Park outside Electrical system

BMW recall 26V-441: Park Outside: Engine Starter May Corrode and Overheat

Report received 4 months ago

A short circuit in the starter relay may increase the risk of a fire.

Park these vehicles outside

NHTSA lists a “park outside” advisory for this campaign: owners are told to park the affected vehicles outside and away from structures until the remedy has been completed, because of the risk of fire.

Campaign facts

NHTSA campaign
26V441000 (26V-441)
Filed by
BMW of North America, LLC
Report received
July 8, 2026
Component
Electrical system:starter assembly:relay
Vehicles potentially affected
29,119
Model years
2016–2020
Owner letters
September 30, 2026
Recall initiated by
The manufacturer
Remedy completion rate
6.28% (latest quarterly report)

What is wrong

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2020 530e xDrive, 2017-2019 740Le xDrive, 2018-2020 530e iPerformance, 2016-2018 330e iPerformance vehicles. The engine starter relay may corrode, causing the relay to overheat and short circuit.

The risk

A short circuit in the starter relay may increase the risk of a fire.

Why electrical defects matter: A short circuit is a fire risk and a module fault can switch off systems the driver depends on.

The remedy

Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the remedy is complete. Dealers will replace the engine starter, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 30, 2026. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning August 28, 2026.

About the electrical system

Electrical campaigns cover wiring, fuses, connectors, control modules, batteries and software across the vehicle.

Vehicles covered by campaign 26V-441

  • BMW 330e Iperformance 201820172016
  • BMW 530e Iperformance 202020192018
  • BMW 530e xDrive Iperformance 202020192018
  • BMW 740LE xDrive Iperformance 201920182017

What to do

  1. The manufacturer has advised parking these vehicles outside and away from buildings until the remedy is done, because of the fire risk.
  2. Enter your VIN in NHTSA’s lookup (below) to confirm that your vehicle is included and that the repair has not already been done.
  3. Call a dealer for the brand and book the repair. Quote NHTSA campaign 26V-441.
  4. If you notice burning smells, flickering power or warning lamps, have the vehicle checked before continuing to use it.
  5. Safety recall repairs are carried out free of charge by the manufacturer’s dealers. If you already paid for this repair yourself, ask the manufacturer about reimbursement and keep your receipt.

Check by VIN

A campaign rarely covers every vehicle of a model year. Enter your 17-character VIN to find the recall campaigns filed for your make, model and model year. The VIN is on the driver’s side of the dashboard (visible through the windshield), on the door-jamb label, and on your registration and insurance documents.

Is a recall still open on your vehicle? Only NHTSA’s official VIN check can say whether a campaign applies to your exact vehicle and whether the repair has already been done.

Your VIN is decoded with NHTSA’s public vPIC service to identify the make, model and year. It is not stored and is not added to any page address.

The official record

This page reproduces the campaign as filed with NHTSA. The NHTSA record is authoritative — if anything here differs, follow the agency.

Open campaign 26V-441 on NHTSA.gov

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