Photo: BMW
BMWs sure are nice to drive, but reliability has never been a strong point of the Bavarian automaker. As cars and SUVs get even more complex thanks to electronics and millions of lines of code, the inevitable is bound to happen at one point or another. This time around, M models with the eight-speed ZF 8HP automatic transmission are under recall.
“Certain vehicles” from the M5, M8, X5 M, and X6 M are affected, namely those manufactured between January and November 2019. Those still in inventory have been slapped with a stop-sale order, in effect until BMW service technicians rectify the automatic transmission’s problem.
Known customers are to receive a letter from the Bavarians in February 2020 through first-class mail, offering all the information available on the condition and the advice to schedule an appointment. BMW explains that the location and routing of the wiring harness for the tranny may become damaged, leading to a short circuit affecting the functionality of the ZF 8HP.
In some cases, this problem “causes the vehicle to lose propulsion and to shift to neutral while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.” Service technicians were instructed to inspect the wiring harness, replace, and reroute it at no cost to the owner. The process takes about an hour.
The reason BMW is waiting until February 2020 to fix the issue is that the tools, parts, and procedures for the servicing operation haven’t been finalized at the time of writing. On the Bimmerpost forums, one owner said that he “was stranded in the parking lot of a shopping mall. Very difficult to tow it [the M5 Competition] out, as transmission couldn’t be shifted to neutral.”
Of the affected models, the M5 is the most affordable of the lot. Retail pricing starts at $102,700 excluding destination charge in the United States, and BMW wants $110k for the Competition package of the mid-sized sedan. At the other end of the spectrum, the M8 Competition Convertible costs $155,000 while the M8 Competition Gran Coupe will set you back $143k.
Known customers are to receive a letter from the Bavarians in February 2020 through first-class mail, offering all the information available on the condition and the advice to schedule an appointment. BMW explains that the location and routing of the wiring harness for the tranny may become damaged, leading to a short circuit affecting the functionality of the ZF 8HP.
In some cases, this problem “causes the vehicle to lose propulsion and to shift to neutral while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.” Service technicians were instructed to inspect the wiring harness, replace, and reroute it at no cost to the owner. The process takes about an hour.
The reason BMW is waiting until February 2020 to fix the issue is that the tools, parts, and procedures for the servicing operation haven’t been finalized at the time of writing. On the Bimmerpost forums, one owner said that he “was stranded in the parking lot of a shopping mall. Very difficult to tow it [the M5 Competition] out, as transmission couldn’t be shifted to neutral.”
Of the affected models, the M5 is the most affordable of the lot. Retail pricing starts at $102,700 excluding destination charge in the United States, and BMW wants $110k for the Competition package of the mid-sized sedan. At the other end of the spectrum, the M8 Competition Convertible costs $155,000 while the M8 Competition Gran Coupe will set you back $143k.
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