German automaker BMW is initiating a recall for nearly 5,000 electric BMW i5 sedans in the United States, citing an issue with the control unit responsible for the external artificial sound generator.
The recall, reported through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), affects specific 2024 model year i5 eDrive40 and i5 M60 vehicles, totaling 4,926 units manufactured between June 26, 2023, and December 14, 2023.
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According to the NHTSA recall notice, the fault involves the sound generator control unit failing to generate the required artificial sound during vehicle start-up and while the car is in motion. This sound is crucial for alerting pedestrians to the presence of the electric vehicle, resulting in non-compliance with FMVSS 141 Section 5 regulations.
BMW emphasizes that owners of the affected vehicles will not be notified of the fault, which can be triggered by a communication fault in the Controller Area Network (CAN) bus. The automaker conducted testing on i5 pre-production vehicles from September to November, covering over 100,000 miles. The findings revealed that, in rare instances, the external artificial sound generator control unit may fail to activate properly.
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In response, BMW issued a vehicle stop-ship order at the assembly plant on December 8, subsequently upgrading it to a voluntary non-compliance recall. Notably, the automaker asserts that there have been no customer complaints, warranty claims, or field reports related to this fault.
Authorized dealers have been instructed to address the issue by updating the artificial sound generator software in the affected i5 sedans.
