NHTSA vehicle safety data

2012 BMW X6 M Recalls & Complaints

The 2012 BMW X6 M has 1 NHTSA recall campaign and 2 owner complaints on file as of November 3, 2026. Recall repairs are usually free at an authorized BMW dealer.

NHTSA recall and complaint data for the 2012 BMW X6 M. Recall data is refreshed daily from NHTSA.

2012 BMW X6 M owner complaints

Owners have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 BMW X6 M, describing incidents dated September 16, 2018 to January 10, 2019.

Most-cited components

Engine 2 complaints

Newest complaints

ODI #11192093 · Filed March 28, 2019
I OWN A 2012 BMW X6 M. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE CHECK-ENGINE INDICATOR SUDDENLY ILLUMINATED AND THE "STABILITY CONTROL INACTIVE" MESSAGE DISPLAYED BEFORE THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AGAIN, AND IT WAS TOWED TO THE…
ODI #11133442 · Filed October 5, 2018
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 BMW X6 M. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR SUDDENLY ILLUMINATED AND THE "STABILITY CONTROL INACTIVE" MESSAGE DISPLAYED BEFORE THE VEHICLE LOST POWER. AFTER TURNING THE ENGINE OFF AND BACK ON, THE VEHICLE OPERATED NORMALLY AND THE WARNING…

Read all 2 complaints

Electric Auxiliary Water Pump Failure

NHTSA #18V248000 · Engine and Engine Cooling — Engine — Gasoline — Turbo/Supercharger · NHTSA notice

Reported April 18, 2018 · BMW of North America, LLC

Potentially affected: 47,806 vehicles

Repair completion: 67.07% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated November 3, 2026)

Owners notified June 15, 2018 · Vehicles built November 15, 2007 – November 19, 2011 (per NHTSA)

Defect description

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2011-2012 BMW 550i, 550i xDrive, 550i Gran Turismo, 550i Gran Turismo xDrive, 750i, 750Li, 750i xDrive, 750Li xDrive, 760Li, X5 xDrive50i, X5 M, X6 xDrive50i, X6 M, ActiveHybrid7, MINI Cooper S Convertible, John Cooper Works (JCW) Convertible, Cooper S Countryman, Cooper S Countryman ALL4, Cooper S, JCW, Cooper S Clubman, JCW Clubman, Cooper S Roadster, JCW Roadster, Cooper S Coupe, JCW Coupe and Rolls-Royce Ghost, 2011 BMW X6 Hybrid and 2012 BMW 650i Coupe, 650i xDrive Coupe, 650i Convertible and 650i xDrive Convertible vehicles. The electric auxiliary water pump may fail and cause the circuit board to overheat.

Safety consequence

If the circuit board were to overheat, it can increase the risk of a fire.

Manufacturer remedy

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the electric auxiliary water pump, free of charge. Depending on the model, there are currently limited parts available, however not all parts are available at this time. Owners will be notified of the recall beginning June 11, 2018, and will receive a second notification when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact BMW customer service at BMW 1-800-525-7417, MINI at 1-866-825-1525, or Rolls-Royce at 1-877-877-3735. Note: BMW recommends that owners park their vehicle outdoors until the recall remedy has been performed.

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

2012 BMW X6 M SUV AWD

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out of 5

Overall Safety Rating

Not Rated

Frontal Crash

Not Rated

Driver: Not Rated, Passenger: Not Rated

Side Crash

Not Rated

Driver: Not Rated, Passenger: Not Rated

Side Pole

Not Rated

Rollover

Not Rated

Safety Technology

Electronic Stability Control

2 owner complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2012 BMW X6 M.

Engine

ODI #11192093

Incident: January 10, 2019 · Filed: March 28, 2019

I OWN A 2012 BMW X6 M. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE CHECK-ENGINE INDICATOR SUDDENLY ILLUMINATED AND THE "STABILITY CONTROL INACTIVE" MESSAGE DISPLAYED BEFORE THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AGAIN, AND IT WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP (BELLEVUE BMW, 13617 NE 20TH ST, BELLEVUE, WA 98005) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE HAD SEIZED. I WAS INFORMED THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MILEAGE AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE WAS 79,000. ALL SERVICES AND OIL CHANGES HAD BEEN COMPLETED ON-TIME AND BY EITHER THE DEALERSHIP OR BY FACTORY-APPROVED FACILITIES,

Engine

ODI #11133442

Incident: September 16, 2018 · Filed: October 5, 2018

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 BMW X6 M. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR SUDDENLY ILLUMINATED AND THE "STABILITY CONTROL INACTIVE" MESSAGE DISPLAYED BEFORE THE VEHICLE LOST POWER. AFTER TURNING THE ENGINE OFF AND BACK ON, THE VEHICLE OPERATED NORMALLY AND THE WARNING INDICATOR AND MESSAGE NO LONGER DISPLAYED. MOMENTS LATER, WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, A LOUD KNOCKING NOISE WAS HEARD COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER (DRYER AND REINBOLD BMW, 9375 WHITLEY DR, INDIANAPOLIS, IN) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE LOWER ROD BEARING HAD FRACTURED AND CAUSED SEVERE DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. ALSO, METAL SHAVINGS WERE PRESENT IN THE OIL. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 78,000.

Other BMW X6 M model years

Check your 2012 BMW X6 M VIN

Not every recall applies to every VIN in a given year. Enter the 17-character VIN from your BMW X6 M at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether your specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

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