BMW and Mini braking reminder. Which 64,000 vehicles are affected in France?

A few weeks ago, BMW and its subsidiary Mini announced the recall of 1.5 million vehicles for a braking problem. Since then, the two manufacturers have provided more details, particularly on the models concerned in France.

At the beginning of September, the BMW group was forced to announce bad news to its investors. The company was forced to lower its financial forecasts due to the launch of a giant recall campaign. The Bavarian manufacturer and its British subsidiary Mini must in fact return more than 1.5 million cars to the workshop worldwide, due to a possible problem with the integrated braking system (IBS) supplied by the equipment manufacturer Continental. But it still remained to be seen how many vehicles would be affected by this giant campaign in France. The group has since provided further details. In the end, approximately 54,000 BMWs and 10,000 Minis, produced between June 2022 and August 9, 2024will have to go to a workshop in France. Cars manufactured after this date are free from this defect.

What is the braking problem?

BMW has given relatively few details on the exact origin of this braking problem. But in the most serious cases, the risks are not negligible. According to the Bavarian group, a “significant reduction in braking power will be noticeable”with the need to press harder on the pedal to be able to stop. Moreover, “Other functions such as ABS and DSC anti-skid will no longer be active, requiring increased anticipation and attention from the driver.” To avoid reaching such extremes, the company nevertheless assures that it has put in place a “auto-diagnostic” who would be able to “detect the braking problem before it appears”.” It could detect any disturbance of the electrical signal inside the electronic braking unit, then display a specific alert message on the vehicle’s central information screen. The driver would then be invited to immediately contact the BMW or Mini network to have the electronic braking system replaced free of charge.

Which models are affected?

This recall affects a large part of the most recent BMW and Mini range:

• Second generation Series 2 Active Tourer (code U06)
• Eighth generation 5 series sedan and station wagon (code G60 and G61)
• Seventh generation 7 series (code G70 and G73)
• Third generation X1 (code U11)
• Second generation X2 (code U10)
• Restyled fourth generation X5 (code G05 and F95)
• Restyled third generation X6 (code G06 and F96)
• X7 restyled (code G07)
• XM (code G09)
• Current Mini Cooper in thermal and electric (code F66 and JO1)
• Third generation Mini Countryman (code U25)

As mentioned in the preamble, all the vehicles concerned were produced between June 2022 and August 9, 2024. But this date is not necessarily the easiest for you to know. On your registration document, you will in fact only find the date of first registration, sometimes much later. As with any official recall, however, the manufacturer has the obligation to notify the owners concerned by mail. You just have to be aware that this may take a little time, given the number of customers to contact… As for affected cars that have not yet been delivered, they will be corrected before the keys are handed over.

After Citroën, BMW recalls more than 260,000 cars in France for a Takata airbag problem

Johann Leblanc