NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE13-030: Loss of power assist braking
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE13-030 on September 6, 2013 and closed it on October 25, 2013. NHTSA's investigations file lists 8 BMW models for it and links recall 13V-454 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE13-030 (also written PE13030)
- Investigation type
- Preliminary Evaluation The first stage of most defect investigations: NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation gathers basic information about a possible safety defect, including from the manufacturer.
- Status
- Closed October 25, 2013
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- BMW of North America, LLC
- Component
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic — Power Assist — Vacuum
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 13V-454: Loss of Brake Assist/Vacuum Pump Lubrication, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- 8 BMW models, including the 320I and 328I
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE13-030.
In 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.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE13-030. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to that page's NHTSA investigations section.
What an NHTSA investigation is
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) looks into possible safety defects in vehicles and equipment, often after owner complaints. An investigation usually starts as a Preliminary Evaluation, or as a Recall Query when it concerns whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or fixes the problem, and ODI can upgrade it to a more detailed Engineering Analysis. A Defect Petition asks NHTSA to open an investigation, and Audit and Equipment Queries are administrative investigations into whether companies complied with federal vehicle safety requirements, such as reporting, recall and certification rules.
An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.
To see whether a specific vehicle has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
BMW VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for PE13-030
Investigation details come from NHTSA's investigations file, which try.vin imports once a day. The investigation types are described from the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General's May 2023 report on NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA's petition rules (49 CFR Parts 552 and 557) and NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation procedures. How try.vin reads NHTSA investigations.