Vehicle recall R/2022/261

BMW 5 Series and others recall: In rare cases the starter motor can inadvertently be activated permanently presenting a risk of a thermal event

DVSA recall R/2022/261 names the BMW 5 Series, BMW 7 Series and BMW 3 Series. It was launched 12 September 2022. It covers vehicles built 15 September 2015 to 29 June 2020.

Recall data updated 22 September 2026

Recall: R/2022/261
Launched: 12 September 2022
Issued by: BMW
Manufacturer reference: BMW 0012770500
Vehicles: 25,982 across the whole recall

What can go wrong

In rare cases the starter motor can inadvertently be activated permanently presenting a risk of a thermal event.

The fix

Rework the starter motor assembly.

Models and build dates

As listed in the DVSA recall file. DVSA gives one vehicle number for the whole recall: 25,982.
Model	Built
BMW 3 Series (3 SERIES SALOON)	15 September 2015 to 31 July 2018
BMW 5 Series (5 SERIES SALOON)	27 February 2017 to 29 June 2020
BMW 7 Series (7 SERIES SALOON)	19 August 2016 to 22 February 2019
BMW 7 Series (7 SERIES SALOON LWB)	17 March 2016 to 20 February 2019

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/2022/257 Screw connections of some seats and seatbelts may not have been properly tightened during vehicle production 22 August 2022, BMW M5, BMW 5 Series
R/2022/255 Undetected EGR System leaks may cause thermal activity in the intake manifold 22 August 2022, BMW X4, BMW 7 Series, BMW X3 and others
R/2022/297 Manufacturing defect with winding of cell-internal films for high voltage battery 17 October 2022, BMW 3 Series
R/2022/206 The exhaust gas recirculation cooler may leak over time and cause thermal incident 1 August 2022, BMW 5 Series, BMW X1, BMW 3 Series and others
R/2022/323 It is possible that a damaged seat belt may have been installed into the vehicle during production. 9 November 2022, BMW M3, BMW 3 Series
R/2023/016 A possible degradation of the propellant tablets could lead to an over-aggressive combustion in the event the airbag is activated which may cause the inflator body to rupture. 24 January 2023, BMW 4 Series, BMW 2 Series, BMW 3 Series and others

Found one you might buy?

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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