The 2012 BMW 6 Series has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 2,846 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 3 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING12V1610002012-04-102,846 affected
Defect
BMW IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 5-SERIES, 5-SERIES GRAN TURISMO, MODEL YEAR 2012 6-SERIES CONVERTIBLE, 7-SERIES, X5 SAV, AND X6 SAV VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 8- OR 12-CYLINDER, TURBOCHARGED, ENGINES BECAUSE THE CIRCUIT BOARD FOR THE ELECTRIC AUXILIARY WATER PUMP CAN OVERHEAT.
Consequence
THIS COULD LEAD TO A SMOLDERING OF THE PUMP OR AN ENGINE COMPARTMENT OR VEHICLE FIRE.
Remedy
BMW WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AUXILIARY WATER PUMP FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 30, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BMW CUSTOMER RELATIONS AND SERVICES AT 1-800-525-7417.
Complaints by component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
ENGINE
1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1
Total complaints3
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Bmw group issued voluntary recall no. 18v-248: electronic auxiliary water pump failure. Prior to receiving a recall notice by mail, my car's instrument panel registered the following message while driving and on cold startup: "engine temperature high, drive moderately..." . The temperature gauge…”
“Bmw group issued voluntary recall no. 18v-248: electronic auxiliary water pump failure. Prior to receiving a recall notice by mail, my car's instrument panel registered the following message while driving and on cold startup: "engine temperature high, drive moderately..." . The temperature gauge…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2012 bmw 650i. The contact was driving 70 mph, in a thunderstorm in the left lane of the interstate, when he noticed a bolt of lighting land just to the right of the interstate in the grass. 31 of 43 electrical modules failed immediately, including the engine, steering,…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA21002 Opened 2021-09-17 · open
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant…
InvestigationEA21002 Opened 2021-09-17 · open
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2012 BMW 6 Series as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.