CSC-10044281-6811

December, 2011

Recall Campaign No. 11V-521: Electric Auxiliary Water Pump
Dear BMW Owner:
This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle
Safety Act.
BMW AG has decided that a defect, which relates to motor vehicle safety, exists in certain Model Year
2008-11 5-Series, 5-Series Gran Turismo, 7-Series, X5 SAV, and X6 SAV vehicles. Our records
indicate that you are the owner of a potentially affected vehicle.
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.
DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM
The issue involves the electric auxiliary water pump on your vehicle. The pump helps cool the engine
by conducting heat away from the engine’s turbocharger. The pump can overheat or fail. This could
lead to a smoldering of the pump. An engine compartment or vehicle fire could occur. Please note that
this could happen even in cases in which the ignition is off.
Do not leave this problem unattended.
precautions.

Please take note of and observe the following

PRECAUTIONS FOR YOUR SAFETY
1.

CONTACT YOUR AUTHORIZED BMW CENTER IMMEDIATELY TO HAVE THE
NECESSARY REPAIR PERFORMED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

2.

If the water pump fails, or if there is a reduction in engine cooling, a warning message
will, in most cases, appear in the instrument cluster’s “message center” during driving
and when stopping the vehicle.

3.

In some cases, a plastic burning smell, or burning and/or smoke from the front of the
vehicle may be noticed. Should any of these warnings occur, pull off the road to a safe
location away from traffic, and switch off the engine. If you notice a plastic burning
smell, or burning and/or smoke from the front of the vehicle, do not open the hood. All
occupants should carefully exit the vehicle and move to a location away from traffic. Do
not continue to drive your vehicle. Contact BMW Roadside Assistance at 1-800-3324269 immediately to have your vehicle brought to the nearest Authorized BMW Center.

4.

BMW recommends parking your vehicle outdoors until repairs have been performed.

5.

BMW recommends that you always wear your safety belt, and that all passengers are
properly seated and restrained at all times.

6.

If you are not the only driver of this vehicle, please advise all other drivers and
passengers of this important information.

2

DESCRIPTION OF REPAIR
The electric auxiliary water pump on your vehicle will be replaced.
The actual repair will require approximately 1 hour; however additional time may be required depending
on the BMW Center’s scheduling and processing. This work will be performed free of charge by your
Authorized BMW Center.
OTHER INFORMATION
Should you need BMW Roadside Assistance, they can be contacted at 1-800-332-4269.
If you are no longer the owner of this vehicle, we would appreciate your furnishing us with the name and
address of the new owner, using the enclosed postage-paid card.
If you are a lessor of this vehicle, Federal Regulations require you to forward this notice to your lessee
within ten days.
If you have already had this repair performed at your own expense, please see the attachment
regarding possible eligibility for reimbursement.
Should you have any questions about this campaign, please contact your Authorized BMW
Center.
Again, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.
We appreciate your confidence in our product, and we wish to do everything we can to retain your
confidence. Should you need additional assistance, you may contact BMW Customer Relations and
Services at 1-800-525-7417, or via Email at [email protected].
If the BMW Center is unable to remedy the defect without charge or within a reasonable period of time,
you may notify the Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey
Ave., S.E., Washington, DC 20590, call the toll-free Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov.
BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC