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Recall for 2012-14 BMW X1 models with N20/N26 engines for loss of brake power

16K views 73 replies 28 participants last post by  skndchanzs 
#1 · (Edited)
BMW recalls 3 series 5 series X1 X5 Z4 with N20 or N26 engine

Delivery of N20 and N26 powered vehicles stopped as a result of power brake assist problem

On September 26th, BMW of North America announced to NHTSA its intention to conduct a voluntary Recall on certain 2012-2014 model year BMW 3 Series, 5 Series, X1, X3 and Z4 models equipped with the N20 or N26 engine, produced from May 2012 to August 2013.

Affected vehicles in dealer inventories will not be sold or delivered to customers until the recall repair has been performed. Vehicles at BMW vehicle delivery centers will be corrected before shipment to dealerships. Existing owners will be notified of the recall by letter with a solution coming in December.

The Problem:
The oil supply from the intake camshaft to the brake vacuum pump can become restricted. If this happens the brake vacuum pump could fail due to lack of lubrication, resulting in a loss of power brake assist.

The hydraulic brakes will still function to stop the vehicle but without power assist. Without assist the driver will need to apply much greater pedal pressure to stop the vehicle. The distance required to stop the vehicle will increase as most drivers will not be able to apply enough brake pedal pressure.

In the event of a loss of brake power assist pull the emergency brake and apply as much brake pedal pressure as possible. If your BMW has an electronic parking brake pull up and hold the switch to engage the brake.

Move away from traffic and park in a safe location as soon as possible. Contact BMW Roadside Assistance and have your vehicle taken to the nearest BMW dealer.

Solution and Repair
A repair solution for vehicles already on the road is under development and not available at this time. Existing owners will be notified of the recall in November by letter and again in December by letter when parts are available. Wait to receive your notification letter before contacting your dealership for service. The repair letter will be sent when the dealership has the necessary parts, tools and procedures to preform the repair.

The solution involves inserting a locking ring onto the camshaft so the oil supply to the brake assist vacuum pump is not impaired. The repair will take approximately two hours but can vary depending on your BMW dealers schedule. The repair will be preformed free of charge.

Affected Models
  • 2012-14 320i/328i, 320i/328i xDrive Sedan manufactured between May 2012 ***8211; August 2013
  • 2014 328i xDrive Sports Wagon manufactured between March 2013 ***8211; May 2013
  • 2012-13 528i, 528i xDrive Sedan manufactured between June 2012 ***8211; June 2013
  • 2013-14 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i manufactured between June 2012 ***8211; June 2013
  • 2013-14 X3 xDrive28i manufactured between June 2012 ***8211; August 2013
  • 2012-14 Z4 sDrive28i manufactured between June 2012 ***8211; June 2013
Models not list are not effected due to different lubrication and vacuum pump designs.

Number of vehicles affected in the US
Up to 76,190 BMWs are affected by this safety issue. The model break down is as follows -
  • 2012-14 320i/328i, 320i/328i xDrive Sedan - 37,473 potentially affected
  • 2014 328i xDrive Sports Wagon - 176 potentially affected
  • 2012-13 528i, 528i xDrive Sedan - 12,708 potentially affected
  • 2013-14 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i - 10,547 potentially affected
  • 2013-14 X3 xDrive28i - 14,517 potentially affected
  • 2012-14 Z4 sDrive28i - 770 potentially affected

Known accidents
BMW is aware of three minor accidents with no confirmed injuries as a result of this problem. The NTSB has 7 reported incidents but that does not mean they have 7 accident reports. Vehicles affected have experienced the failure at low millage. It is not clear if having a higher mileage car means you will not have the failure.

Should you continue to drive your N20/N26 powered BMW
BMW says it is safe to continue to drive your vehicle for now. As soon as you get the service letter that will be coming in December you should have the recall work performed. If you feel a loss of braking power pull to the side of the road and have your BMW towed to the nearest dealer by BMW Roadside Assistance.

Are 4 series deliveries going to be affected
BMW has not commented at this time on the 4 series. Models produced as recently as August are affected so it is possible early production 4 series (production started in July) will be held at the vehicle delivery center until the repair is available. We will continue to follow the 4 series delivery story and provided updated information as it happens.

What to do now
We have no choice but to wait for the letters and more information from BMW. In the mean time everyone be careful out there. There are 7 reported incidences of issues to the NTSB so far. The NTSB estimates that for ever report there are 40+ incidents that are not reported. Has anyone had trouble loss of brake assist in their N20/N26 powered BMW? Does this make anyone nervous to drive their BMW?

Recall Update:

This is a follow-up to the delivery stop announcement of certain N20 and N26-equipped models. Vehicles on the delivery stop VIN list must not be retailed or delivered until the defect has been corrected.

Technical Description
An oil plug in the intake camshaft may become displaced, restricting oil supply to the vacuum pump. Continued operation may lead to failure of the vacuum pump, resulting in loss of power-assist braking. Only camshafts from one supplier exhibit this issue; therefore, not all N20 and N26-equipped vehicles are involved in the delivery stop and Recall.

A repair solution is under development to secure the intake camshaft oil plug, but will not be available before December.

Customer Notification
Owners of vehicles which have already been delivered will receive initial notification in November, informing them of the issue. A second letter will be mailed in December, advising customers to schedule an appointment with your center to have the Recall completed, when parts and the repair procedure become available.
 
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#51 ·
I recently went to the dealer for the recall/repair but was told that my car doesn't need the repairs, despite having received the recall letter already! Supposedly my car was not part of the recall group or something.... Anyone had gotten this from their dealer as well?


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#52 ·
Got my car back today. I had had a couple of intermittent brake issues. Service advisor said they opened up the engine to check which camshaft I had. Turns out it was one of the affected camshafts. The replaced the camshaft and the vacuum pump. My car was at the dealership for a total of one week while they did the inspection, got the parts and did the work. They also performed my first oil service. Seems to running fine. Time will tell.

On a side note: had a 328xi sedan loaner. Luxury Line. Beautiful car but it felt like a big, soft, squishy boat. It was much more of a luxury car than sports car. The electric steering sucked. I really missed my X1. It reminds me of my first BMW; a 2005 330i sedan. Loved the E46.


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#53 ·
Got my car back today. I had had a couple of intermittent brake issues. Service advisor said they opened up the engine to check which camshaft I had. Turns out it was one of the affected camshafts. The replaced the camshaft and the vacuum pump. My car was at the dealership for a total of one week while they did the inspection, got the parts and did the work. They also performed my first oil service. Seems to running fine. Time will tell.

On a side note: had a 328xi sedan loaner. Luxury Line. Beautiful car but it felt like a big, soft, squishy boat. It was much more of a luxury car than sports car. The electric steering sucked. I really missed my X1. It reminds me of my first BMW; a 2005 330i sedan. Loved the E46.

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How were you able to get your car in for this recall? I haven't heard from anyone other than the initial letters telling us about the upcoming campaign and fix. Luckily my car has been no problem
 
#54 ·
I took my car in for it's required service and mentioned the intermittent brake problems I was having. They inspected the engine and found it to have the camshaft in question, regarding the recall. They chose to replace the camshaft and vacuum pump instead of taking the chance of letting me drive the car away.


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#56 ·
At the minimum, every owner that has complained of a problem should have been taken care of by now. When an X1 owner nearly getting T boned doesn't motivate them to do the right thing, it says a lot about the company's priorities. To have a fix and choose not to implement it is astonishingly irresponsible.
 
#61 ·
Took my car in for the recall last week, I wish I could report to you all what was actually done, but I can't because even my service advisor was a bit mis-informed if I can use that word. I can tell you that there was a "kit" ordered and placed into my car and my car was there the entire day and I was able to pick her up later in the early evening. The first oil change was done also and supposedly fluids topped off. Has anyone else had this "kit" installed?


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#62 ·
I had the recall done yesterday. The receipt says "removed vacuum pump and checked. installed sleeve."

The kit which apparently includes the sleeve is listed as "11-31-8-632-503 REPAIR KIT FOR INTAKE CAMSHA" (presumably this is short for camshaft)

The SIB number for the procedure is: 11 01 14

Lou
 
#63 ·
I had the recall done yesterday. The receipt says "removed vacuum pump and checked. installed sleeve."

The kit which apparently includes the sleeve is listed as "11-31-8-632-503 REPAIR KIT FOR INTAKE CAMSHA" (presumably this is short for camshaft)

The SIB number for the procedure is: 11 01 14

Lou
Lou
I got more info from your receipt than mine! There is no mention of any of what you mentioned only the same number for the kit. I'm going to assume the same procedure was done?
 
#68 ·
Not sure if this is related to the recall but two weeks to the day of getting my car back, yesterday afternoon I noticed a rough idle while pulling out of the driveway. When we got home several hours later, the rough idle was worse, almost a violent shake and got the "service engine soon" light along with the half shaded engine icon in the dash, both in yellow. (we don't have idrive) Only thing that has been done to the car is the first service and the recall. We did add gas in the last two weeks, but I have noticed that my gas MPG's is slipping. This may not be related to the recall, but the car was fine prior to it. I have read some threads that the fuel injectors were at fault on others cars and this sounds like a real option with my car.
 
#69 ·
I got the recall letter in Feb (Vacuum Pump Oil Supply). Took it in today, and it came back saying "Recall, caused by SIB 11 01 14. "Corrected by Check Intake Camshaft and install the spring steel sleeve only" Installed 11 31 8 632 503 :B1-Repair Kit for intake.

Is this the same repair?
 
#70 ·
I had mine done last month. When they visually check out the cam shaft and is not part of the affected lot they will only install the sleeve. If it is part of the bad lot they will replace he camshaft.

I've had no issues and didn't notice and difference after the sleeve install so all is good.

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#71 ·
You guys are a bunch of sissy nerds!!!.... Just as your SA or the tech Forman what it is exactly!
Seriously, I know us BMW drivers are educated and empowered to get the right answers!........unless it really doesn't matter....lol


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#72 ·
You guys are a bunch of sissy nerds!!!.... Just as your SA or the tech Forman what it is exactly!
Seriously, I know us BMW drivers are educated and empowered to get the right answers!........unless it really doesn't matter....lol

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Wow, are you Okay? A little excited, maybe? A little condescending, maybe? You use more exclamation points per post than every member here combined.
WTH?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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