BMW of North America said it will recall 45,500 of E65 7 Series from model years 2005-2008 to correct a flaw that could cause a parked vehicle to roll away. This is the second recall on the previous generation E60 after the one reported last week to correct an issue with Comfort Access and Soft Close Automatic options. The recalled vehicles were built between August 23, 2004 and July 24, 2008.
In the new bulletin issued to dealership, BMW says that the automatic transmission may not remain in the “Park” mode due to a software glitch on cars equipped with keyless start and Comfort Access options.
From factory, the 7 Series luxury sedan is designed to automatically put the car in park mode when the driver presses the Stop/Start button to shut off the engine. But as discovered, if the driver pushes the two button two or three times in a quick succession, the car may shift to neutral instead.
“If the driver presses the engine start/stop button two or three times within a short interval, the system may shift the transmission to Neutral rather than Park,” said NHTSA. “If using the electronic key, there would be no protection from the ignition interlock that prevents key removal if the vehicle is not in Park.
“If the driver exits the vehicle with the transmission in Neutral and the parking brake is not applied, the vehicle may roll away. Unattended rollaway incidents often result in a crash or cause injury to pedestrians attempting to stop or enter the vehicle or to other bystanders in the path of the vehicle.
BMW will notify owners beginning in November but will not have revised software available to fix the vehicles until March. Owners can contact BMW at 1-800-525-7417.
