EGR cooler leaks with risk of engine fire on the BMW B47

• The coolant level drops with no visible leak under the car, a sign that the EGR cooler is starting to leak internally.^[3]Coolant level drops: other faults that cause it · Garage soon
• Dense, sweet-smelling white smoke, a sign that coolant is seeping into the exhaust or burning together with accumulated soot.^[3]White smoke: other faults that cause it · As soon as possible
• A burning smell after long journeys, when the soot, oil and coolant deposits reach high temperatures inside the EGR.^[3]Burning smell: other faults that cause it · Garage soon
• A rougher idle than normal when cold, one of the first warnings according to the specialist workshop consulted.^[3]Vibrations: other faults that cause it · Monitor

The 2018 European campaign limited the affected four-cylinder diesel engines to those built between April 2015 and September 2016, within the B47 production window; according to a specialist workshop, later extensions would have covered units built up to 2017.^[2][3]

Prices in Spain, including VAT. A workshop hour costs on average €38–66 at independent garages and €77–134 at dealerships in Spain, depending on the region and the brand. How we calculate costs

• Ask a BMW or MINI dealer to check, using the chassis number (VIN), whether the car has any outstanding EGR technical campaign still to be carried out.
• Watch for a coolant level that drops with no visible stains under the car, or for a sweet smell or dense white smoke, especially after long journeys.^[3]

• EGR cooler (revised design)^[3]

  Replaces the original part with a redesigned version, available since 2022 according to a specialist workshop, intended to reduce the risk of internal coolant leaks.

  • Buy part at Autodoc (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)

• Before buying, check using the chassis number whether the car has already been through any of BMW's technical campaigns relating to the EGR cooler.
• Do not ignore a coolant loss with no visible leak or a sweet smell from the engine: have the EGR checked as soon as possible.^[3]

• Technical campaignBMW · August 2018

  Recall in South Korea and technical campaign extended to Europe

  In 2018, BMW recalled around 106,000 diesel vehicles in South Korea over a faulty EGR cooler, after 39 engine fires were recorded in that country; the company had been aware of the problem since 2016. In August 2018 it extended a voluntary technical campaign to Europe that affected around 324,000 diesel vehicles of the 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 Series and the X3, X4, X5 and X6 —with four-cylinder engines built between April 2015 and September 2016, within the B47 production window, and six-cylinder engines built between July 2012 and June 2015—, after around 27 fire cases linked to the same component were detected. The inspection and, if necessary, the replacement of the EGR cooler were free of charge.^[1][2]

• Technical campaignBMW · October 2018

  New waves of the EGR campaign and acknowledgement of insufficient repairs

  According to the BMW/MINI specialist workshop consulted for this article, the 2018 campaign was not a one-off episode: there was an extension in October 2018 to around 1.6 million vehicles worldwide, with four- and six-cylinder engines built between August 2010 and August 2017 (which would include early B47 units), new waves in 2020-2022 that would also reach MINI and the G generation, and an acknowledgement by BMW in March 2024 that the earlier repairs had not been sufficient on around 800,000 vehicles, with revised-design coolers available only since 2022. A later and much smaller case in the US, involving 2018 328d units (a 2.0-litre diesel engine, without the source specifying whether it is the N47 or B47), shows that the same type of fault has continued to give rise to campaigns years later: in October 2025 BMW opened a new campaign (25V700) for 112 vehicles, referring to an earlier campaign (21V907). We have not been able to verify the figures and dates of the 2018-2024 waves with a second independent source.^[3][5]