Fan controller recall <E38><E39><E46><E52><E53>

[John Firestone <john.firestone@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I haven't seen any mention of this. This is a serious recall with
BMW replacing newly bought cars because of under hood fires.

- -John
'96 318is


[Originally posted 23 Sep 2001 on the 3er forum at www.bmw-treff.de]

BMW issued SI Bulletin 64 07 01 yesterday to notify dealers that all 
models that were recently recalled to replace the auxiliary/cooling 
fan would be recalled again.
Here is some of the pertinent info from the SI Bulletin:

SUBJECT

Recall Campaign 01V-206: Engine Auxiliary/Cooling Fan - E46, E38, 
E39, E52, E53 

MODEL

E46, 3 Series with manual transmission, produced 02/01/2001 up to 06/01/2001
E38, 7 Series from 11/01/2000 up to 06/30/2001 
E39, 5 Series from 01/16/2001 up to 08/31/2001 
E52, Z8 from 01/01/2001 up to 08/31/2001 
E53, X5 from 12/18/2000 up to 09/05/2001 

NOTE : 

This notification contains important revisions to Recall Campaign 
01V-206, Engine Auxiliary /Cooling Fan which has been revised. 
ALL VEHICLES CAMPAIGNED UNDER THE CURRENT RECALL 01V-206 
WILL BE RECALLED AGAIN USING THE FOLLOWING, NEW PART 
NUMBERS: 

  E46 - PN 17 11 7 510 617 
  E39 - PN 64 54 6 921 395 
  E38/E52 - PN 64 54 6 921 383 
  E53 - PN 64 54 6 921 381. 

Should a customer who has received a Notification Letter for the 
Recall 01V-206 request that Recall 01V-206 be performed, proceed 
with the repairs described in this Service Bulletin. 

This Service Information Bulletin is going to be updated shortly with 
the full VIN range of the affected vehicles. Customer notification 
mailings will follow. 

SITUATION

The potential defect involves the engine auxiliary/cooling fan in 
certain MY 2001 BMW vehicles. 

Fan operation, including variable speed, is electronically controlled. 
It is possible for the electrical circuitry in the fan control unit to 
overheat and fail, causing the fan to stop operating. If this were to 
occur, engine overheating and subsequent engine damage could 
result if vehicle continues to be operated, despite the warning 
provided by the coolant temperature gauge. 

In addition, it is possible in some cases for the failure of the 
electrical circuitry to cause smoldering. In the extreme case, a fire in 
the fan control unit, which is mounted in the fan and located in the 
front of the engine compartment, could occur. This could happen 
either while the engine is running or after the ignition has been 
switched off since fan may run for up to 11 minutes after engine 
shutdown.

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End of bmw-digest V9 #1928
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