[Skidriver]

I am with those of you who are 1st-time BMW owners burned by the 30e experience. I love the car when it works, but the hassle of multiple repairs over so many weeks in the months of new ownership means I simply don't trust the car. And I am very unimpressed with BMW customer care, at the dealership and at BMW USA.

I'll keep it for now because of the new-car availability situation, but as much as I love the way BMWs drive I doubt I'll ever buy one again.

[jrodri7]

Originally Posted by Skidriver

I am with those of you who are 1st-time BMW owners burned by the 30e experience. I love the car when it works, but the hassle of multiple repairs over so many weeks in the months of new ownership means I simply don't trust the car. And I am very unimpressed with BMW customer care, at the dealership and at BMW USA.

I'll keep it for now because of the new-car availability situation, but as much as I love the way BMWs drive I doubt I'll ever buy one again.

I feel your pain, having to go for a repair on a new vehicle is the worst. Especially when the only thing you want to do is smile and drive your new toy. That being said, it's an unfortunate reality. And I do not think it is solely an issue with BMWs.

This is our 3rd BMW since 2005 and ALL have had repairs/recalls within the first few months of ownership. In that time we have also owned 4 MINIs, and all have had issues, one even on the way from the dealer when I picked it up and it went into limp mode.

Cars are getting so-so much more complicated, with so much technology, software updates, dozens of computer modules.

Just another observation - 3 members of my immediate family all have had their brand new vehicles in the shop within their first few months of ownership (different brands) New transmission on one, new Torque converter, the other needed a new cylinder.

How much of this can be attributed to the pandemic, labor shortages, chip shortages, high demand for new cars - who knows.

[strom]

Jumping in here. I found out last week that my 2020 X3e is now part of the recall. Weird thing is, I took delivery of it new may of this year, but it is a 2020 model produced in June / July of 2020. My SA didn’t seem to know a ton about it and the dealer just told me to call back in 3 weeks to get the status of the part. Any advice on how I can speed this along? I also read that some of you received some sort of compensation? How did that work and did you go through the 800# or your SA? I’m just more so annoyed that I can’t use a critical function of a $50K car haha

[ECinEI]

I also have just found the battery recall notice on my wife's 2020 30e delivered in July of 2020. I was aware of this recall and thought we had dodged the bullet on it. Hard to believe it now comes up as a problem some 15 months later.

We also been having some issues with the car in that since August of 2021 it has been throwing a drivetrain malfunction error as the car transitions from battery to ICE power. The 30e is scheduled to be flat bedded back to the dealer later this week for the third time to attempt repairing this issue. While I don't see a direct connection between the two issues who knows.

This is our first BMW also, and while one should never say never, it's hard to see how we would ever own a second. We've driven Audi's, Porsche's, and Lexi and have never had such a disappointing experience as BMW has provided.

Shame, as, when it works, it's a perfect car for the type of driving my wife does.



Update Nov 24, 2021:

We got my wife's 30e back from the dealer about three weeks ago. It had the software updated at least twice in this time and I can report that the car seems to be working as designed some three weeks and ~350 miles later. My wife is happy to have it back as, in spite of it's misbehavior, she enjoys driving the 30e.

We have our inspection of the HV battery scheduled for next week so we have not been plugging it in since we received the recall notice. Hers is a 2020 model 30e that has been charged probably 100's of times before we were contacted about the battery issues a few weeks ago. One would think if there was going to be an issue it would have already manifested itself. I guess we'll see.

It appears the road to electrification, at least if you're riding in a BMW, may be bumpy.

[toatman]

I received notice of the battery recall 9/27/21 on my 2020 BMW X3 30e - I received it from CarFax and no one at the dealership knew anything about it. Interestingly as I was getting a loaner, the loaner guy said they'd been notified by the dealership NOT to loan any X3 30e because of the problem.

I've talked to BMW of North America multiple times and they encouraged me to continue driving the car but NEVER plug in the battery. I told them it's not safe and I want another car until they come up with a satisfactory solution. They also said they had no knowledge of the $1,000 payments that some have received.

Any advice?

[405sux]

I got re-recalled last month. Tom from BMW Corp called me (nearly 1 year to the day) to let me know I was back under recall and that he'd send me another check. I jokingly asked if he'd be calling me again next September and we both sort of laughed.

BMW has now compensated me $3k total, $1k for the initial recall, then $1k for the non-recall hassle, then another $1k for the current recall. I really can't complain. The 30e has been really comfortable and otherwise rock solid for the 14 months and 17k miles that I've owned it.

I was able to schedule a diagnostic appointment in early November. I explained to the dealer rep that I would prefer to be without the car as little as possible, since I drive 70 miles round trip each day and 60 of those miles use the carpool lane (the whole reason I have the hybrid). She set it up so I got a loaner for a day, they confirmed the battery cells that were affected, then got the parts on order and would schedule a second appointment for replacement, targeting for this week when I was on vacation.

I took the car in on Monday and they replaced the affected cells. I have another X3 as a loaner. When I dropped it off, I mentioned that a noise in the suspension had popped up, so they looked at that, too. It turned out to be a control arm, so that's getting replaced and it's nice to kill two birds with one stone. I'll get my 30e back tomorrow.

My loaners have included a 530, an X2, and a regular X3 s-drive. I did not realize how well-appointed my vehicle is and how spoiled I had become. (I have the exec package and M Sport stuff). I'll be happy to be able to charge it again, but considering everything else that's going on the world, this is has been a pretty minor inconvenience.

I also put in the Stealth Hitch about 6 months ago. That was a bit of an adventure because the 30e is not well documented for aftermarket wiring (trailer wiring kit wasn't pre-installed) and the trunk area looks really different due to the hybrid configuration. Overall, I'm pretty happy with this car and the way things are getting resolved.

I hope everyone else still dealing with the recall finds a positive path forward. Cheers!

[keithpence]

TLDR - While my car was being serviced last week, dealer was unaware of the recall on my x30e, and also told me it was "completely safe to plug-in" and I shouldn't be worried about anything.

I investigated further, and reached out to BMW corporate to see if my car was in fact on the recall list. I then received a call from BMW corporate, and they said my car was in fact recalled for the issue that everyone else here has noted, and when I told the service department that, they still denied what was going on.

I got a letter in the mail today from BMW stating that the part for the vehicle is now available and that it's able to be fixed, and they've offered an additional $1000 in compensation for the issue.

Despite that gesture of goodwill, I am incensed at the local dealership that not only blatantly lied to me, but also put my safety at risk by telling me the car was safe to be charged. I'm also upset that it took me reaching out to BMW corporate to get information about this recall, when it's clear this has been going on for some time.

I'm curious what sort of steps I should take to get proper recourse for this issue. Is there any chance that these cars are lemons ? Should I push for more compensation from BMW?

[wannabeX3owner]

Originally Posted by keithpence

TLDR - While my car was being serviced last week, dealer was unaware of the recall on my x30e, and also told me it was "completely safe to plug-in" and I shouldn't be worried about anything.

I investigated further, and reached out to BMW corporate to see if my car was in fact on the recall list. I then received a call from BMW corporate, and they said my car was in fact recalled for the issue that everyone else here has noted, and when I told the service department that, they still denied what was going on.

I got a letter in the mail today from BMW stating that the part for the vehicle is now available and that it's able to be fixed, and they've offered an additional $1000 in compensation for the issue.

Despite that gesture of goodwill, I am incensed at the local dealership that not only blatantly lied to me, but also put my safety at risk by telling me the car was safe to be charged. I'm also upset that it took me reaching out to BMW corporate to get information about this recall, when it's clear this has been going on for some time.

I'm curious what sort of steps I should take to get proper recourse for this issue. Is there any chance that these cars are lemons ? Should I push for more compensation from BMW?

I called corporate when I got the recall notice on my app, they confirmed the recall, but said to call the dealership. I called my local dealership and they also confirmed, but said there was no fix. I left a message for a service rep to call me back, but that was over a month ago. Did the $1000 compensation offer come through BMW headquarters and did they state that in the letter? I have not gotten anything in the mail yet, so am curious what kind of communications others are getting.

[keithpence]

Originally Posted by wannabeX3owner

I called corporate when I got the recall notice on my app, they confirmed the recall, but said to call the dealership. I called my local dealership and they also confirmed, but said there was no fix. I left a message for a service rep to call me back, but that was over a month ago. Did the $1000 compensation offer come through BMW headquarters and did they state that in the letter? I have not gotten anything in the mail yet, so am curious what kind of communications others are getting.

What is the date on your recall and when did you purchase the car? Oddly, my recall is dated to Sept 30 2020, and I purchased the car in April of 2021, so it seems as if I was sold a new car with an active recall, great.

The compensation came through BMW North America, and it was sent via a letter. I had to reach out to BMW NA to tell them I was upset that I still hadn't received word of the recall, and they immediately got back to me via phone and with multiple letters, one offering the $1000.

I'm not taking the $1000 though until I fully figure out what's going on. Why was I sold a car under an active recall, why did BMW not inform me until I reached out to them, and why did my service department tell me it was safe to plug in the car?

There's a lot missing / confusing in this story, and I'm working on putting all of the pieces together. My hope is that I'll get the dealership to buy the car back as I feel incredibly swindled at this point.

[ECinEI]

Originally Posted by keithpence

What is the date on your recall and when did you purchase the car? Oddly, my recall is dated to Sept 30 2020, and I purchased the car in April of 2021, so it seems as if I was sold a new car with an active recall, great.

The compensation came through BMW North America, and it was sent via a letter. I had to reach out to BMW NA to tell them I was upset that I still hadn't received word of the recall, and they immediately got back to me via phone and with multiple letters, one offering the $1000.

I'm not taking the $1000 though until I fully figure out what's going on. Why was I sold a car under an active recall, why did BMW not inform me until I reached out to them, and why did my service department tell me it was safe to plug in the car?

There's a lot missing / confusing in this story, and I'm working on putting all of the pieces together. My hope is that I'll get the dealership to buy the car back as I feel incredibly swindled at this point.

my situation is similar to yours and here's what I've learned , or think I've figured out. First of all, as you've noticed, BMW has not been very clear or transparent in explaining what is going on with recall 20V-601: High Voltage Battery.

My wife drives a 2020 X3 30e which was a factory order built in late June or early July 2020 and delivered mid-July 2020. Shortly after we received the car, in August or September 2020 time frame, I began to see reports of this recall on the BMW forums and in some BMW related web sites. I compulsively checked the VIN of her car for weeks and it never came up as affected by this recall.

In trying to research this it seemed that BMW got it's batteries from two suppliers, Samsung, I believe and one other I can't recall. You can probably still search this. Evidently the Samsung batteries had some issues. It appeared BMW knew, by serial numbers, which batteries were likely to be defective and those cars got the recall. Over time I stopped checking the VIN and kind of forgot this issue. We continued to use and charge the car as designed and, in fact about half of her total miles were driven on battery power. This was the whole point of getting a PHEV.

All was well with her car until 13 months into ownership when it developed a drive train malfunction error that took three dealer visits, with the car being flat bedded each time, and 25 plus days out of service to resolve.

While this was being resolved the battery recall all of a sudden pops up on the MyBMW app. I asked about this as by this time the car had been charged 100's of times with no issues. I was told by the service manager at our dealership that it was an "expanded" recall as evidently some more batteries had turned up as being problematic.

We got a phone call from BMW NA and were instructed to call a number for further information. We also got two letters dated November 2021 about the recall. One came from a BMW NA Executive Vice-President, Operations offering the $1000 compensation. You apparently have the same letter and know the drill about not charging the car blah, blah, blah.

We had our car in for the inspection this past week and it needs five of the six batteries replaced. They were ordered and will be installed later this month. We live 150 miles form our dealer but have family and activities there frequently so we schedule around our visits there. If the car works as designed after the batteries are replaced we're going to be happy with that. Has it been a pleasant experience between these two issues? Not at all. Will we own a second BMW? While the jury is still out on that it's probably unlikely. Would we own a BMW PHEV out of warranty? Definitely not!

I don't know what kind of luck you'll have with a buyback it may depend on your state laws. Our car is probably eligible for buyback under NC law for the drive train malfunction error repair based on days out of service. The warranty repair would not be buyback eligible. My wife likes the car and it works well for the driving she does so we're not likely to pursue buyback. Additionally, it's a horrible time to buy a new car. Her car is nicely optioned with the Executive and M Sport packages that have had some content deleted from on new models.

Your car may have been sold before the "expanded" recall so it wasn't known it would be affected at the time of sale. This is all speculation as I agree BMW has not been as clear about what's going on with this recall as I would like.

Best of luck with it...

[keithpence]

Originally Posted by ECinEI

my situation is similar to yours and here's what I've learned , or think I've figured out. First of all, as you've noticed, BMW has not been very clear or transparent in explaining what is going on with recall 20V-601: High Voltage Battery.

My wife drives a 2020 X3 30e which was a factory order built in late June or early July 2020 and delivered mid-July 2020. Shortly after we received the car, in August or September 2020 time frame, I began to see reports of this recall on the BMW forums and in some BMW related web sites. I compulsively checked the VIN of her car for weeks and it never came up as affected by this recall.

In trying to research this it seemed that BMW got it's batteries from two suppliers, Samsung, I believe and one other I can't recall. You can probably still search this. Evidently the Samsung batteries had some issues. It appeared BMW knew, by serial numbers, which batteries were likely to be defective and those cars got the recall. Over time I stopped checking the VIN and kind of forgot this issue. We continued to use and charge the car as designed and, in fact about half of her total miles were driven on battery power. This was the whole point of getting a PHEV.

All was well with her car until 13 months into ownership when it developed a drive train malfunction error that took three dealer visits, with the car being flat bedded each time, and 25 plus days out of service to resolve.

While this was being resolved the battery recall all of a sudden pops up on the MyBMW app. I asked about this as by this time the car had been charged 100's of times with no issues. I was told by the service manager at our dealership that it was an "expanded" recall as evidently some more batteries had turned up as being problematic.

We got a phone call from BMW NA and were instructed to call a number for further information. We also got two letters dated November 2021 about the recall. One came from a BMW NA Executive Vice-President, Operations offering the $1000 compensation. You apparently have the same letter and know the drill about not charging the car blah, blah, blah.

We had our car in for the inspection this past week and it needs five of the six batteries replaced. They were ordered and will be installed later this month. We live 150 miles form our dealer but have family and activities there frequently so we schedule around our visits there. If the car works as designed after the batteries are replaced we're going to be happy with that. Has it been a pleasant experience between these two issues? Not at all. Will we own a second BMW? While the jury is still out on that it's probably unlikely. Would we own a BMW PHEV out of warranty? Definitely not!

I don't know what kind of luck you'll have with a buyback it may depend on your state laws. Our car is probably eligible for buyback under NC law for the drive train malfunction error repair based on days out of service. The warranty repair would not be buyback eligible. My wife likes the car and it works well for the driving she does so we're not likely to pursue buyback. Additionally, it's a horrible time to buy a new car. Her car is nicely optioned with the Executive and M Sport packages that have had some content deleted from on new models.

Your car may have been sold before the "expanded" recall so it wasn't known it would be affected at the time of sale. This is all speculation as I agree BMW has not been as clear about what's going on with this recall as I would like.

Best of luck with it...

The only thing is that your timing is different than mine - I purchased the car in April of 2021, and the recall is dated Sept 2020. You purchased your car before the recall was known, even though I suspect BMW knew there was an issue with these cars.

I'm really disappointed in BMW as a whole, and $1000 doesn't make this situation right by any stretch of the imagination.

I actually received another call from the exec office BMW NA on Friday, and will be giving them a call tomorrow to discuss matters further.

[wannabeX3owner]

Originally Posted by keithpence

The only thing is that your timing is different than mine - I purchased the car in April of 2021, and the recall is dated Sept 2020. You purchased your car before the recall was known, even though I suspect BMW knew there was an issue with these cars.

I'm really disappointed in BMW as a whole, and $1000 doesn't make this situation right by any stretch of the imagination.

I actually received another call from the exec office BMW NA on Friday, and will be giving them a call tomorrow to discuss matters further.

I got delivery of my vehicle in April 2021 as well, though I put the down payment on the car in Feb 2021. Had to wait two months for it to have the battery replaced in the Spartanburg factory. I'm really frustrated that my car is now part of this new recall again. Just dropped it off today. They told me that if they check the battery and it does need to be replaced, it'll take a couple weeks to order the parts and a couple days to install. Really hoping that this won't be the case and I'll get my car back tomorrow.

[viper689]

Haven't checked back on this forum in awhile, but I'm terrified that my 30e is going to be part of the recall yet, luckily no message yet. I was one of the few who was able to get multiple $1000 compensations from corporate, but in my opinion, that's primarily because the dealer I was working with held our car for 3 months before it was fixed, and we were put into a non-comparable rental car (Chevy Impala).

I can't even imagine the hell we'd raise if we have to do it all over again.

[freshxdough]

Originally Posted by wannabeX3owner

I got delivery of my vehicle in April 2021 as well, though I put the down payment on the car in Feb 2021. Had to wait two months for it to have the battery replaced in the Spartanburg factory. I'm really frustrated that my car is now part of this new recall again. Just dropped it off today. They told me that if they check the battery and it does need to be replaced, it'll take a couple weeks to order the parts and a couple days to install. Really hoping that this won't be the case and I'll get my car back tomorrow.

Sorry to I form you but this recall will likely affect your vehicle. I am a technician and I have been performing these recalls. Some cars require 1 cel, some 3, some all 6. I had a X3 30e today calling for 5 out of 6 cell modules. Every car that I've gotten for this recall requires repair so don't get too disappointed if it needs cell modules.

[jayfeinst]

I'll be the first to say, I'd be PO'd if I bought my car. On the flip side, I did a one pay lease that was only $14K for 3 years and 36K miles as I had some positive equity in my Audi lease, received a cap reduction with the EV credit and the 30e had been on the lot for 6 months! I just received the $1,000 from BMW so I'm looking at it as I drive an X3 for a 1 pay of $13K or $361/month! Now....if this drags on I might have a different perspective but I'll call it a win.

[BMW_AUS]

my 2020 30e has been in the dealership since mid November for the recalls, apparently it is waiting on the part now, will update once I get it back. I'm also waiting on calling the NA office regarding the $1,000.

[wannabeX3owner]

Originally Posted by freshxdough

Sorry to I form you but this recall will likely affect your vehicle. I am a technician and I have been performing these recalls. Some cars require 1 cel, some 3, some all 6. I had a X3 30e today calling for 5 out of 6 cell modules. Every car that I've gotten for this recall requires repair so don't get too disappointed if it needs cell modules.

You're right. They confirmed that some of the cells (they didn't tell me how many, car still at the stop). I'm supposed to get it back tomorrow, but will have to bring it back in once the parts come in. In your experience, how long does it really take to replace the parts? They're telling me 2-3 days, but I've had my car in the shop no less than one week for every day they've quoted me in the past.

I have a road trip coming up and would love to have a functional car by then.

[wannabeX3owner]

Originally Posted by BMW_AUS

my 2020 30e has been in the dealership since mid November for the recalls, apparently it is waiting on the part now, will update once I get it back. I'm also waiting on calling the NA office regarding the $1,000.

I sent an email to the customer care address they gave in the recall letter, but haven't heard back in a week. However, I did get a call from someone in their New Jersey office to confirm info so they can wire my $1000 compensation. Hope you get your call soon if you haven't already.

[freshxdough]

Originally Posted by wannabeX3owner

You're right. They confirmed that some of the cells (they didn't tell me how many, car still at the stop). I'm supposed to get it back tomorrow, but will have to bring it back in once the parts come in. In your experience, how long does it really take to replace the parts? They're telling me 2-3 days, but I've had my car in the shop no less than one week for every day they've quoted me in the past.

I have a road trip coming up and would love to have a functional car by then.

2-3 days is a very reasonable estimate. Let's assume all cells need to be replaced, 6 in total. It pays about 8 hours for the entire repair. But you also need to factor in that when the cells arrive they may need to be charged or discharged individually which can take an hour or more each.

[BMW_AUS]

Originally Posted by BMW_AUS

my 2020 30e has been in the dealership since mid November for the recalls, apparently it is waiting on the part now, will update once I get it back. I'm also waiting on calling the NA office regarding the $1,000.

got an update two days ago that all 6 cells will need to be replaced, the parts has just arrived. hopefully soon it'll be done

[jayfeinst]

Originally Posted by BMW_AUS

got an update two days ago that all 6 cells will need to be replaced, the parts has just arrived. hopefully soon it'll be done

Good luck. Found out 4 of mine will need to be replaced, waiting on parts from BMW of Dallas...question is which will take longer-

1)Arrival of parts
2)Appointment date when I can secure a loaner

Regarding payment, it's so interesting as corporate proactively reached out to me while others are having to chase it down.

[BMW_AUS]

Originally Posted by BMW_AUS

got an update two days ago that all 6 cells will need to be replaced, the parts has just arrived. hopefully soon it'll be done

I finally got my car back last night, it took 35 days total for the recalls, most of the time is waiting for the cells to arrive, took another week for the labor. hopefully all is good now.