The Recall Desk
HighNHTSA·23V885000·Announced 2023-12-22

2024 BMW i5 Electric Vehicles Pedestrian Warning Sound System May Fail

BMW is recalling 2024 i5 electric vehicles where the external pedestrian warning sound generator may fail during startup. This could leave pedestrians unaware of approaching vehicles, increasing injury risk.

What this means for you

Real risk of harm even if no illness or injury has been reported yet. Stop using the product and follow the agency's guidance.

Our severity reasoning: This vehicle safety defect involves failure of a federally mandated pedestrian warning system. While no injuries have been reported, the loss of this safety warning creates a direct risk to pedestrians who may not detect the vehicle's approach. The rubric identifies such risk-of-harm scenarios without reported injury as 'High' severity.

Plain-English summary

BMW of North America, LLC is recalling certain 2024 BMW i5 eDrive40 and i5 M60 electric vehicles due to a software fault in the external pedestrian warning sound generator.

During vehicle startup, the sound generator control unit may experience a fault and fail to generate the required external warning sound. This causes the vehicles to not comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 141, which requires hybrid and electric vehicles to emit a minimum sound to alert pedestrians. Without this warning sound, pedestrians may be unaware of an approaching vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.

Approximately 4,926 vehicles are affected. Dealers will update the sound generator software free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 16, 2024. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153). Additional information is available at www.nhtsa.gov.

The recalled product

Product
2024 BMW I5
Brand
BMW
Manufacturer
BMW of North America, LLC
Category
Vehicle — Pedestrian Warning System
Hazard
  • pedestrian-warning-failure
  • software-fault
Affected units
4,926

Is your product affected?

Check your packaging against the codes below. If any of them match, the product is part of this recall.

Model numbers (2)

  • I5
  • I5 M60

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

Related recalls

Same brand · BMW

Same category