Bimmerpost revealed a recent BMW stop-sale on certain M cars, all with BMW’s 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 and eight-speed transmission. Affected models include the BMW M5, M8, X5 M and X6 M through model years 2019 and 2020. These cars have a transmission wiring harness issue, as the location and routing of the harness could ultimately cause it to be damaged. If that happens, BMW says there could be a short circuit, causing the car to shift into neutral while driving, increasing the risk of a crash. The December 6 safety bulletin mentions the potential risks, but does not indicate any accidents or injuries as a result of the issue.
While there is no official publication from the NHTSA yet, the notice says affected cars were built between January 30 and November 27, 2019. On that basis, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to find one of these M cars for sale right now, but BMW may not take long to sort the issue out.
If you did manage get your hands on one of these M cars in the first place, you should receive a recall notice in the mail if you have one of the affected cars. BMW will replace the transmission wiring harness free of charged on the recalled vehicles. As for the vehicles currently on dealer lots, they won’t be moving until the company fixes each affected vehicle. BMW has not provided any more information on the matter at the moment, but we’ll report back if there is more important information.
