Owner Letter
September 1996VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS RECALL TO CORRECT YOUR VEHICLE'S AIR PUMP WIRING AND/OR REPROGRAM ENGINE CONTROL MODULE
RECALL NUMBER: 96E-A01
Dear BMW Owner:
BMW has determined that some 1996 BMW 3-series vehicles equipped with a 2.81 engine may be in violation of Federal and California Emissions Standards.
The Problem is...
Your vehicle may be affected by one or both of the following shortcomings:
The exhaust emission control system of this engine family includes an air pump delivering air into the exhaust manifold system. The two wires supplying power to the air pump may have been reversed during the production process, causing the pump to run backwards. This condition has the effect of reducing the delivered air volume during the engine start-up phase, causing an increase in hydrocarbon (HO) and/or carbon monoxide (CO) emissions. The "Check Engine" Light may become illuminated.
Due to a programming error in the engine control module the Malfunction Indicator Light, also called "Check Engine" Light, may become illuminated and certain fault codes set in it's memory, when actually there is no malfunction present. This could cause unnecessary visits to your BMW dealer to seek remedial action.
What BMW and your BMW dealer will do...
BMW will repair your vehicle free of charge for parts and labor. Your BMW dealer will switch the air pump wires and/or reprogram the engine control module. The repair should take no more than two hours.
Your obligations are...
At your earliest convenience, contact your BMW dealer to schedule a service appointment.
If you fail to get this free service done...
If you live in a State with a SMOG Check program, your vehicle must pass an emissions test, as required by State law. Without this free service, your vehicle may be more likely to fail this test and require additional repairs.
For vehicles registered in the State of California, the completion of emission recall repairs is required prior to vehicle registration renewal. In addition, the State of California requires that every vehicle must pass an emissions test (SMOG Check) in two year intervals and whenever a vehicle is sold. California regulations require BMW to provide the Department of Motor Vehicles with a record of all vehicles, which have not had the recall repair performed.
Furthermore, your BMW dealer will provide you with a Vehicle Emission Recall - Proof of Correction form after the recall service is completed. Please save this form since the California Department of Motor Vehicles may require this as proof of recall completion.
Failure to have this free service performed could be determined as lack of proper maintenance of your vehicle and could jeopardize your full protection under the emissions warranty provisions.
If you need help...
Should you have any questions about this service that cannot be answered by your Authorized BMW dealer, please call our Customer Relations Department, toll free, at 1-800-831-1117.
You don't own this vehicle...
If you are no longer the owner of this vehicle, we would greatly appreciate your furnishing us with the name and address of the new owner, using the enclosed return postage-paid card.
On a personal note...
We appreciate your confidence in our product and wish to do everything we can to retain that confidence. We are sorry to inconvenience you, but we are sure you join with us in our desire to minimize air pollution and any adverse impact to our environment.