BMW bulletin B612523
What it saysThe purpose of this Service Bulletin (SIB) is informational regarding DC (direct current) charging complaints on Gen 5 Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV). NHTSA’s full summary ↓
BMW filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Oct 25, 2023, received Nov 1, 2023, about the electrical system. It names 10 model years (2021–2024). 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 communicationThe purpose of this Service Bulletin (SIB) is informational regarding DC (direct current) charging complaints on Gen 5 Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV). It serves as a supporting argument and is intended to help distinguish between a standard designed function or component operation from an actual system fault in a DC charging customer complaint (i.e., “DC Not charging or “DC charging too slow”. Helpful “Tips and Tricks” have been included on each topic within the document that can be used as reference to aid in the diagnosis or in understanding the system. The situation involves several possible causes: 1. Limitation of charging power by the charging station or charging app configuration. 2. Decreasing charging power at a very high state of charge (SoC). 3. Too frequent DC charging attempts within a short period of time. 4. The high-voltage battery is not at the ideal temperature. 5. Ageing of the high-voltage battery.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B612523 | Service bulletin | Oct 25, 2023 | 10244504 | PDF, 1,264 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 themAlso filed against model years this site has no page for: 2021 BMW IX.
A 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 9 model years this bulletin names have filed 231 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 71 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.
I brought a brand new BMW IX fully electric vehicle in May, 2023. A couple of weeks ago in early September, the “Emergency Call System Malfunction” warning light came on, and I can also smell a chemical burn from the vehicle. I dropped it off to Eastbay BMW in Pleasanton, California. 4350 Rosewood Drive, Pleasanton, California 94588.
2023 BMW iX · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Sep 28, 2023 · ODI 11547159
The only way I could explain it was as if my brakes were failing. After joining the bmw i4 group on Facebook and having my kids record while driving. I was able to capture the issue. The vehicle drive train will malfunction causing the vehicle to move while not in motion when at a stop light. The vehicle will accelerate on its on.
2023 BMW i4 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Apr 23, 2025 · ODI 11656435
This is the 4th time I am having issues with this car. Major safety issues. Yesterday during during on the 405 freeway. It suddenly started to rain, the wiper malfunction while in traffic and pouring rain. A week before this incident, the steering of the car kept moving suddenly out of my line. This time my son was in the car.
2024 BMW i7 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Sep 3, 2025 · ODI 11684707
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 group79 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… |
| B610625 | Service bulletin | Aug 31, 2026 | Check Control message: "You can continue driving. Drivetrain” (00029) is displayed. The following fault code is stored in the CCU fault memo… |
| 0061890900 | Service campaign | Aug 27, 2026 | In vehicles equipped with the Roof Function Center “FZD‑21” variant, a quiescent‑current violation mayoccur if the system fails to enter sle… |
| 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… |
| 0064460200 | Service campaign | Aug 12, 2026 | A faulty electric auxiliary heater may have been installed in the certain vehicles. This could result in the failure of the electric auxilia… |
| 0064450200 | Service campaign | Aug 12, 2026 | A faulty electric auxiliary heater may have been installed in the certain vehicles. This could result in thefailure of the electric auxiliar… |
| B652026 | Service bulletin | Jul 23, 2026 | The Central Information Display (CID) side of the Multifunction Display (MFD) may flicker intermittently. Theflickering manifests itself in… |
| 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… |
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 B612523 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 B612523 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 B612523 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 10 model years: 2024 BMW i4, 2023 BMW i4, 2022 BMW i4, 2024 BMW i5, 2024 BMW i7, 2023 BMW i7 and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.