BMW bulletin B120725
What it saysA quality check revealed that the DME in these vehicles has a programming error. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
BMW filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated May 29, 2025, received May 31, 2025, about the electrical system. It names 8 model years (2023–2025). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationWhat it applies to, as the document itself states it — the build window in the manufacturer’s own words, read by machine from the PDF NHTSA serves. The build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb; the dealer settles a borderline vehicle by its VIN.
A quality check revealed that the DME in these vehicles has a programming error. This results in a deviation of the fuel-air mixture in the internal combustion engine.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B120725 | Service bulletin | May 29, 2025 | 11018724 | PDF, 301 KB |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 8 model years this bulletin names have filed 359 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 75 of them name Electrical System, Engine — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
The air condition is inadequate for temperatures above 80°. Due to the inadequacy of the coldness and the speed at which the fan blows, all passengers in a fully loaded vehicle complain of excessive heat temperatures Safety is an issue if left in the vehicle for a long period of time without proper temperatures being reached for all in…
2024 BMW X7 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Aug 22, 2024 · ODI 11610316
I am started to lease this car in August 2024. After 2 weeks, the car just halted, unable to move. Luckily this happened in my driveway. It took BMW more than 1 month to repair this. They had to change the combined charging unit with a different part number (upgraded part). At that time the car had roughly 200 miles on the odometer.
2024 BMW X5 · Engine · filed with NHTSA Apr 23, 2024 · ODI 11584824
Our vehicle dies while driving down the highway, twice now in less than 30 days. I drivetrain and low-power warning came on, but the car died and wouldn't start. The obvious risk is that we were driving on the highway and barely avoided being in an accident as I tried to steer us off the road. The second time we were at a park.
2023 BMW X7 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 24, 2023 · ODI 11534138
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the electrical system
Source: same model, same component group82 other manufacturer communications filed against these BMW models under the same component group (electrical system), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the BMW list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| B630526 | Service bulletin | Sep 8, 2026 | After programming the vehicle via ISTA/RSUto I-level …26-03-5xx, customer may reportsome of the interior ambient lighting strips(arrows) may… |
| 0034040300 | Service campaign | Aug 20, 2026 | After replacement of the Integrated Braking system (IB)/Power Brake the total distance covered might be lower than when handed over to the w… |
| B652026 | Service bulletin | Jul 23, 2026 | The Central Information Display (CID) side of the Multifunction Display (MFD) may flicker intermittently. Theflickering manifests itself in… |
| B840226 | Service campaign | Jul 10, 2026 | Once the Telematics Module (TCB2) enters sleep mode, a BMW Data Services trigger for Remote Services… |
| B610126 | Service bulletin | Jun 11, 2026 | SITUATION During vehicle start-up the Secure Element (SE) of the BCP may fail causing communication errors. TheCheck Control message “Drive… |
| 0012810600 | Service campaign | Jun 11, 2026 | In these vehicles with an S68 engine, an incorrect diagnosis of the Valvetronic (VVT) may occur. Undercertain operating conditions, the soft… |
| B651426 | Service bulletin | Jun 4, 2026 | The vehicle may experience various operational issues with Apple CarPlay Projected Modes such as: Dropped connections No automatic reconnect… |
| B652025 | Service bulletin | May 5, 2026 | After replacing the Multifunctional Display (MFD), the Central Information Display (CID) is black. The backlight of the CID is illuminated… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for BMW, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is BMW B120725 a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the B120725 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way. Every BMW warranty extension on file lists the ones BMW has filed.
Which vehicles does B120725 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 8 model years: 2025 BMW X5, 2024 BMW X5, 2023 BMW X5, 2025 BMW X6, 2024 BMW X6, 2023 BMW X6 and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone. The document itself sets the build window: 2023 -2026 BMW: built on or after 1 Jul 2022; G05 X5 Sports Activity Vehicle: built 23 Feb 2023 – 5 Apr 2025; G06 X6 Sports Activity Coupe: built 23 Feb 2023 – 18 Mar 2025 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.