2004 BMW 6 Series: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2004 BMW 6 Series. The newest campaign is 12V126000. NHTSA received the report on 26 Mar 2012. The NHTSA record gives the component Electrical System / 12v/24v/48v Battery / Cables. NHTSA has 2 complaints on file for this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 12V126000, in the NHTSA record

Bmw will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and secure the battery bolt cable connection as necessary, free of charge. The safety recall began on april 30, 2012. Owners may contact BMW customer relations and services at 1-800-525-7417.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 29 Mar 2018. Recall file through 29 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

4 campaigns, newest first. 577,668 units in total.

12V12600026 Mar 2012Electrical System / 12v/24v/48v Battery / Cables
10V4460001 Oct 2010Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Power Assist / Vacuum
04V34400014 Jul 2004Power Train / Automatic Transmission / Control Module (Tcm/Pcm/Tecm)
04V30300023 Jun 2004Fuel System, Gasoline

12V126000Received 26 Mar 2012. 367,682 units.
Electrical System / 12v/24v/48v Battery / Cables
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Bmw is recalling certain model year 2004-2010 5-series, model year 2004-2010 6-series, model year 2006-2010 m5, and model year 2007-2010 m6 vehicles. The insulated bulkhead connector for the positive battery cable may have been incorrectly attached to the trunk floor panel, which can lead to a loosening of the bolt connection. As it loosens, an increase in electrical resistance at this cable connection is possible and could cause the cable connection to overheat.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Overheating could lead to a fire, even while the vehicle is not in use. As a precaution, owners are advised to park outside until the remedy has been made.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Bmw will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and secure the battery bolt cable connection as necessary, free of charge. The safety recall began on april 30, 2012. Owners may contact BMW customer relations and services at 1-800-525-7417.
Report filed by BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 30 Apr 2012.
10V446000Received 1 Oct 2010. 198,352 units.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Power Assist / Vacuum
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Bmw is recalling certain model year 2004-2010 5-series, 6-series, and model year 2002-2008 7-series vehicles. A check valve of the brake vacuum pump may leak a small amount of lubricating oil. Over time this could result in contamination of the brake booster.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Power assist braking performance could be adversely affected. In extreme cases there could be a complete loss of power assist braking. An unexpected reduction or loss in power braking assist may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Bmw will notify owners and dealers will repair the vehicles free of charge. The safety recall began on november 24, 2010. Owners may contact BMW at 1-800-525-7417.
Report filed by BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 24 Nov 2010.
04V344000Received 14 Jul 2004. 4,102 units.
Power Train / Automatic Transmission / Control Module (Tcm/Pcm/Tecm)
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain passenger vehicles equipped with 8 and 12 cylinder engines, the digital engine management control (emc) units were not produced according to specifications.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
As a result, engine stalling will occur after a short period of operation. The vehicle may not be able to restart. Also, a loss of power steering and, after repeated actuation of the brake pedal, a loss of brake power assist will occur. These conditions could result in a vehicle crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will install a new digital engine management control unit. The recall began on july 16, 2004. Owners should contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.
Report filed by BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 16 Jul 2004.
04V303000Received 23 Jun 2004. 7,532 units.
Fuel System, Gasoline
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain passenger vehicles equipped with 8-cylinder engines, a circular retention clip at the quick-release coupling along the fuel supply line was inadvertently not installed.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
In the event of a severe frontal crash, the quick-release coupling could separate causing fuel leakage. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will install a circular retention clip at the quick-release coupling along the fuel supply line. The recall began on july 5, 2004. Owners should contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.
Report filed by BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 5 Jul 2004.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

2 complaints, 2 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. This model year has fewer than 50 component mentions, so the table shows the number of mentions only.

2004 BMW 6 Series: component mentions in complaints
Component		Mentions
Engine and Engine Cooling		1
Electrical System		1

Complaints that report a crash: 0
Complaints that report a fire: 0
Injuries in the complaints: 0
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 5 Oct 2004

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 2004 BMW 6 Series, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2004, with 2 complaints.

Investigations

The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 2004 BMW 6 SeriesThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 2004 BMW 6 Series: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/bmw/6-series/2004/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 29 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 29 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 29 Mar 2018
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2004 BMW 6 Series?: 577,668 units in 4 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the BMW 6 Series have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 9 recall campaigns for the BMW 6 Series, model years 2004 to 2012. 4 of them name the 2004 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 2004 BMW 6 Series name most often?: Engine and Engine Cooling: 1 of 2 component mentions.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2004 BMW 6 Series open?: The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.