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NHTSA campaign 26V096000

2023–2026 BMW 5 Series and 3 other BMW models: electrical system recall

A damaged wiring harness can short-circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.

critical58,713 vehicles affected71% reported repaired

What was reported

Source: manufacturer filing, 49 CFR Part 573
ProblemBMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2025 M5 Sportswagon, 2025-2026 M5, 2024-2025 750e xDrive, 2025-2026 550e xDrive, 2023-2025 I7, 2023-2025 7 Series, 2024-2026 i5, and 5 Series vehicles. The electrical wiring harness for the air conditioning system may become damaged during replacement of the cabin air filter.RiskA damaged wiring harness can short-circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.FixDealers will inspect and replace the air conditioning system’s electrical wiring harness and add a retaining strap/bracket to the harness, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 16, 2026. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning April 13, 2026.

Reported to NHTSA Feb 19, 2026 by BMW of North America, LLC, owners notified Apr 16, 2026.

Which vehicles are covered

Source: NHTSA campaign 26V096000
Model yearClassSafety SignalRecalls on file
2025 BMW 5 SeriesMidsize SedanF6
2026 BMW 5 SeriesMidsize SedanB1
2025 BMW 7 SeriesLarge SedanF5
2024 BMW i5Compact SedanF10
2025 BMW i5Compact SedanF5
2026 BMW i5Compact SedanB1
2023 BMW i7Large SedanF13
2024 BMW i7Large SedanF9
2025 BMW i7Large SedanD3

Those are the model years inside WhichTrim's range, 2016 onward. The campaign may cover others outside it, and the only thing that settles whether one specific vehicle is included is its VIN.

How much of it has been fixed

Source: manufacturer quarterly report, 49 CFR 573.7
Reported repaired71%

of the campaign

One quarter into a six-quarter reporting window — early, and expected to climb.

This is the manufacturer's own cumulative count of vehicles it has inspected and repaired, divided by the vehicles the campaign covers. It files that count with NHTSA every quarter for six consecutive quarters, starting from the quarter in which owners were told a remedy was ready, and then the obligation ends — so a figure on an older campaign is where the count stopped, not where it stands today.

It rarely reaches 100%, and not because the work was not done. The same report asks manufacturers to count vehicles they could not reach at all — exported, stolen, scrapped, or simply never located — and those stay in the denominator. A low number means a lot of these vehicles are still out there unrepaired; it does not tell you which ones.

The federal paperwork

Source: nhtsa.gov

Filed documents

  • Defect report PDF — The manufacturer's own filing to NHTSA describing the defect, the risk and the affected build range.

Check one specific vehicle

A recall applies to a build range, so year, make and model cannot settle it. NHTSA checks a VIN against the manufacturer's own list and tells you whether the repair is still outstanding on that vehicle.

NHTSA VIN recall lookup →

Campaign 26V096000

Common questions

Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR Part 573

Does this recall repair cost anything?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to remedy a safety defect or a compliance failure at no charge, for vehicles up to 15 years old measured from the date of first sale. A dealer that asks you to pay for a recall repair is in the wrong.

How do I know whether my vehicle is included?

By VIN, not by model year. The manufacturer files a build range with NHTSA and only vehicles inside it are covered, so two identical-looking cars from the same year can differ. NHTSA's own lookup checks a VIN against the manufacturer's list.

What if the repair is not available yet?

It happens, and often. Manufacturers must notify owners when a defect is found even if the parts or the software are not ready, then notify them a second time once the remedy exists. The remedy filed for this campaign is described above.

What did the manufacturer say was wrong?

The problem, risk and fix quoted on this page are the manufacturer's own words as filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR Part 573. WhichTrim does not paraphrase them.

Who started this recall?

NHTSA's record credits the manufacturer. A recall can begin with the manufacturer's own testing, with a defect investigation, or with a compliance test against a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard.