BMW AG has recently identified a safety concern affecting a limited number of battery packs. More specifically, the laser welding process connecting the cell contacting system to a cell terminal may not have been performed appropriately. The insufficient weld seam could result in a disconnection, which translates to an overheated battery module.
The Bavarian automaker identified an inadequate weld on February 12 during a quality check, prompting an engineering investigation. The battery module in question bears part number 8863448 in BMW's system. Online stores from the EU list the module at €1,200 to €1,300 ($1,300 to $1,400).
Said investigation determined that a handful of modules with iffy weld seams had not been removed/replaced during the assembly process, prompting a stop-ship order and a dealer hold. Over in the United States, a single unit of the i5 and three units of the i4 are recalled. The i5 comes from BMW Group Plant Dingolfing, whereas the lesser model is manufactured at BMW Group Plant Munich.
The stop-ship order and dealer hold are dated February 14. The following day, BMW AG's safety boffins decided to conduct a safety recall for all potentially affected vehicles. To date, Munich's favorite son isn't aware of any complaints, warranty claims, or field reports related to this concern.
BMW of North America states that the recalled i5 eDrive40 was assembled on December 7 last year, whereas the i4s were produced in the period from September 23, 2023 to February 5, 2024. The i4 population comprises the range-topping M50 and the xDrive40 rather than the base eDrive40.
Photo: BMW i5
Obviously enough, recalled vehicles will have their suspect battery modules replaced with properly manufactured units. Both the i5 and i4 use 84.3-kWh batteries, of which 81.2 kilowatt hours are usable. 295 miles (475 kilometers) is the highest estimated range for the i5, whereas the i4 tops 307 miles (494 kilometers) according to the EPA.
Pricing for the i5 eDrive40 kicks off at $66,800 sans destination charge, with BMW advertising the rear-drive model with a zero to 60-mph acceleration of 5.7 seconds. In other words, that would be under six clicks from zero to 100 kilometers per hour. The i4 xDrive40 is pretty close to the i5 eDrive in terms of pricing, with BMW asking $61,600 for MY24.
Rated at 396 horsepower instead of 335 for the rear-driven i5 edrive40, the i4 xDrive40 needs 4.9 seconds to reach 60 miles per hour. The only way up is the i4 M50, which – believe it or not – was the M division's best-selling vehicle last year.
BMW M GmbH delivered more than 200,000 vehicles (202,530) last year, representing an increase of 14.3 percent compared to 2022. The i4 M50 may be the go-faster division's golden egg-laying goose, but that shouldn't put internal combustion loyalists off. BMW M GmbH further notes that the M3 was the world's favorite high-performance sports car in 2023, but alas, BMW didn't mention how many were delivered.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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