Vehicle recall R/2004/131

BMW 7 Series and others recall: Possibility of inadvertnent loss of engine power

DVSA recall R/2004/131 names the BMW 7 Series, BMW 5 Series, BMW 6 Series and BMW X5. It was launched 14 July 2004. It covers vehicles built 12 May 2004 to 6 July 2004.

Recall data updated 22 September 2026

Recall: R/2004/131
Launched: 14 July 2004
Issued by: BMW
Vehicles: DVSA lists 231 on each model line

What can go wrong

Due to a hardware fault within the digital engine electronic control unit the possibility exists that the unit could fail completely resulting in loss of engine power.

The fix

Recall likely to be affected vehicles and replace the control unit with a quality assured item.

Models and build dates

As listed in the DVSA recall file. DVSA lists the same vehicle number on each line: 231. It may be a figure per line or for the whole recall.
Model	Built	Vehicles
BMW 5 Series	12 May 2004 to 6 July 2004	231
BMW 6 Series	12 May 2004 to 6 July 2004	231
BMW 7 Series	12 May 2004 to 6 July 2004	231
BMW X5	12 May 2004 to 6 July 2004	231

Is a specific car affected? A recall lists models and build dates, not individual vehicles, so these pages cannot tell you whether one car is included. Enter the registration on the DVSA vehicle recall checker on GOV.UK, or give the vehicle identification number (VIN) to the manufacturer or one of its dealers. Buying used? Ask the seller for proof that any recall work was done.

Other recalls for these models

R/2004/141 Seat occupancy detector may fail and inpact on airbag protection 11 August 2004, BMW 7 Series
R/2004/084 Possibility of inability to engage gear or declutch 6 May 2004, BMW 5 Series
R/2004/056 Possibile fault in the dsc yaw rate sensor 22 March 2004, BMW 5 Series, BMW 7 Series
R/2005/001 Front seat back-rest heater may overheat 23 December 2004, BMW 7 Series, BMW 5 Series
R/2005/022 The bearings of the fuel injection pump may fail 8 February 2005, BMW 5 Series, BMW 7 Series, BMW X5 and others
R/2003/169 Unintentional deployment of airbag 1 November 2003, BMW 5 Series

Found one you might buy?

A recall is one part of the picture. See how often it fails its MOT at each age, or what the VetTheCar Buying Report tells you about a specific car.

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Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA vehicle recall records (RecallsFile.csv), recalls launched 1992 to 2026. Recall data updated 22 September 2026.

Recall wording is DVSA's, with capitals and punctuation tidied and American spellings such as tire, center and windshield given in British English. We list a recall when its make and model match a car or van family with at least 1,000 DVSA MOT tests from 2022 to 2025, and when the maker of the vehicle issued it.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. Methodology · Data sources