BMW 7-series models hit by recall

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a recall of 45,500 BMW 7-series sedans in the 2005-2008 model year range. The recall, which has its origins in a NHTSA investigation initiated in August 2011, addresses a software malfunction that may cause vehicles to roll away when parked.

A glitch in the BMW Comfort Access keyless-entry and ignition system is responsible for the problem. Under normal operation, an electronic key allows ignition and engine shutoff via a stop/start switch. This system is designed to shift the vehicle's transmission into “park” automatically upon shutdown.

Push the stop/start button 2 or 3 times in rapid succession, however, and the car may remain in “neutral” rather than shift into “park.” If this occurs, the vehicle could roll away, potentially causing damage to other vehicles, injury to pedestrians, or worse.

The vehicles impacted by this recall include:

-- BMW 745i and 745Li from the 2005 model year

-- BMW 750i and 750Li from the 2006-2008 model years

-- BMW 760i and 760Li from the 2005-2008 model years

BMW will begin notifying owners of affected cars in November. But a fix, which is expected to involve a software update, will not be ready until March 2013. Until then, owners may want to double-check that their vehicle is in “park” before exiting, just to be safe.

Concerned vehicle owners can find out more about the recall by calling the NHTSA safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or heading to www.safercar.gov and searching for recall No. 12V502000.

By Graham Kozak