Vehicle recall R/2012/039

BMW 6 Series and others recall: Risk of fire

DVSA recall R/2012/039 names the BMW 6 Series, BMW 5 Series, BMW M5, BMW M6 and BMW Alpina. It was launched 24 May 2012. It covers vehicles built 1 March 2003 to 30 September 2010.

Recall data updated 22 September 2026

Recall: R/2012/039
Launched: 24 May 2012
Issued by: BMW
Manufacturer reference: 0061560300
Vehicles: 128,701 across the whole recall

What can go wrong

The positive battery cable routed from the vehicle battery to the engine bay consists of one cable in the luggage compartment and one cable in the underbody. Both cable are connected by a screw connection and covered by a plastic cover. In single cases the plastic cover may have been fitted incorrectly during the vehicle production. Over time an incorrectly fitted cover could cause the screw connections to come loose leading to an increased resistance also humidity may affect the connection and cause high resistance and drop in current. This can lead to the vehicle not starting and in extreme cases the connection could over heat leading to the possibility of a fire in the luggage area.

The fix

The clips on the battery will be checked the cover replaced and sealed.

Models and build dates

As listed in the DVSA recall file. DVSA gives one vehicle number for the whole recall: 128,701.
Model	Built
BMW 5 Series	1 March 2003 to 30 September 2010
BMW 5 Series	1 March 2004 to 31 May 2010
BMW 6 Series	1 September 2003 to 31 July 2010
BMW 6 Series	1 December 2003 to 31 July 2010
BMW M5	1 February 2005 to 31 December 2009
BMW M5	1 February 2007 to 30 April 2010
BMW M6	1 March 2005 to 31 July 2010
BMW M6	1 September 2006 to 31 July 2010
BMW Alpina	not recorded

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/2012/049 Fire may occur 27 April 2012, BMW 5 Series, BMW X5, BMW 6 Series and others
R/2012/109 Engine may fail 26 September 2012, BMW 6 Series, BMW 5 Series
R/2011/147 Short circuit may occur 17 November 2011, BMW 7 Series, BMW X6, BMW 5 Series and others
R/2011/132 Pedestrian safety system may not perform correctly 12 October 2011, BMW 6 Series
R/2011/123 Risk of fire 5 October 2011, BMW 7 Series, BMW 5 Series, BMW X3 and others
R/2013/095 Possibility of fire 10 September 2013, BMW X3, BMW 5 Series, BMW X5 and others

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.

See an example Buying Report Free car tools

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