2021 BMW 3 Series

Issue: On certain plug-In hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), debris may have entered the high-voltage battery during production. As a result, the battery could short circuit. Safety Risk: A short circuit in the battery could create a fire risk. Corrective Actions: BMW will notify owners by mail and inform you to take your vehicle to a dealer to test the high-voltage battery. The cell module(s) will be replaced, if necessary. BMW recommends that you should not charge your vehicle and that you should not drive the vehicle in manual mode, sport mode or use the shift paddles until the recall repairs have been completed. BMW also recommends that you should drain the high-voltage battery via iDrive, by setting/leaving the charging state at 30%, until the recall repairs have been completed.

Issue: On certain vehicles, the bolts that connect the 48-V battery cables to the starter-generator may not have been installed correctly. As a result, the electrical connections could overheat. Safety Risk: Electrical connections that overheat could increase the risk of a fire. Corrective Actions: BMW will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to inspect the bolts connecting the 48-V battery cables to the starter-generator and replace them, if necessary.

Issue: On certain vehicles, an internal part in the integrated brake system could fail during hard braking. If this happens, there would be a reduction in brake boost and the antilock brake system (ABS) would turn off. This can cause an increase in brake pedal effort that is required to stop the vehicle. Safety Risk: A sudden increase in brake pedal force and a loss of ABS braking could lead to an increase in stopping distance. This could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: BMW will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer replace the integrated brake system (hydraulic unit and master cylinder).

Issue: On certain vehicles, a software problem could cause the rearview camera image not to appear correctly in the central display. Canadian regulations require the rearview image to display when the transmission is shifted into reverse gear. Safety Risk: A rearview camera image that does not display correctly could reduce a driver's ability to see behind the vehicle while backing up. This could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: BMW will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to update the rearview camera software, if necessary.

Issue: On certain vehicles, the passenger seat belt assemblies may contain defective automatic locking retractors (ALR). As a result, the seat belts may not properly lock to secure a child seat. Safety Risk: A seat belt that is not properly locked could increase the risk of injury in a crash. Corrective Actions: The company will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to inspect the seat belts. They will be replaced, if necessary.

Issue: On certain plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), debris may have entered the high-voltage battery during production. As a result, the battery could short circuit. Note: This recall is for potentially affected vehicles that did not have battery cell module(s) replaced as a part of TC Recall No. 2020-464. Under this new recall the battery cell module(s) must be replaced. Safety Risk: A short circuit in the battery could create a fire risk. Corrective Actions: BMW will notify owners by mail and inform you to take your vehicle to a dealer to replace the battery cell module(s) of the high-voltage battery. BMW recommends that you should not charge your vehicle and that you should not drive the vehicle in manual mode, sport mode or use the shift paddles until the recall repairs have been completed. BMW also recommends that you should drain the high-voltage battery via iDrive, by setting/leaving the charging state at 30%, until the recall repairs have been completed.

Issue: On certain vehicles, the tire and loading information label does not list that there is no spare tire in both official languages. The label reads as "NONE" when it should read as "NONE / AUCUN". Canadian regulations require the information to be listed on the label in both English and French. Safety Risk: This error does not affect vehicle safety. Corrective Actions: This is not a recall. The company has corrected the tire and loading information label for all new vehicles.

Issue: On certain vehicles, water could leak into the starter relay and cause it to corrode. If this happens, the relay could short circuit and the starter could overheat. Safety Risk: A short circuit and/or a starter that overheats can create a fire risk, even while the vehicle is parked and turned off. Corrective Actions: To reduce the safety risk, BMW advises that you should park your vehicle outdoors and away from other vehicles or structures until the recall repairs have been completed. BMW will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to replace the engine starter.

Issue: On certain vehicles, the engine starter may not have been manufactured properly. As a result, the starter could overheat. Safety Risk: A starter that overheats can create the risk of a fire. Corrective Actions: To reduce the safety risk, BMW recommends not using the remote start function and not leaving the vehicle unattended with the engine running until the recall repairs have been completed. BMW will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to replace the engine starter.