2004 BMW 760LI

In a letter dated October 16, 2012, BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR), NHTSA Recall No. 12V-502 to NHTSA identifying a safety defect involving the possibility of unattended vehicle rollaway in MY 2005 through 2008 BMW 7-Series (approximately 45,000) vehicles equipped with the Comfort Access Option.The Comfort Access option allows the driver to start and stop the engine (by pressing the engine start / stop button) without inserting the key fob into the vehicles key slot in the instrument panel.Subject vehicles not equipped with the Comfort Access option require the key fob be inserted the key slot to start the engine.Upon removal of the key from the key slot the vehicle will automatically shift to Park if the driver has not done so using the gearshift lever.Sunject vehicles equipped with the Comfort Access option are designed such that when the vehicle is stopped with the service brakes applied and the transmission in Drive or Reverse, the driver can push the engine start/stop button one time, stopping the engine and automatically shifting the transmission to Park.In its DIR, BMW identified a condition such that if the driver depressed the start-stop button multiple times in rapid succession, the transmission could shift to Neutral instead of Park.With the transmission in neutral, depending on the slope of the road, the vehicle could rollaway if unattended.In review of data submitted to the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) and of reports submitted to BMW, ODI identified 20 reports alleging vehicle rollaway involving vehicles equipped with Comfort Access.The vehicles identified in these reports are all subject to recall 12V-502.Ten of these reports were identified as likely related to the defect described in recall 12V-502.Two of the reports are likely related to other mechanical failures.The remaining 8 allegations of vehicle rollaway could not be associated with a specific cause.There are 32 reports alleging vehicle rollaway in the subject vehicles not equipped with the Comfort Access option.A vehicle based safety defect trend was not identified in these reports.Subject vehicles not equipped the Comfort Access option will automatically shift to Park once the key fob is removed from the key slot.In this regard these vehicles behave similarly to those with traditional mechanical keys where the key cannot be removed from the ignition unless the vehicle is shifted to Park.The difference between these vehicles and the subject vehicles with the Comfort Access option is that in the Comfort Access equipped vehicles, the engine can be started and stopped without the key fob in the key slot.ODI reports 10429922 and 10419177 noted in the EA opening resume were determined to be vehicles not equipped with the Comfort Access option and ODI did not identify a vehicle based safety defect associated with these incidents.This investigation is closed.The ODI report cited above can be reviewed at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification (ODI) numbers:10185770

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW 760LI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE IDLED ABNORMALLY HIGH AND WOULD DRIVE ROUGHLY. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHERE THE FUEL INJECTORS WERE REPLACED. THE DEALER REPLACED ALL TWELVE FUEL INJECTORS ON THE VEHICLE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 159,000. *TR

NHTSA ID

10509228

Incident

Feb 5, 2013

Mileage

159,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW 760LI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE ECM UNIT WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 04V344000 (POWER TRAIN) BUT WAS ADVISED BY THE MANUFACTURER THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 74,000.

NHTSA ID

10500106

Incident

Mar 15, 2011

Mileage

74,000 mi

HARD TO START, CRANKS FOR A WHILE TILL IT BUILDS UP PRESSURE THEN STARTS. IDLES ROUGH AND SOMETIMES DIES WHEN SITTING AT STOP LIGHT, AND SPUTTERING POWER AT TIME WHEN TAKING OFF, ALSO WHEN IT STALLS WHILE DRIVING IT IS A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER FOR STEERING AND OTHER CONTROLS, VERY DANGEROUS WHEN IT HAPPENS. BMW STATES IT IS THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP AND THE PART IS $2,700 + 1300 LABOR. THIS IS THE FLAGSHIP CAR FOR BMW. PLEASE RECALL AND REPLACE BOTH PUMPS BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED. WHY SHOULD ONE HAVE TO PAY A HIGH AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR A CAR THAT HAS A KNOWN DEFECT AND IS NOT BEING ADDRESSED. *TR

NHTSA ID

10427060

Incident

Oct 27, 2010

Mileage

70,000 mi

The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.

The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle “discharged battery” complaints.

Engine will crank but not start. There is no communication with the integrated fuel module (TFE) whendiagnosing with ISTA. The following two fault codes will be stored in the DME: 032B43 - Low fuel pressure system, electric fuel pump: pressure value too low CDA594 - Message (- 0x33E) missing, receiver DME, transmitter TFE

Customers may state that the alarm system (DWA) is not active after locking their unoccupied vehicle. Depending on the vehicle’s equipment and settings, no acoustic or optical confirmation (folding the mirrors/blinking confirmation) is noticeable. Additionally, the red anti-theft alarm LED in the interior mirror does not briefly flash every 2 seconds, indicating the alarm is armed.

Component-Specific Limited Warranty Extension For the eligible vehicles, BMW of North America, LLC (BMW NA) is extending the limited warranty for the vehicle's front and rear air suspension strut assemblies (item # 1 Front and # 2 Rear, shown) to: 8 years/80,000 miles, as determined by the vehicle's original in-service date. Other air suspension system-related components/issues are excluded from this coverage. This component-specific limited warranty extension applies to defects in materials or workmanship. This coverage is subject to the same vehicle eligibility requirements, limitations, and exclusions that apply to the BMW New Vehicle Limited Warranty for Passenger Cars and Light Trucks.

Discharged Battery Energy Diagnosis Must Be Performed: The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle "discharged battery" complaints. In order to properly repair the vehicle the first time in the workshop, it is very important that the diagnostic test plans are performed to completion, with all results taken into consideration. Without performing the energy diagnosis test plan, the root cause of the discharged battery cannot be identified. This increases the chances of a repeat repair.