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BMW to recall 7 Series for transmission flaw

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A model stands next to a BMW 7 series car during preparations for the Moscow International Automobile Salon August 29, 2012. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

A model stands next to a BMW 7 series car during preparations for the Moscow International Automobile Salon August 29, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/Sergei Karpukhin

Mon Oct 29, 2012 10:33am EDT

(Reuters) - Bayerische Motoren Werke AG's BMW of North America affiliate said it will recall 45,500 of its 7 Series luxury sedans from model years 2005-2008 to correct a flaw that could cause a parked vehicle to roll away.

BMW said automatic transmissions may not remain in "park" position due to a software problem on cars equipped with keyless ignition and the Comfort Access option.

The cars are designed to automatically shift the transmission to park when the driver presses the Stop/Start button to shut off the engine. In some cases, if the driver presses the button two or three times in succession, the system may shift the transmission to neutral rather than park.

"If the driver exits the vehicle with the transmission in Neutral and the parking brake is not applied, the vehicle may roll away," the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in its official recall notice posted late Friday on its website.

BMW said it would begin notifying owners of the problem in November, but dealers will not be able to correct the software until March.

BMW last week recalled many of the same 7 Series sedans, saying the doors may not latch due to a software problem on cars equipped with both Comfort Access and Soft Close Automatic options.

(Reporting By Paul Lienert in Detroit; Editing by Maureen Bavdek)
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Comments (1)
JamVee wrote:
Auto manufacturers keep giving us more and more (ad nauseum) ridiculous little “bells and whistles”, that we neither need, nor want. It is simple, the more complex you make it, the more problems you are going to have. Don’t get me wrong, overall, most cars today are amazing, from most every viewpoint, but some of these features defy reason. The MFG’s should stop letting their computer programmers design what all these electronic systems do, and use some common sense. I don’t know about you, but there are limits on what I want my CAR to do for me. It is just a car, after all.

Oct 29, 2012 11:27am EDT  --  Report as abuse
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