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BMW and MINI Hybrid Battery May Short and Catch Fire

NHTSA campaign 20V490000 · Reported 2020-08-18 · BMW of North America, LLC

high How serious is it? About this label

Serious: a shorted hybrid battery can start a fire, so if your vehicle has somehow not been repaired, get it to a dealer right away rather than putting the visit off.

What's wrong, in plain English

On certain 2021 BMW 330e and X5 xDrive45e, 2020-2021 BMW X3 xDrive30e, and 2020 MINI Countryman SE ALL4 plug-in hybrids, stray bits of welding material left inside the hybrid battery can connect cells that should stay separate. That can cause a short circuit inside the battery, which can lead to a fire. A dealer inspects the battery and replaces the battery modules if needed, free of charge. BMW says all affected vehicles have already been repaired.

What you should do

1. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to check whether your vehicle is listed and whether the repair was already done. 2. Call BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 if the recall still shows as open on your vehicle. 3. Have the dealer inspect and, if needed, replace the battery modules at no cost.

Affected vehicles (5)

Who to contact

BMW — official BMW recall lookup

Customer service: 1-800-525-7417

MINI — official MINI recall lookup

Customer service: 1-866-275-6464

Any franchised dealer for the brand can do the repair. Phone numbers are taken from manufacturer sites and recent NHTSA notices; if one has changed, the number in your own recall letter is the one to use.

The bigger picture

Official notice

Component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
Summary
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021 330e and X5 xDrive45e, 2020-2021 X3 xDrive30e, and 2020 MINI Countryman SE ALL4 vehicles. Loose welding beads may form a conductive path between the hybrid battery cells which could lead to a short-circuit.
Safety risk
A short-circuited hybrid battery may increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the battery modules, free of charge. BMW issued owners an interim notification on October 16, 2020. Although potentially affected BMW owners received interim owner notification letters, all potentially affected BMW owner vehicles have been remedied; therefore, BMW Final owner notification letters will not be necessary. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Verify your specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov. Recall repairs are free of charge by law.