BMW preliminary evaluation PE13030
Loss of power assist braking. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the vacuum on 18 model years (2012–2014). Opened Sep 6, 2013, closed Oct 25, 2013 after 2 months. It led to safety recall 13V454000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedIn a letter dated September 26, 2013, BMW Group submitted a safety recall notice to NHTSA identifying a defect condition in the vacuum pump oil supply that may result in loss of power assist braking in 76,191 model year (MY) 2012 through 2014 BMW 3-Series, 5-Series, X1 SAV, X3 SAV, and Z4 vehicles equipped with 4-cylinder engines (NHTSA Recall 13V-454).According to BMW, movement of the seal disk within the camshaft may result in blocking of the oil supply to the vacuum pump, resulting in improper pump operation and loss of power assist braking. On July 11, 2013, BMW initiated a change to the camshaft geometry that prevented the seal disk from blocking the oil port. BMW has not received any braking complaints related to loss of power assist after the design change was implemented in production. The owners of all affected vehicles will be contacted by mail and asked to take their vehicle to a BMW dealer who will install a locking ring into the camshaft to keep the seal disk in its proper location. BMW expects to begin dealer and owner notification in November 2013 and complete dealer and owner notification in December when the remedy is expected to be available. Based on the actions taken by BMW, this investigation is closed.
A Preliminary Evaluation is the first formal stage: NHTSA has decided the complaints and other information it screened are worth a closer look, and asks the manufacturer for its own data on the condition. The summary is the agency’s own text from its investigation file, unedited; the opening and closing resumes with the full reasoning are on NHTSA’s site under this number.
What this means for an owner
Source: and what happens nextAn investigation is not a finding that a defect exists, and it puts no duty on anyone. NHTSA opens a Preliminary Evaluation when complaints and other reports suggest a condition worth asking the manufacturer about; it upgrades to an Engineering Analysis when the answers warrant testing; it closes either when it recommends a recall, when the manufacturer recalls on its own, or when no defect trend is found. The agency’s own goals are about four months for a petition, eight for a Preliminary Evaluation or a Recall Query and eighteen for an Engineering Analysis; many run longer.
This one became a recall. The campaign page carries the manufacturer’s filed defect, risk and remedy, the build window and every model year covered; whether one specific vehicle is included is settled by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Model years it names
Source: as NHTSA filed themAlso named: 2012 BMW 3 Series; 2013 BMW 3 Series; 2012 BMW 320I; 2013 BMW 320I; 2014 BMW 320I; 2012 BMW 328I; 2013 BMW 328I; 2014 BMW 328I; 2012 BMW 5 Series; 2012 BMW 528I; 2013 BMW 528I; 2013 BMW X1 SAV; 2014 BMW X1 SAV; 2013 BMW X3; 2014 BMW X3; 2012 BMW Z4; 2013 BMW Z4; 2014 BMW Z4.
A vehicle page’s investigation list carries the same action; a name here is the scope NHTSA opened, not a list of affected VINs.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationIs PE13030 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 13V454000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE13030 still open?
No. It closed on Oct 25, 2013 and led to recall 13V454000.
Which vehicles does PE13030 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 18 model years: 2012 BMW 3 Series, 2013 BMW 3 Series, 2012 BMW 320I, 2013 BMW 320I, 2014 BMW 320I, 2012 BMW 328I and more. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.