Photo: BMW
Mercedes-Benz isn’t the only German automaker hampered down by software issues. BMW has recently joined the party with two electric vehicles, namely the flagship iX crossover and the sporty i4 coupe-sedan.
On May 3rd, during a quality check at Plant Dingolfing, where the iX is produced, the Bavarian automaker became aware of a potential issue when the vehicle was placed in valet parking mode. BMW refers to the failure to illuminate warning messages in the central information display. Following an in-depth investigation, BMW then examined regulatory requirements.
The root cause is described in the attached report as “a programming issue” that potentially affects the display of certain warning messages in the central information display when the vehicle is placed in valet parking mode. Some of the functionality required by federal motor vehicle safety standard 101 may not be possible, which is why the Bavarians had to recall a few cars.
6,930 units of the iX and i4, to be more precise, split between 3,166 examples of the crossover and 3,764 examples of the coupe-sedan. The production dates for these vehicles range from October 14th, 2021 to July 1st, 2022. Notifications will be mailed to known owners on August 29th, and U.S. dealers have been instructed to reprogram the head unit’s software.
Manufactured exclusively at Plant Dingolfing, the iX comes in two guises in the United States. The base specification is the xDrive50, with xDrive meaning dual-motor drive. BMW quotes 516 horsepower and 564 pound-feet (765 Nm) of torque, 4.4 seconds to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour), a range of 324 miles (521 kilometers) with the 20-inch alloy wheels, and a top speed of 124 miles per hour (200 kilometers per hour).
The iX M60 starts at $105,100, excluding the destination charge and federal tax credit. For that bundle of cash, BMW sweetens the specs with 610 horsepower, 811 lb-ft (1,100 Nm), and zero to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds.
The i4 follows a similar pattern, with two variants available for the 2023 model year. The 335-horsepower eDrive40 is a rear-drive affair, whereas the i40 M50 levels up to a dual-motor powertrain that needs... wait for it... one-tenth of a second more than the iX M60 to reach 60 miles per hour.
The root cause is described in the attached report as “a programming issue” that potentially affects the display of certain warning messages in the central information display when the vehicle is placed in valet parking mode. Some of the functionality required by federal motor vehicle safety standard 101 may not be possible, which is why the Bavarians had to recall a few cars.
6,930 units of the iX and i4, to be more precise, split between 3,166 examples of the crossover and 3,764 examples of the coupe-sedan. The production dates for these vehicles range from October 14th, 2021 to July 1st, 2022. Notifications will be mailed to known owners on August 29th, and U.S. dealers have been instructed to reprogram the head unit’s software.
Manufactured exclusively at Plant Dingolfing, the iX comes in two guises in the United States. The base specification is the xDrive50, with xDrive meaning dual-motor drive. BMW quotes 516 horsepower and 564 pound-feet (765 Nm) of torque, 4.4 seconds to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour), a range of 324 miles (521 kilometers) with the 20-inch alloy wheels, and a top speed of 124 miles per hour (200 kilometers per hour).
The iX M60 starts at $105,100, excluding the destination charge and federal tax credit. For that bundle of cash, BMW sweetens the specs with 610 horsepower, 811 lb-ft (1,100 Nm), and zero to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds.
The i4 follows a similar pattern, with two variants available for the 2023 model year. The 335-horsepower eDrive40 is a rear-drive affair, whereas the i40 M50 levels up to a dual-motor powertrain that needs... wait for it... one-tenth of a second more than the iX M60 to reach 60 miles per hour.
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