In its new report to N.H.T.S.A., BMW detailed how a flurry of warranty claims prompted wiring changes, which the automaker described as a “quality enhancement.” Late in 2012, BMW concluded that “a further quality improvement might be prudent,” introducing a new design available as a replacement part early in the year. The company then decided a recall was the best course of action.

BMW described the recall as voluntary, but once an automaker is aware of a safety problem it is required to inform the safety agency – within five business days – of its plan for a recall.

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