BMW Recalls Over 70,000 EVs in the U.S. Over Risk of Power Loss Due to Software Issue

BMW North America has initiated a voluntary safety recall of 70,852 electric vehicles in the U.S. market that were manufactured between February 2021 and January 2024 due to a software issue that could lead to sudden loss of propulsion. So far, BMW has received 43 related warranty claims, though no accidents or injuries have been reported.

The affected vehicles include these four EV models:

According to the report filed by BMW to NHTSA said, this safety recall involves electric drive motor software which may erroneously shutdown the high-voltage system. In certain vehicle production configurations, the software may erroneously detect a double-isolation condition. As a fail-safe measure, this will cause a shutdown of the high-voltage system approximately 15-20 seconds after a warning message is displayed. Power assisted steering and braking are not affected.

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If this occurs while driving, then a loss of propulsion could increase the risk of a crash. Power assisted steering and braking are not affected and, therefore, are available to help maintain vehicle handling and control. A red warning message and a red warning symbol will be illuminated, the report added.

To deal with the issue, German Marque will issue a software update as the corrective measure. The update will be available at authorized dealerships and can also be installed via an over-the-air (OTA) process.

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