— BMW hybrid battery problems have caused a lawsuit that alleges serious manufacturing defects caused the automaker to issue warnings about charging the batteries.
The class action lawsuit was filed on November 2 and alleges, "[t]here is no recall for the manufacturing defect, nor is there any fix offered by the Defendant."
However, BMW issued a recall notification to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on September 30, 2020, for more than 4,500 hybrid electric vehicles equipped with Samsung high-voltage batteries.
BMW warned owners not to charge the batteries until repairs were completed because debris may have entered one or more battery cells. This can cause short circuits, and BMW said it was aware of four battery fires but no injuries or crashes.
In addition to owners being told not to charge the batteries, BMW also warned against using the shift paddles and warned against driving in manual or sport modes.
Although BMW announced the recall, the automaker said it was still working on a repair procedure for the problem.
BMW Vehicles Affected By Hybrid Battery Problems
- 2020-2021 BMW 530e
- 2020-2021 BMW 530e xDrive
- 2020-2021 BMW 530e iPerformance
- 2020-2021 BMW X3 xDrive30e
- 2020-2021 MINI Cooper Countryman All4 SE
- 2020 BMW i8
- 2021 BMW 330e
- 2021 BMW 330e xDrive
- 2021 BMW 745Le xDrive
- 2021 BMW X5 xDrive45e
The California plaintiff, Adam Kavon, says he entered a lease agreement for a new 2021 BMW X5 in September 2020. On September 30, 2020, the plaintiff was notified by a BMW bulletin that his vehicle had a defect in manufacturing.
“Debris may have entered one or more of the hybrid battery cells during their production.” - BMW bulletin
The BMW notice also said the vehicles were at risk of “a short circuit, increasing the risk of fire or injury.”
“Until the remedy is available, drivers will be instructed to not charge their vehicles. Drivers will also be instructed to not drive in manual mode, sport mode, and to not use the shift paddles.” - BMW
The class action says the plaintiff brought his vehicle to a dealer to be repaired, but BMW was "unable to remedy the underlying problem of the defective battery system, for which it stated there was no fix available."
The BMW hybrid battery lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey: Adam Kavon, v. BMW of North America, LLC.
The plaintiff is represented by Kazerouni Law Group APC, and the Law Offices of Todd M. Friedman, PC.
