BMW bulletin B520524
What it saysA rattling noise can be heard emanating from the area of the rear seat backrest of the second row ofseats. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
BMW filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Aug 7, 2024, received Sep 1, 2024, about the seats. It names 10 model years (2020–2024). 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 communicationA rattling noise can be heard emanating from the area of the rear seat backrest of the second row ofseats. The noise does not occur when the rear seat backrest is folded down.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B520524 | Service bulletin | Aug 7, 2024 | 11006735 | PDF, 196 KB |
What the document itself lists
Part the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 83 23 0 396 713 | Klubersynth LF 44-22 | — | eBay Motors → |
Labour operations and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 00 58 500 | Diagnosis Worktime Flat Rate (Plusposition) | 2 FRU |
| 00 58 000 | Diagnosis Worktime Flat Rate (Main work) | 3 FRU |
| 51 99 000 | Work time to lubricate a second-row seat lock mechanism (one-side) with the with… | 1 FRU |
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 10 model years this bulletin names have filed 365 complaints with NHTSA since 2015.
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 seats
Source: same model, same component group6 other manufacturer communications filed against these BMW models under the same component group (seats), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| B520126 | Service bulletin | Mar 9, 2026 | The customer brings vehicle in with one or both of the second row 60/40 split seats in the folded position. The seat does not respond to any… |
| B521019 | Service bulletin | Mar 29, 2024 | THIGH SUPPORT UPHOLSTERY DETACHES FROM SEAT. The seat leather upholstery detaches from the front of the thigh support (aka knee bolster) of… |
| B520623 | Service bulletin | Jan 2, 2024 | BMW AG has issued a Delivery Stop (effective March 13, 2023) on certain Model Year 2023 BMW X6 SAC vehicles that were produced between March… |
| B522023 | Service bulletin | Dec 29, 2023 | When the center armrest of the second seat row is lowered but the center section of the seat is in its uprightposition, a rattle noise may b… |
| B522319 | Service bulletin | Nov 22, 2023 | With the launch of the G05 (X5) Sports Activity Vehicle in August 2018, a new style of networked seats was introduced that have new operatin… |
| B520121 | Service bulletin | Aug 1, 2023 | SEAT FAILS TO INITIALIZE DUE TO MISSING END STOP: Front seat will not calibrate/initialize. |
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 B520524 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 B520524 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 B520524 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 10 model years: 2023 BMW X5, 2022 BMW X5, 2021 BMW X5, 2020 BMW X5, 2023 BMW X6, 2022 BMW X6 and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.