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Manufacturer communication · Service bulletin

BMW bulletin B720423

What it saysThe safety belt buckles at the rear seat outer locations are facing the wrong way due to the belt being twisted behind the C-pillar cover. NHTSA’s full summary ↓

BMW filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Dec 11, 2023, received Jan 3, 2024, about the seat belts. It names 2 model years (2023–2024). 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 communication

The safety belt buckles at the rear seat outer locations are facing the wrong way due to the belt being twisted behind the C-pillar cover.

Kind Service bulletin Manufacturer date Dec 11, 2023 Received by NHTSA Jan 3, 2024 Components Seat Belts

Document filed under this number

DocumentKindDatedNHTSA idAt NHTSA
B720423Service bulletinDec 11, 202310247575not 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 them

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 database

Owners of the 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 9 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 seat belts

Source: same model, same component group

1 other manufacturer communication filed against the BMW XM under the same component group (seat belts), newest first.

NumberKindDatedNHTSA’s summary
B520324Service campaignMay 7, 2024Delivery Stop Front Lower Seat Belt

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.

Photo: Christian Buehner / Unsplash

Common questions

Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5

Is BMW B720423 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 B720423 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 B720423 cover?

The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2024 BMW XM, 2023 BMW XM. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.