— Owners of the following 30,000 BMW vehicles should park their vehicles outside until they are repaired for engine starter failures and fires.
- 2018-2020 BMW 530e xDrive
- 2017-2019 BMW 740Le xDrive
- 2018-2020 BMW 530e iPerformance
- 2016-2018 BMW 330e iPerformance
The engine starter relay may corrode, overheat, short circuit and catch fire.
BMW has suffered previous engine starter problems that caused recalls in 2024, September 2025 and October 2025.
This latest starter recall is needed in case water contacts the engine starter relay and corrodes the relay, causing the starter to fail. But in other cases the relay corrosion can cause a short circuit and fire even with the vehicle shut off and parked.
Following recent starter recalls BMW investigated vehicles with 4-cylinder engines that were not previously recalled, specifically hybrid models. BMW investigated about 150 starters returned from vehicles and found no crash or injury reports, but decided the best course of action was another engine starter recall.
The recalled BMW starters have part numbers 8685988, 8643641, 5A7E944, 5A7F8F8, 8643642, 5A7E948, 5A7F916, and 8691765.
About 766 of the vehicles are recalled in Canada.
BMW dealers will replace the starters after recall letters are mailed August 28, 2026. But owners can call 800-525-7417.
