BMW bulletin B280123
What it saysCheck control message (790) “Emergency gearbox release activated” is displayed immediately after starting the engine. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
BMW filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Mar 21, 2025, received Sep 25, 2023, about the power train — 2 documents under this number. It names 8 model years (2022–2025). 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 NHTSA’s summary states it — build dates and equipment as the manufacturer filed them. The dealer checks the VIN and the build date on the door jamb; a vehicle outside the window is not covered by this bulletin.
Check control message (790) “Emergency gearbox release activated” is displayed immediately after starting the engine. This applies only to U11 equipped with the 7-speed M-DCT transmission.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B280123 | Service bulletin | Mar 21, 2025 | 11015855 | PDF, 635 KB |
| B280123 | Service bulletin | Aug 1, 2023 | 10242689 | not found |
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 125 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 15 of them name Power Train — 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.
MOTOR VEHICLE REPAIR COMPLAINT REPORT I. OBJECTIVE OF COMPLAINT This formal complaint is filed with the FDACS Division of Consumer Services to request an immediate regulatory inspection and consumer arbitration regarding predatory diagnostic fee-churning, warranty non-compliance, and deceptive service safety omissions by Fields BMW ( and…
2022 BMW X2 · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Oct 25, 2026 · ODI 11773543
The vehicle is equipped with a dual clutch transmission and has the EPA mandated auto-start feature. When you stop the vehicle and the engine shuts off and then remove your foot from the brake to go forward, the engine hesitates to restart and then starts, revs, dumps the clutch and propels you forward at a dangerous rate.
2023 BMW X1 · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Jul 11, 2024 · ODI 11601283
Our X1 has a lot of "slip" in the transmission. It's most apparent when you back up and then switch to drive. In our X1, the car keeps rolling backward like it's in neutral. Drive doesn't engage until after a long delay
2024 BMW X1 · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Jan 8, 2026 · ODI 11709771
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 power train
Source: same model, same component group9 other manufacturer communications filed against these BMW models under the same component group (power train), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the BMW list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| B280125 | Service bulletin | Jan 27, 2026 | SITUATION A Check Control message (CCM) displays for “Transmission oil service required” (ID 2120). This warning will typically trigger base… |
| 2516900100 | Warranty extension | Jul 31, 2025 | The limited warranty for the automatic transmissions Selector Lever Magnetic Shift Interlock Mechanism (Gearshift lug assembly portion) has… |
| B063125 | Other | May 7, 2025 | Inspection and Return - Output Drive Repair Kit |
| 0028240100 | Service campaign | Dec 20, 2024 | Micro-movements combined with frictional corrosion can increase wear on the longitudinal splined connection between the double clutch transm… |
| B280324 | Service bulletin | Aug 16, 2024 | There is a “rattling/clattering” noise from the engine compartment area. The noise is mostly perceptible when driving past a wall with the s… |
| 0028230100 | Service campaign | Aug 16, 2024 | Micro-movements combined with frictional corrosion can increase wear on the longitudinal splined connection between the double clutch transm… |
| B280224 | Service bulletin | May 24, 2024 | Micro-movements combined with frictional corrosion can increase wear on the longitudinal splined connection between the double clutch transm… |
| B280124 | Service campaign | May 24, 2024 | Micro-movements combined with frictional corrosion can increase wear on the longitudinal splined connection between the double clutch transm… |
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 B280123 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 B280123 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 B280123 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 8 model years: 2025 BMW X1, 2024 BMW X1, 2023 BMW X1, 2022 BMW X1, 2025 BMW X2, 2024 BMW X2 and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.