BMW bulletin B650720
What it saysVEHICLE SOUND GENERATOR IS DIFFERENT AND LOUDER AFTER PROGRAMMING: Vehicles sound is different and louder after programming to an Integration level (I-level) between I001-1911-500 and I001-19-11-556. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
BMW filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Apr 1, 2020, received Apr 20, 2020, about the equipment. It names 9 model years (2016–2020). 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 communicationVEHICLE SOUND GENERATOR IS DIFFERENT AND LOUDER AFTER PROGRAMMING: Vehicles sound is different and louder after programming to an Integration level (I-level) between I001-1911-500 and I001-19-11-556. Software in the Vehicle Sound Generator (VSG).
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B650720 | Service bulletin | Apr 1, 2020 | 10174030 | 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.
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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 9 model years this bulletin names have filed 116 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 21 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.
In emergency situations when activating the horn, there is an unacceptable delay between when the horn is pressed and when there is actually sound produced. I have taken this up with the dealer and have been informed "that's just how it is." In looking across the internet, I see this is affecting all BMW i3 and some other BMW vehicles.
2017 BMW i3 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 1, 2022 · ODI 11471951
The car has lost power on the highway multiple times and gone into Limp mode with no warnings on the dashboard. The Rex engine has failed to start as well. Very dangerous on the highway going 20 mph trying to make the next exit. The car has been back to the BMW dealer multiple times (over 2.5 months at the dealer ) with no repair.
2019 BMW i3 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 21, 2026 · ODI 11751920
On May 2, 2022, the car began to power down involuntarily every time I applied the brakes. This happened 2-3 times, and I was able to restart. The final time was in the middle of an intersection, the car would not restart, could not be placed in neutral to be moved out of the intersection, and I had to have a police tow.
2018 BMW i3 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA May 11, 2022 · ODI 11464231
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 equipment
Source: same model, same component group5 other manufacturer communications filed against these BMW models under the same component group (equipment), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| B840922 | Service bulletin | Sep 1, 2022 | Due to a production error, the telematics control units were delivered without an IMS configuration. |
| B651312 | Service bulletin | Sep 1, 2021 | The Headunit High (HU-H), also called NBT, began replacing the Car Information Computer (CIC) on certain MY2013 vehicles with option 609… |
| B640621 | Service bulletin | Sep 1, 2021 | Different air temperatures are felt from left to right out of the front fresh air grilles (air vent). The following fault code is saved in t… |
| B840121 | Service bulletin | May 1, 2021 | TELEMATICS UNIT DEACTIVATION DUE TO 3G CELLULAR TECHNOLOGY DISCONTINUATION: The discontinuation of 3G cellular communication for Combox, TCB… |
| B540618 | Service bulletin | Oct 1, 2018 | SERVICE ACTION: CHECKING AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACING CONVERTIBLE TOP LOCKING BASE PLATE. The knurled bolts on the convertible top locking b… |
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 B650720 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 B650720 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 B650720 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 9 model years: 2020 BMW i3, 2019 BMW i3, 2018 BMW i3, 2017 BMW i3, 2016 BMW i3, 2019 BMW i8 and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.