Photo: BMW / edited
A handful of electric vehicles from BMW have been recalled stateside over a supplier's bungle. As it happens, Panasonic Automotive Systems Europe GmbH produced a handful of high-voltage battery combined charging units incorrectly. More specifically, certain parts within the combined charging unit – CCU for short – may not have been properly connected or assembled.
This condition may cause interruptions of electric power while driving, therefore resulting in stalling, thus increasing the risk of a crash. The Bavarian automaker learned of this problem back on May 17 from none other than Panasonic. Upon investigating said issue, BMW identified an electromagnetic compatibility anomaly.
Panasonic acknowledged that suspect parts had passed its end-of-line testing process, which is a huge oversight for a company with so much prestige and know-how in this domain. The Japanese outfit started making batteries in 1931 with the model 165B dry battery. Li-Ion rechargeable battery production kicked off in 1994.
Turning our attention back to the chronology of events, the supplier couldn't tell BMW if said parts would perform as intended in a vehicle. Upon further investigation, Mercedes-Benz's biggest rival discovered that iffy combined charging units aren't safe due to the aforementioned stalling condition. In light of this unreasonable risk to the driver, passengers, and other traffic participants, a recall has been issued for 69 examples of the iX crossover, i4 sedan, and 7 Series.
Affected iX vehicles include the xDrive50 and M60, with production dates ranging between June 2022 and September 2022. The i4's timeframe is June 2022 through July 2022 for the eDrive40 and M50. Speaking of which, did you know the i4 M50 was BMW M's best-selling vehicle back in 2022? Previously inconceivable, but as everyone in the automotive industry pivots to all-electric lineups, the inevitable inevitably happened.
A single example of the 7 Series is affected, namely a 760i xDrive manufactured on September 1 last year. The CCU is shared by all three model lines, which is why there's only one part number for it: 61445A5CA28.
Dealers nationwide have been instructed to replace the high-voltage battery combined charging unit. Owner notifications will be mailed on or about August 18.
Allegedly based on a dedicated platform with quite a few bits and pieces from the CLuster ARchitecture (CLAR) of the i4 and 7 Series, the iX is a love-or-hate affair in terms of exterior styling. It's also rather expensive at $87,100 (excluding the destination freight charge) for the xDrive50, or a whopping $111,500 for the M60.
The i4 is a fair bit more affordable, with BMW asking $52,200 for eDrive35 – with e standing for electric rear-wheel drive - or $69,700 for the range-topping M50. The 760i xDrive is a 48-volt hybrid with six-cylinder muscle, and it's the most expensive car of the recall population at $116,400. Its electric motor is located within the ZF-supplied transmission, and its peak output figures are 18 hp and 148 lb-ft (200 Nm).
Panasonic acknowledged that suspect parts had passed its end-of-line testing process, which is a huge oversight for a company with so much prestige and know-how in this domain. The Japanese outfit started making batteries in 1931 with the model 165B dry battery. Li-Ion rechargeable battery production kicked off in 1994.
Turning our attention back to the chronology of events, the supplier couldn't tell BMW if said parts would perform as intended in a vehicle. Upon further investigation, Mercedes-Benz's biggest rival discovered that iffy combined charging units aren't safe due to the aforementioned stalling condition. In light of this unreasonable risk to the driver, passengers, and other traffic participants, a recall has been issued for 69 examples of the iX crossover, i4 sedan, and 7 Series.
Affected iX vehicles include the xDrive50 and M60, with production dates ranging between June 2022 and September 2022. The i4's timeframe is June 2022 through July 2022 for the eDrive40 and M50. Speaking of which, did you know the i4 M50 was BMW M's best-selling vehicle back in 2022? Previously inconceivable, but as everyone in the automotive industry pivots to all-electric lineups, the inevitable inevitably happened.
A single example of the 7 Series is affected, namely a 760i xDrive manufactured on September 1 last year. The CCU is shared by all three model lines, which is why there's only one part number for it: 61445A5CA28.
Dealers nationwide have been instructed to replace the high-voltage battery combined charging unit. Owner notifications will be mailed on or about August 18.
Allegedly based on a dedicated platform with quite a few bits and pieces from the CLuster ARchitecture (CLAR) of the i4 and 7 Series, the iX is a love-or-hate affair in terms of exterior styling. It's also rather expensive at $87,100 (excluding the destination freight charge) for the xDrive50, or a whopping $111,500 for the M60.
The i4 is a fair bit more affordable, with BMW asking $52,200 for eDrive35 – with e standing for electric rear-wheel drive - or $69,700 for the range-topping M50. The 760i xDrive is a 48-volt hybrid with six-cylinder muscle, and it's the most expensive car of the recall population at $116,400. Its electric motor is located within the ZF-supplied transmission, and its peak output figures are 18 hp and 148 lb-ft (200 Nm).
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