720,000 BMWs Told to Park Outside Because Their 2024 Water Pump Fix Didn't Hold
NHTSA says about 10 possibly related incidents involved cars already repaired under the 2024 recall. A new remedy is still in development; owner letters start December 25.
Owners of 720,796 BMWs from the 2012 through 2018 model years should park them outside, away from buildings and other vehicles, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday. These cars were already recalled in 2024 for the same water pump problem, and the fix didn't hold.
According to NHTSA's consumer alert, an improperly sealed electrical connector on the electric water pump can get wet and short-circuit, which can start a fire while the car is parked and switched off. BMW knows of about 10 U.S. incidents that may be related, all in vehicles that had already been repaired under the earlier campaign. No crashes or injuries have been reported. It joins our current list of park-outside recalls as the second-largest campaign on it, behind the Jeep steering recall.
Which BMWs are affected
NHTSA lists 14 models, most of them four-cylinder cars such as the 328i, 428i, and 528i:
- 2012–2016 3 Series, 5 Series, and Z4
- 2012–2015 X1
- 2013–2017 X3
- 2014–2016 2 Series Coupe, 3 Series Sports Wagon, 328xi Gran Turismo, 4 Series Coupe, and 4 Series Convertible
- 2015–2016 2 Series Convertible and 4 Series Gran Coupe
- 2015–2018 X4
- 2016–2018 X5 xDrive40e
The new campaign, NHTSA 26V733, replaces recall 24V608 from August 2024, which covered the same 720,796 vehicles. Cars that got the 2024 repair need the new one as well.
Why the first fix fell short
In 2024, BMW traced the fault to blowby liquid from the positive crankcase ventilation system collecting on the intake air hose and dripping onto the pump's plug connector. Dealers inspected the pump and connector, replaced them where needed, and fitted a shield to divert the fluid. That dealt with where the liquid came from, not with the connector itself. Reports on BMW's new filing say later testing found the connector material can degrade, turning brittle and cracking, which lets moisture in anyway.
What owners should do now
There is no remedy yet. NHTSA says one is in development and will be free at BMW dealers. Owner letters are due starting December 25, 2026, and VIN and license plate lookups at NHTSA.gov/recalls go live the same day. Until then, a lookup may show only the 2024 campaign, and a completed repair on that one doesn't clear the car. If your BMW is on the list above, park it outside. BMW's recall line is 800-525-7417; NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline is 888-327-4236.
BMW's growing park-outside tally
This is BMW's third active park-outside campaign in the U.S. Recall 25V636 covers 199,674 vehicles from the 2019–2022 model years, including the BMW-built Toyota Supra, for a corroding starter relay, and 26V441 adds 29,119 older 330e, 530e, and 740Le plug-in hybrids for the same part. Together, that puts 949,589 vehicles under BMW's park-outside advice, based on NHTSA's filings. A fourth starter campaign, 26V056, covers another 87,394 cars without the parking warning.
The timing is awkward for a company that has already cut its 2026 car margin outlook to break-even. The bigger issue is the fleet: the oldest cars here are 14 years old and often on their second or third owner, the group that is hardest to reach, as we explained in why so many recalled cars go unrepaired. A raw recall count says little about a car, as we've argued before. A repeat recall with no fix available says a lot more.
BMW hasn't said when the new parts will be ready or how many of the 720,796 cars received the 2024 repair.
