The big news this week in the BMW world is about a problematic integrated braking system impacting approximately 1.5 million cars. It affects several models manufactured between June 2022 and August 2024. Not all of them are BMWs as some come from subsidiaries MINI and Rolls-Royce. Around 1.2 million vehicles are being recalled, so what about the remaining cars?

The Associated Press has learned from the luxury brand that roughly 320,000 vehicles have not been delivered to customers yet. They’re either sitting on dealers’ lots or are still with BMW. German automotive supplier Continental has confirmed it made the IBS but estimates “only a small portion” of cars will need to have the hardware replaced. It has set aside funds in the “mid-double digit million euro area” to cover the expenses.

Cited by the Associated Press, a BMW spokesperson said the company already has diagnostic software. It can identify the problem before it actually occurs. Should the car alert the driver about something being wrong with the brakes, the customer will need to schedule an appointment with the local dealer. The faulty hardware will be replaced, free of charge, of course.

In a worst-case scenario, which BMW believes it’s “very unlikely” to happen, the car will automatically go into safe mode. Even at that point, the brakes should still work. However, the driver would need to apply additional force to the pedal. Continental also says it has diagnostic software that can spot the issue before it impacts the vehicle.

By not being able to deliver those 320,000 cars as originally scheduled, BMW has readjusted its sales goals for 2024. The initial objective was to ship a bit more vehicles than in the record-breaking 2023 but now the company is projecting a “slight decrease.”

In total, an estimated 1.53 million vehicles are impacted. There are around 370,000 cars in China and 270,000 in the United States. In BMW’s domestic market, some 150,000 cars suffer from a faulty integrated braking system. Another 70,000 reside in South Korea and 60,000 in France.

Several X-badged models are affected, but not the X3 and X4. Some 5 Series and 7 Series vehicles have this problem, along with the MINI Cooper and Countryman, plus the Rolls-Royce Spectre.

Source: Associated Press