BMW recall affects i4, i5, i7 and iX: 70,000 electric BMWs could die while driving

BMW has announced a large-scale recall for several all-electric model series. A total of 70,852 vehicles of theBMW i4 (model years 2022–2025),iX (2022–2024),i7 (2023–2024), andi5 (2024) series are affected – however, the majority of vehicles affected are in the US. The reason is a potentially safety-relevant software error in the high-voltage electrical system, which could cause the electric vehicle to suddenly shut down, even while driving.

According to the manufacturer, in rare cases the high-voltage system may be accidentally shut down while driving. This is caused by faulty software logic that preemptively deactivates the system to avoid the risk of fire or electric shock – even if there is actually no danger.

As a result, the drive system can suddenly fail. While the brake booster and power steering remain active, the vehicle loses power within 15 to 20 seconds of the warning message appearing on the display. According to BMW, no accidents or injuries related to the fault have been reported to date.

The largest number of affected vehicles are the i4 (over 35,000 units) and iX (more than 25,000 vehicles). For the i7 and i5, the affected number is less than 6,000 and 5,000 units, respectively. Upon inquiry, BMW confirmed that no vehicles in Germany are affected by the error. Here is the statement from Munich:

"A quality check has shown that the affected vehicles require a software update to ensure correct monitoring of the vehicle's high-voltage system. The high-voltage system includes all components of the electric drive.

The monitoring system detects insulation faults in the high-voltage system. In the affected vehicles, the monitoring system reacts too sensitively. In certain cases, this can lead to the high-voltage system being shut down even though this is not technically necessary. In such a case, this is indicated by a check control message in the central display. It cannot be ruled out that the vehicle may slowly roll to a stop while driving.

The software update optimizes monitoring of the vehicle's high-voltage system. This prevents unnecessary shutdown of the high-voltage system. In the interest of your own safety and that of other road users, it is important to perform the software update. No accidents are known to have occurred in connection with this error pattern.

Most importantly: "No vehicles in Europe are affected by this recall."

But there's also good news for BMW customers in the US: Fixing the problem is straightforward. BMW is providing a free software update that corrects the system shutdown algorithm. The update can be conveniently installed over-the-air—a visit to the workshop is not necessary in most cases. Alternatively, the update can also be installed at a BMW dealer.