BMW eDrive Gen5: motor síncrono de excitación eléctrica (EESM) and baterías de 70 a 113 kWhHigh-voltage battery (hybrids and EVs)Fire risk
Cells with a damaged cathode in the high-voltage battery (fire risk) on the BMW eDrive de 5.ª generación (iX3, i4, iX)
Yes: in September 2022 Safety Gate listed a BMW recall for a manufacturing defect in the high-voltage battery of the iX, i4 and i7 built from 5 July 2021 to 8 July 2022. A supplier may have damaged a cathode plate and a fragment may have entered a cell; the defective modules are replaced, and BMW asked owners not to charge or drive the car until then.[1][2][3][4]
Why this rating?
Critical severity: It can destroy the engine or gearbox, or affects safety.
Frequency occasional: This is a small preventive recall with a definitive fix: the DVSA counts 211 cars (i4 and iX) in the UK, and auto motor und sport reports 83 cars in the US (27 i4 and 56 iX). Under the rule for preventive campaigns it is ‘occasional’. Safety Gate gives no overall figure.[3][4]
Symptoms
Why it happens
During the manufacture of the cells by the supplier, a cathode plate may have been damaged and a fragment may have entered inside a cell.[3][4]
Híbridos y Eléctricos cites CATL or Samsung SDI cells depending on the model, without confirming which cells have the defect.[5]
If it is not repaired: A short circuit in the cell that could trigger a fire. BMW recommended not charging or driving the car until it is repaired and parking it outdoors, away from buildings; no real fires are recorded in the sources.[3][4][5]
Affected cars and years
Safety Gate sets the build dates as 05/07/2021 to 08/07/2022; the DVSA cites i4 from 13/07/2021 to 07/10/2022 and iX from 26/07/2021 to 01/08/2022. In the US, the initial campaign (June 2022) covered 27 i4 and 56 iX; Híbridos y Eléctricos said in August 2022 that BMW Europe had not yet announced it, and the European alert came later.[1][3][4][5]
| Version | Years | Codes |
|---|---|---|
| i4 eDrive35 and eDrive40 rear-wheel drive (2021-) | since 2021 | |
| i4 xDrive40, M50 and M60 all-wheel drive (2022-) | since 2022 | |
| iX xDrive40, xDrive50 and M60 (2021-2025) | 2021–2025 |
Models fitted with the affected versions
BMW
- BMW i4 G26since 2021
- BMW iX I20since 2021
How much it costs to repair
Includes: Replacement of the defective battery cell modules, at an official dealer.[3][4]
Auto motor und sport says the repair is free in the US; the European sources give no price. It is a manufacturing defect corrected by the manufacturer.
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
How to check for it before buying a used car
How to prevent it
- It cannot be avoided by the driver: the solution is the official repair.[3]
Recalls, campaigns and claims
RecallBMW; Safety Gate (UE) · September 2022 · Ref. RAPEX 37/2022 · A12/01278/22
Faulty manufacture of the high-voltage battery (cells), iX, i4 and i7
iX, i4 and i7 built from 05/07/2021 to 08/07/2022; withdrawn to end users; no overall figure.[1][2]
RecallBMW; DVSA (Reino Unido) · October 2022 · Ref. R/2022/330
Damaged cathode in a high-voltage battery cell
i4 (from 13/07/2021 to 07/10/2022) and iX (from 26/07/2021 to 01/08/2022): 211 cars in total in the UK. The cell modules are replaced. These are UK figures.[4]
What owners say
Frequently asked questions
What can you do now?
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Other BMW eDrive de 5.ª generación (iX3, i4, iX) faults
- Critical severityFrequency: RareTraction batteryProtective pads for the high-voltage battery not fitted (2021 i4)In January 2022 Safety Gate listed a recall for BMW i4s built from 15/9/2021 to 30/11/2021 because protective pads for the high-voltage battery could be missing. In a serious side impact the battery could be damaged and cause a short circuit, with a greater risk of fire.
- High severityFrequency: RareTraction batteryBattery cell and module monitoring circuit out of specificationThe DVSA records three very small recalls for the high-voltage battery: a badly installed cable bridge in the cell supervision circuit (CSC) of the i4, iX and iX3 (2023), defective modules in an i4 built in December 2023 (2024), and a module frame made with excessive force in the i4 and iX that could end in a thermal event (2025).
- Medium severityFrequency: RareChargingCombined charging unit (CCU) damaged at the factoryIn August 2023 BMW recalled a batch of i4, iX and iX3 cars built in 2022 in the UK because, due to a supplier’s production error, a damaged combined charging unit could have been fitted. The unit is replaced. The DVSA does not describe how it shows up.
- Medium severityFrequency: RareElectronicsBMU battery management software on the iX3 that delays high-voltage circuit dischargeIn 2021 BMW recalled the iX3 built from 22/7/2019 to 6/5/2021 because, due to an intermittent software fault in the battery management unit (BMU), after a very serious accident the overvoltage could damage the 12 V network and disable the emergency call, the warnings and the lights. It is fixed by reprogramming the unit in about 40 minutes.
More faults with the high-voltage battery on other engines and cars
- High severityFrequency: CommonFord Mustang Mach-EHigh-voltage battery contactors overheating: loss of powerYes: the main contactors of the Mach-E's high-voltage battery can overheat with repeated rapid charging and hard acceleration, and the car may lose traction or fail to start. The 2022 software update was not enough, and in December 2023 Ford moved to replace the contactor box.
- Critical severityFrequency: OccasionalBMW i3 / Mini Cooper SEDefective cells in the high-voltage battery of the i3 from 2018 to 2021Yes: in October 2022 BMW launched a recall of the i3 built from 26/10/2018 to 31/08/2021 because a production defect in the winding of the cells' internal foils can overheat the modules and cause a fire. The defective module is replaced.
- Critical severityFrequency: OccasionalFiat 500eTraction battery fire risk (2023 and 2024 recalls)Fiat has recalled the 500e over traction battery fire risk on two occasions: April 2023 (contaminated materials, built from October 2020 to July 2021) and 2024 (negative terminal clamp not tightened properly). Both are precautionary recalls.
- Critical severityFrequency: CommonCitroën C5 AircrossOverheating and water ingress in the high-voltage battery (Hybrid versions)The plug-in Hybrid versions of the C5 Aircross built between January 2020 and the end of 2022 have been the subject of several successive manufacturer campaigns over a risk of the high-voltage battery overheating and, in another related campaign, over possible water ingress into its casing.
- Critical severityFrequency: CommonFord Kuga IIIFire risk in the plug-in hybrid high-voltage battery (recall 25SC4)The cells of the Kuga PHEV's high-voltage battery (made by Samsung SDI) can suffer an internal short circuit because of a damaged separator, with a risk of power loss and fire; Ford has recalled units built between August 2019 and November 2023.
- Critical severityFrequency: CommonOpel Grandland IHigh-voltage battery overheating and fire risk in plug-in hybrid versions (2019–2022)The plug-in hybrid versions of the Grandland X built between 2019 and 2022 have been the subject of several successive recalls, first a software update and then physical replacement, for the risk of overheating and fire in the high-voltage battery.
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Sources
Every fact on this page links to its source. If you find an error, let us know.
- BMW i4 (2021 – 2022): EV/Hybrid, firecar-recalls.eu · Other source · published 21 September 2022 · consulted 30 October 2026
- BMW iX (2022): EV/Hybrid, firecar-recalls.eu · Other source · published 21 September 2022 · consulted 30 October 2026
- Rückruf BMW i4 und iX: Batterieproblemeauto motor und sport · Motoring press · published 24 June 2022 · consulted 30 October 2026 · in German
- DVSA – base de llamadas a revisión (R/2021/361, R/2022/020, R/2022/330, R/2023/133, R/2023/235, R/2024/211, R/2025/274)DVSA (Reino Unido) · Official body · consulted 30 October 2026
- La batería de los BMW iX e i4 sufre un potencial riesgo de incendioHíbridos y Eléctricos · Motoring press · published 1 August 2022 · consulted 30 October 2026 · in Spanish