BMW recalls the i4, iX, i7, and i5 for potential drive power loss

An error with the software for the electric motor has led to the recall of several BMW models. The issue can cause the cars to lose power especially when the car is in motion. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) document, over 70,000 vehicles are included in the BMW recalls.

The most affected BMW model is the BMW i4, with at least 35,441 cars built from the year 2022 to 2025. The BMW iX SUV has over 25,280 units recalled, ranging from the model year 2022 to 2025. 5,484 BMW i7 sedans from the years 2023 and 2024, and closing up is the 2024 BMW i5 sedan, having over 4,674 cars included.

NHTSA stated that the electric motor software could cause a shutdown of the high-voltage system, causing the vehicle to lose power. This occurrence could be a result of the software mistakenly identifying a double-isolation condition that leads to the display of a red warning message and symbol on the dashboard just before 15 to 20 seconds to the power cut-off.

The shutdown occurs while driving, which could increase the risk of an accident or crash. Other parts of the car, like the braking, steering power, and others, aren’t affected by the shutdown of the high-voltage system, but customers are advised not to take any risks if the issue persists.

The investigations began after a number of warranty claims were submitted in the years 2021 and 2022 that were associated with the electric drive motor. On analyzing the data, they detected that the vehicle software couldn’t determine the isolation condition if it was a double isolation condition for high-voltage shutdown or a single isolation condition.

BMW began the voluntary safety recall on June 6th and is working on applying an update for the software from the vehicle affected. This is done either at the dealership or via an over-the-air update. Owners will be contacted by mail by August 5 and will be instructed to take their vehicle to be assessed for the repairs, or they can take the option to perform an over-the-air update. For more information, owners can check the NHTSA website to see if their vehicles are mentioned in the recall.