BMW has apparently issued a stop sale on a few M models built between January and November 2019 for a problem with the transmission wiring. The cars affected include BMW M5, all versions of the M8, the X5 M and the X6 M models built in various time frames across 2019. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been notified but for now, no official announcement has been made. The info we got comes through a forum, where multiple owners (or, better said, prospective owners) have reported the issue.
Apparently, the location and routing of the transmission wiring harness is faulty and can lead to damage which, in turn, could short circuit, leaving you stranded. One member of the forum said it actually happened to him. Luckily, his car was parked and just wouldn’t shift into drive so nobody got hurt. He did have to call a flatbed though, to get his car towed to the dealer, as he was unable to shift into neutral.
As for the cars affected, you should know that all BMW M5 models built between January 30 2019 and October 30 2019 are affected. The same goes for BMW M8 Convertible models built between February 20 and October 30 2019, BMW M8 Coupe models built between July 3 and October 20 2019, BMW M8 Gran Coupe cars built between June 19 and October 29 2019, BMW X5 M models built between June 6 and November 27 2019 and BMW X6 M models built between May 30 and November 26 2019.
The cars that are set to be delivered will not be stopped at the dealers, to have this issue fixed first while the ones that have already been delivered will be called in by BMW to sort this whole mess out. The fix involves replacing the transmission wiring harness and position it in a safer location. According to a statement issued to Motor1, BMW is expecting this recall to kick off in February.
