BMW bulletin B520125
What it saysThe customer sees various check control warnings of 'Drive Fault', along with windows, doors, and seatsthat do not function. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
BMW filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Feb 4, 2025, received Feb 10, 2025, about the electrical system. It names 1 model year (2023). 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.
The customer sees various check control warnings of 'Drive Fault', along with windows, doors, and seatsthat do not function. There may be restraint system check control warnings. The entire K-CAN9 / Body3 CAN bus may not communicate. Various fault memory entries for the above-mentioned components may be stored: 930D86 - Function restraint system driver restricted. 930D87 - Function front passenger restraint system restricted. C9544D, C9544F - Message Missing C95452, C95454 - Signal invalid 035BF4, 035BFB, 035BFC, 035BFD - Communication via Body3_CAN corrupt. CD052C, E3852C, E4852C, E3452C, E4452C, DF852C, DFC52C, DDC52C, DF452C, E6052C, E5852C- BODY3-CAN Control Module Bus OFF 802A00, 802E00, 802C00, 803000 - Functions seat heating not available 803003, 802C03, 802E03, 802A03 - Functions seat adjustment limited
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B520125 | Service bulletin | Feb 4, 2025 | 11014039 | PDF, 692 KB |
What the document itself lists
Part the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61 13 1 367 599 | Cable Tie | 1 | eBay Motors → |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (5 pages), read Sep 30, 2026. A part number is shown only where it matches BMW’s own catalogue shape, an operation only with its code and time, and a description only where the reader got it whole; anything it could not settle is left out, and the PDF is the record. Times are the manufacturer’s warranty allowances, not a quote. Listings and prices on eBay Motors are the seller’s.
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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 1 model year this bulletin names have filed 23 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 2 of them name Electrical System — 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.
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 group77 other manufacturer communications filed against the BMW 7 Series 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| B611826 | Service bulletin | Sep 17, 2026 | Due to unfavorable software, the Storage Management Electronics (SME) will not show fault codes that trigger the Malfunction Indicator Lamp… |
| 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… |
| 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 B520125 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 B520125 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 B520125 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2023 BMW 7 Series. 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: built on or before 12 Jun 2023 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.