NHTSA recall 11V438000
A recall listed here may apply to a vehicle of this year, make and model. Only the manufacturer can say whether it applies to one vehicle: check the VIN with the official lookups.
| Published by | NHTSA (United States) |
|---|---|
| Campaign number | 11V438000 |
| Manufacturer | BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC |
| Reported | 2011-08-26 |
| Owners notified | 2012-02-15 |
| Component | EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL; EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS; EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS |
| Units potentially affected | 241000 |
What is wrong
BMW IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2002-2005 325I, 325XI, 330I, AND 330XI VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 1, 2001, THROUGH MARCH 1, 2005. OVER TIME, RESISTANCE IN THE ELECTRICAL CONTACTS MAY CAUSE ONE OR MORE REAR LAMP FUNCTIONS (TAIL LIGHT, BRAKE LIGHT, AND/OR TURN-SIGNAL), WITHIN THE VEHICLE'S BODY PANEL, TO STOP WORKING.
What can happen
INTERMITTENT LIGHT OPERATION REDUCES THE ABILITY TO WARN OTHER MOTORISTS OF THE DRIVER'S INTENTIONS. THIS COULD CAUSE A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
The remedy
BMW WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE VEHICLES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 15, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BMW CUSTOMER RELATIONS AND SERVICES AT 1-800-525-7417.
Notes
OWNERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO <A HREF=HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV>HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV</A> .
| 2002 BMW 325I | Built 2001-09-01 to 2005-03-01. |
|---|---|
| 2003 BMW 325I | Built 2001-09-01 to 2005-03-01. |
| 2004 BMW 325I | Built 2001-09-01 to 2005-03-01. |
| 2005 BMW 325I | Built 2001-09-01 to 2005-03-01. |
| 2002 BMW 325XI | Built 2001-09-01 to 2005-03-01. |
| 2003 BMW 325XI | Built 2001-09-01 to 2005-03-01. |
| 2004 BMW 325XI | Built 2001-09-01 to 2005-03-01. |
| 2005 BMW 325XI | Built 2001-09-01 to 2005-03-01. |
| 2002 BMW 330I | Built 2001-09-01 to 2005-03-01. |
| 2003 BMW 330I | Built 2001-09-01 to 2005-03-01. |
| 2004 BMW 330I | Built 2001-09-01 to 2005-03-01. |
| 2005 BMW 330I | Built 2001-09-01 to 2005-03-01. |
| 2002 BMW 330XI | Built 2001-09-01 to 2005-03-01. |
| 2003 BMW 330XI | Built 2001-09-01 to 2005-03-01. |
| 2004 BMW 330XI | Built 2001-09-01 to 2005-03-01. |
| 2005 BMW 330XI | Built 2001-09-01 to 2005-03-01. |
A vehicle with no link is not in this site's catalog, which covers cars, multipurpose vehicles and trucks by model year. The campaign is from data as of 2026-10-19.
Investigated as PE09036 and EA09019
This recall followed 2 NHTSA investigations. An investigation is NHTSA looking into a possible defect. It is not a finding that a defect exists, and it does not say that any one vehicle is affected.
| PE09036 | Preliminary evaluation, opened 2009-08-07, closed 2009-12-22. REAR LAMP ILLUMINATION. EXTERIOR LIGHTING; EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS; EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS; EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL. |
|---|---|
| EA09019 | Engineering analysis, opened 2009-12-18, closed 2011-09-28. Rear Lamp Illumination. EXTERIOR LIGHTING; EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS; EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS; EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL. |
From NHTSA's investigation file, as of 2026-10-19. The JSON has NHTSA's summary of each.
Bulletins for the same vehicles and component
| B63-03-12 | 2012-05-08. Service bulletin. BMW: THE LEFT OR RIGHT REAR LIGHT IN THE SIDE PANEL HAS CONDENSATION CONCERNING VEHICLES PRODUCED UP TO FEBRUARY 27,2012. *JS |
|---|---|
| SIB-63-02-08 | 2011-02-11. Service bulletin. BMW VEHICLE: REAR BULB FAILURE. THE BULB OUT WARNING SHOWS IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. DIAGNOSIS SHOWS A FAULT FOR THE REAR LAMP. THE BULB OUT CAN BE DISPLAYED FOR 2 POSSIBLE CAUSES: POOR FIT BETWEEN THE BULB AND BULB HOLDER; BULB FAILURE CAUSED BY VIBRATION. *PE |
| SI B63 02 08 | 2008-08-22. Service bulletin. REAR BULB FAILURE. MODEL E92 (3 SERIES COUPE) VEHICLES PRODUCED UP TO JANUARY 21, 2008 ARE AFFECTED. THE BULB OUT WARNING SHOWS IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. *PE |
| 630306 | 2007-01-24. Service bulletin. POOR CONNECTION AT REAR LAMP CONNECTOR. BMW. MODEL E46. *KB MODEL E46 (3 SERIES). UPDATE 8/8/2008. *PE |
A bulletin is the manufacturer's note to its dealers. It is not part of this recall.