— BMW N63TU engine problems have caused a lawsuit that alleges the following vehicles consume excessive amounts of oil.
- 2013-2019 BMW 750i / 750Li
- 2013-2018 BMW 650i
- 2013-2019 BMW 650i Gran Coupe
- 2013-2016 BMW 550i GT
- 2014-2016 BMW 550i
- 2017-2019 BMW M550i
- 2018-2019 BMW M850i
- 2014-2019 BMW X5
- 2014-2019 BMW X6
- 2018-2019 BMW X7
The proposed BMW class action lawsuit includes the N63TU engine and any of its variants, engines that are allegedly as defective as the N63 engines, the predecessor of the N63TU.
BMW's N63 engines have already been involved in past class action lawsuits, and the plaintiff in this newest suit claims the automaker still has never fixed the alleged defects.
The N63TU lawsuit alleges owners must spend a lot of money to constantly put oil in the cars and face the prospect and expense of damaged engines.
Plaintiff Thomas Isley says he purchased a 2015 BMW X5 xDrive50i equipped with an N63TU engine in 2015. In early 2018, BMW replaced the engine in the X5 because he had to routinely add 6-8 quarts of oil between oil changes which the plaintiff paid for out-of-pocket.
However, Isley says the new engine didn't fix the oil consumption problem and he still must constantly add oil to the N63TU engine.
According to the lawsuit, BMW introduced a new turbocharged V8 engine in 2008 called the N63 that “was the first to market with a hot-vee configuration and other cutting-edge technology like direct injection working in conjunction with twin turbochargers."
The hot-vee layout has the exhaust manifold and turbochargers mounted between the cylinder banks, allegedly exactly the opposite of previous designs.
The lawsuit says most automakers locate turbochargers outside of this V configuration and away from components that can become damaged from the excessive heat of the turbochargers.
In 2012, BMW released the N63B44O1 (N63TU) engine, an update of the original N63 that still features the hot-vee engine design.
Then in 2016 BMW again updated the N63 with the N63TU2 (N63B44O2) engine with twin-scroll turbochargers taking the place of the conventional units within the N63, along with moving the oil and coolant heat exchangers between the cylinder banks.
The lawsuit also alleges BMW then released the N63TU3 variant in 2018, with allegedly improved thermal shielding on the crankcase and cylinder heads, along with a redesigned ignition system.
But despite the engine updates, the plaintiff claims the vehicles still consume too much oil too quickly.
In support of his claims, the plaintiff references multiple technical service bulletins (TSBs) issued by BMW to dealers concerning the N63 and N63TU engines.
In May 2013, BMW released TSB SI B11 01 13 which applied to both the original N63 engine and later N63TU engines. BMW told dealers that consumers were complaining about excessive oil consumption and instructed technicians to add two quarts of engine oil, even though the driver display in the vehicles tells owners to add only one quart.
In August 2013, BMW issued TSB SI B11 03 13 concerning a new “Oil Consumption Specification” stating that “[a]ll BMW engines (excluding Motorsport) can consume up to 1 quart of engine oil per 750 miles at any time:” BMW then updated TSB SI B11 02 13 in August 2016.
In September 2013, BMW issued TSB SI B11 04 13 titled “N63TU Engine: Engine Oil Consumption” due to complaints the low engine oil message is displayed too frequently.
In February 2017, BMW issued TSB SI B11 01 17, titled “N63T AND S63T ENGINE: VALVE SEAL REPLACEMENT” in order to provide “a new procedure for the N63TU valve seals replacement.”
In August 2017, BMW issued TSB SI B11 11 17 titled “ENGINE LEAK DIAGNOSIS ON TURBOCHARGED V8 ENGINES,” then the automaker issued an updated version in September 2018.
In April 2018, BMW released TSB SI B11 03 18 titled “N63R ENGINE: ENGINE OIL LEAK DIAGNOSIS AT TURBOCHARGER” to diagnose the source of oil leaks in models equipped with variants of N63TU engines.
Finally in October 2018, BMW updated TSB SI B11 01 13 to cover additional models.
According to the lawsuit, BMW also created a customer care package in 2014 due to oil consumption problems, but the plaintiff says the alleged repairs did nothing but mask the N63TU engine problems.
The BMW N63TU engine lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey - Isley, et al., v. BMW of North America, LLC, et al.
The plaintiff is represented by Bursor & Fisher.
