Inoperative Hands-On Detection System Prompts BMW 7 Series Recall, 9.2K Vehicles Affected

For the United States market and US territories, no fewer than 9,211 vehicles produced for the 2023 and 2024 model years are included in said recall. During a routine test drive on August 24, the Munich-based automaker determined that the hands-on detection system didn’t work as intended. It continuously and erroneously recognized the driver’s hands on the wheel, thus prompting an engineering review.

BMW investigated this condition through early October 2023, conducting additional test drivers of differently configured vehicles to examine system functionality. In parallel, the supplier also reviewed process and production information. The supplier in question is Autoliv Romania SRL, the Romanian subsidiary of Autoliv Inc. Headquartered in Sweden yet incorporated in the United States, the supplier is a Fortune 500 company that employs circa 70,000 people worldwide. Simply put, a true behemoth.

Lo and behold, Autoliv Romania SRL eventually identified a manufacturing issue. As per the document attached below, the bore hole for the fastening of the ground connection to the steering wheel wasn’t produced to specifications due to a misadjusted drilling process. BMW didn’t detail how the supplier corrected this problem in production.

The incorrect bore hole causes a loose connection between the steering wheel and the ground cable, leading to an erroneous reading. Not only does the aforestated condition affect the hands-on detection system, but also the emergency stopping assistant.

Thankfully for all parties involved, BMW hasn’t received any reports of accidents or injuries related to Autoliv’s mistake. As expected, the remedy comes in the form of an inspection of the ground connection. If necessary, service techs will reattach the connection to specifications at no cost to the customers. Known owners will be informed about this recall by mail no later than December 8, 2023.

Suspect vehicles were produced in the period between July 4, 2022 and August 30, 2023. The seventh-gen 7 Series for the US market comes from the Dingolfing plant in Germany, the automaker’s largest vehicle assembly site in the Euro area.

BMW Group Plant Dingolfing also makes the iX, 8 Series, 5 Series, and 4 Series. Dingolfing further makes electric drive units and body shells for the Rolls-Royce ultra-luxury marque, and the site further doubles as a central distribution center. Approximately 282,000 vehicles were produced there in 2022 alone. At press time, the complex produces roughly 1,500 automobiles every day.

Turning our attention back to the 7 Series, you can get BMW’s full-size luxury sedan in three main specifications: internal combustion, electrified, and fully electric. Pricing for the 740i kicks off at $96,400 in the United States, followed by the i7 eDrive50 at $105,700 and the 750e xDrive at $107,000 (excluding the $995 destination fee).