RecallPlainVehicle recalls, explained in plain English

2008 BMW Z4 recalls & complaints

2 recalls on file (2 high risk). Normal for this age of vehicle — just make sure they're done.
2recalls
2high risk
0stop-driving
19complaints

Source: NHTSA, updated daily. Last checked 2026-10-18. Recalls apply to specific VINs — run your VIN to confirm.

2 safety recalls, most serious first

High risk Campaign 17V683000 · announced 30/10/2017 (7 years ago)

1. Engine

What's wrong, in plain English: Engine problems range from stalling to fire. The heater for the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve may short circuit.

What could happen: An electrical short can cause the parts within the PCV valve to melt, increasing the risk of a fire, even when the vehicle is not in use.

The fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the PCV valve heater, free of charge. Interim letters were mailed on November 27, 2017. Owners will receive a second notification by the end of October 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

What to do

  1. Check whether your car is affected: enter your 17-digit VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. A recall covers specific VINs, not every 2008 Z4.
  2. Book a repair at any authorized BMW dealer. Quote NHTSA campaign 17V683000.
  3. The repair is free. By US law, safety recall repairs cost the owner nothing, no matter the car's age or mileage.
  4. Manufacturer hotline: 1-800-525-7417.
  5. Buying this car used? Ask the seller for proof the recall was completed, or run the VIN yourself before paying.
Official wording from NHTSA

Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CRANKCASE (PCV)
Summary: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2008-2011 128i and 2007-2011 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 525i, 525xi, 528i, 528xi, 530i, 530xi, X3 3.0si, X3 xDrive30i, X5 xDrive30i, Z4 3.0i, Z4 3.0si and Z4 sDrive30i vehicles. The heater for the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve may short circuit.
Consequence: An electrical short can cause the parts within the PCV valve to melt, increasing the risk of a fire, even when the vehicle is not in use.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the PCV valve heater, free of charge. Interim letters were mailed on November 27, 2017. Owners will receive a second notification by the end of October 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
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.

High risk Campaign 22V119000 · announced 02/03/2022 (4 years ago)

2. Engine

What's wrong, in plain English: Engine problems range from stalling to fire. The heater for the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve may short circuit.

What could happen: An electrical short can cause the PCV valve heater to overheat, increasing the risk of a fire while driving or, soon after driving when parked.

The fix: This recall supersedes and expands previous NHTSA recalls 17V-683 and 19V-273. Dealers will install an electrical wiring harness with fuse protection for the PCV Valve heater in potentially affected vehicles, free of charge. This recall supersedes and expands previous NHTSA recalls 17V-683 and 19V-273. Vehicles pre…

What to do

  1. Check whether your car is affected: enter your 17-digit VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. A recall covers specific VINs, not every 2008 Z4.
  2. Book a repair at any authorized BMW dealer. Quote NHTSA campaign 22V119000.
  3. The repair is free. By US law, safety recall repairs cost the owner nothing, no matter the car's age or mileage.
  4. Manufacturer hotline: 1-800-525-7417.
  5. Buying this car used? Ask the seller for proof the recall was completed, or run the VIN yourself before paying.
Official wording from NHTSA

Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CRANKCASE (PCV)
Summary: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2008-2013 1 Series Coupe (128i); 2007-2013 3 Series Coupe (328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive); 2007-2010 X3 SAV (X3 3.0si, X3 xDrive30i); 2008-2013 1 Series Convertible (128i); 2006-2011 3 Series Sedan (325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 330i, 330xi); 2006-2012 3 Series Wagon (328i, 328i xDrive); 2007-2013 3 Series Convertible (328i); 2006-2010 5 Series Sedan (525i, 525xi, 528i, 528xi, 530i, 530xi); 2006-2007 5 Series Wagon (530xi); 2007-2010 X5 SAV (X5 3.0si, X5 xDrive30i); 2006-2008 Z4 Coupe (Z4 3.0si); and 2006-2011 Z4 Roadster (Z4 3.0i, Z4 3.0si, Z4 sDrive30i) vehicles. The heater for the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve may short circuit.
Consequence: An electrical short can cause the PCV valve heater to overheat, increasing the risk of a fire while driving or, soon after driving when parked.
Remedy: This recall supersedes and expands previous NHTSA recalls 17V-683 and 19V-273. Dealers will install an electrical wiring harness with fuse protection for the PCV Valve heater in potentially affected vehicles, free of charge. This recall supersedes and expands previous NHTSA recalls 17V-683 and 19V-273. Vehicles previously repaired under the prior recalls will need to come back for the new recall remedy. The remedy is currently being developed. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed on April 1, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 22, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
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.nhtsa.gov.

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Owner complaints filed with NHTSA

19complaints
0crashes
0fires
0injuries
0deaths

Most complained-about parts: Airbags (8), Steering (5), Engine (3), Electrical system (2), Brakes (1).

Complaints are unverified reports from owners. A pattern (many complaints about the same part) matters more than any single one.

Read recent complaints (8)

08/25/2025 · Brakes
This complaint is regarding a large number of 2008 BMW cars exhibiting the ABS failure light. Mine is a Z4 with @ 65K miles and was diagnosed by a certified mechanic as the ABS module failure - a high ($3000-$4000) cost repair. If you use this search term - "how common is bmw 2008 ABS module failure?", you will see that a multitude of cars from 2008 (and in…

10/04/2022 · Engine
The contact owns a 2008 BMW Z4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for th…

04/28/2021 · Vehicle Speed Control
IDLING IN GEAR (AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION) AT A DRIVE THRU. CAR SUDDENLY TRIED TO ACCELERATE. PUT CAR IN PARK AND ENGINE CONTINUED TO INCREASE TO MAX RPMS. I SHUT OFF THE ENGINE AT THE IGNITION. RESTARTED ENGINE AND IDLED NORMALLY.

03/09/2020 · Airbags
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW Z4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT FOR SEVERAL MONTHS THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR WAS FLASHING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WAS CONSTANTLY ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NO…

11/26/2019 · Airbags
RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2008 BMW Z4. AFTER A WEEK OF OWNERSHIP THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON. FAULT CODE POINTS TO THE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR OC3. BMW ISSUED A 15 YEAR EXTENDED WARRANTY TO MANY BMW MODELS INCLUDING THE 2006 AND 2007 Z4 WITH COMFORT SEATS, BUT NOT TO THE 2008 MODEL. THIS REPAIR COSTS UPWARDS OF $1500 AND IS SAFETY RELATED. BMW NEEDS TO STEP…

10/25/2019 · Airbags
THE AIRBAG RED LIGHT ON DASH APPEARED AND STAYED ON,ALSO PASSENGER YELLOW AIRBAG LIGHT STAYS ON .TOOK TO BMW DEALER THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR MAT WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST AROUND 1,600.00 . ERROR CODE 93C3 THEY INFORMED ME WITH THIS PROBLEM I DO NOT HAVE ANY AIRBAG PROTECTION . THIS IS A SAFETY PRO…

10/12/2019 · Airbags
DASHBOARD AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT CAME ON - OBD SCAN INDICATES THE PASSENGER SEAT OC3 AIRBAG SENSOR MAT HAS FAILED. I BELIEVE THIS MEANS THE VEHICLE CAN NO LONGER DETECT IF THERE IS A CHILD IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, AND WILL DEPLOY AIRBAGS REGARDLESS OF PASSENGER WEIGHT. BMW HAS A SERVICE BULLETIN FOR MANY OTHER MODELS AND YEARS (INCLUDING MY Z4 MODEL - BUT NOT Y…

07/05/2018 · Engine
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW Z4. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V683000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE RECALL PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CO…

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