BMW Recall Car Because Sometimes Fail In Fuel Pumps

poised to recall hundreds of thousands of direct-injection turbocharged cars because of high-pressure fuel pump problems. Apparently as a result of an impending story from ABC News (according to ABC—BMW's press department wasn't picking up the phone this morning), BMW is about to upgrade a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) to a full-out recall of several hundred thousand cars.

BMW 135i

BMW 335i

BMW 535i

BMW Z4

BMW X6

From the beginning: Starting in 2006, BMW sold several different models equipped with the N54 twin-turbocharged engine, including 135, 335, 535, Z4 and X6 vehicles. This engine is a direct-injection engine. It sprays gasoline directly into the combustion chamber at many thousands of psi of pressure, while most conventional fuel-injected engines spray into the intake tract at pressures between 50 and 100 psi. This requires an expensive high-pressure metering pump, in addition to the conventional pump mounted inside the fuel tank. Some of these pumps have been failing, and when they do, one of several things can happen: the vehicle can stop outright, making for a dangerous situation if you're driving in heavy traffic and can't coast to the shoulder safely. The vehicle can experience poor performance and a severe drop in power, which at least should let the driver negotiate the vehicle to a safe place if not to the dealer for repairs. A less severe failure can make the vehicle go into a "limp-home" mode, with slightly reduced power, accompanied by a checkengine light on the dashboard.

As far back as 2008, BMW issued a TSB to its dealers authorizing them to replace the high-pressure pump under warranty, but only if it failed or showed symptoms of partial failure. According to ABC, BMW will shortly be recalling all of the affected vehicles to replace these pumps, whether they show any signs of failure or not. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had an official investigation into this matter in 2008, which they quietly dropped, citing that they didn't feel any defect was a safety issue.