Over 70,000 BMW electric cars just got hit with a recall notice. The problem sounds pretty scary: your car might just lose power while you’re driving. This issue affects four different BMW models from recent years, all of which are due to faulty software.
Which Cars Are Getting Called Back?
The BMW i4 takes the biggest hit with over 35,000 cars affected. Next up is the iX SUV, with approximately 25,000 units requiring attention. The fancy i7 sedan has around 5,500 cars in trouble, while the newer i5 rounds out the list with nearly 5,000 vehicles.
These aren’t ancient cars either. We’re talking about 2022 to 2025 models that people just bought. Nobody expects their brand-new BMW to quit working on the highway suddenly.
What Actually Happens When Things Go Wrong
Here’s where it gets technical, but stay with me. The car’s brain gets confused about something called a “double isolation condition.” Sounds fancy, but basically, the software panics and thinks there’s an electrical problem when there isn’t one.
Your dashboard lights up with red warnings about 15 seconds before everything shuts down. The good news? Your steering and brakes still work fine. The bad news? You’re now coasting in a very expensive paperweight.
This whole mess started with warranty claims in 2021 and 2022. People kept complaining about their cars randomly losing power. BMW spent years investigating before finally admitting there was a real problem.
They’ve received approximately 43 warranty claims from individuals whose cars died while travelling at speeds exceeding 20 mph.
Thankfully, nobody was hurt or involved in a crash because of this issue. Still, losing power on a busy road sounds absolutely terrifying.
The Fix Is Actually Pretty Simple
BMW will update the problematic software either at their dealerships or through your car’s internet connection. Yes, your vehicle can now download updates, just like your phone. Pretty wild, right? If your car is affected, you’ll get a letter by August 5th.
You can either drive to a BMW dealer or let them fix it remotely. Either way, the repair won’t cost you anything. You can also check the NHTSA website right now to see if your specific car is part of this recall. Better safe than sorry, especially with something this serious.
Conclusion
Look, recalls happen to every car company these days. The important thing is that BMW caught this problem and they’re fixing it for free. If you own one of these cars, don’t stress about driving it until you get the update. Perhaps it’s best to avoid long road trips until the issue is resolved.
Thanks for reading till the end. Let us know if you have had any similar experience with these vehicles in the comments below. Keep following the Arabwheels Blog for more content like this.