Park this vehicle outside, away from structures
BMW of North America, LLC has issued an interim safety instruction for this recall. Follow it. Nothing in a legal claim is worth a fire or a crash.
BMW · Recall 25V636000
BMW Recall 25V636000: Fire risk — park away from structures
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2021 BMW 330i, 2019-2022 BMW Z4, 2020-2022 BMW 530i, X3, X4, Toyota Supra, 2021-2022 BMW 430i, 430i Convertible, and 2022 BMW 230i vehicles. The engine starter relay may corrode, causing the relay to overheat and short circuit.
Recall 25V636000 at a glance
| NHTSA campaign number | 25V636000 |
| Manufacturer | BMW of North America, LLC |
| Component | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY:RELAY |
| Vehicles affected | Z4, X3, X4, SUPRA |
| Model years | 2021–2022 |
| Vehicles potentially affected | 199,674 |
| Reported to NHTSA | September 23, 2025 |
| Interim instruction | Park outside, away from structures |
What can go wrong
A short circuit in the starter relay may increase the risk of a fire.
The fix — and whether it has actually arrived
Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the remedy is complete. Dealers will replace the engine starter, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 6, 2026. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov November 14, 2025.
If the remedy is not available yet, or your dealer cannot tell you when the parts will arrive, ask for that in writing. A manufacturer that cannot repair your vehicle within a reasonable time is a manufacturer with a lemon law problem.
Your rights
Why a park-outside recall is different from an ordinary one
This is the strongest kind of recall for a California lemon law claim, and most owners do not realize it.
When BMW tells you to park your vehicle outside and away from buildings, it is not offering advice. It is stating, in writing, that your car may catch fire — and that it cannot currently make it safe. From the moment that letter arrives, you have a vehicle you cannot park in your own garage, cannot leave near your house, and cannot reasonably ask a neighbour to park beside.
California's Lemon Law asks whether a defect substantially impairs the vehicle's use, value, or safety. A car you have been instructed not to park where you live fails all three tests simultaneously — and it fails them today, not after some future repair attempt. This is why the usual objection (“but I have never taken it in for repairs”) carries much less weight here than owners assume.
A recall is not automatically a lemon. It is the manufacturer admitting a defect and offering to fix it free — that is the system working. A lemon law claim arises when the fix fails, the fix never comes, or the defect has already taken the use of your vehicle away from you.
What to do now
Check whether your BMW needs this recall
Not every BMW is affected by 25V636000. Enter your 17-digit VIN in NHTSA's free federal database to see whether this recall — and any others — are open on your exact vehicle.
Look up your VIN at NHTSA.govRecall 25V636000 — common questions
What is 25V636000?
25V636000 is a safety recall issued by BMW of North America, LLC and reported to NHTSA on September 23, 2025. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2021 BMW 330i, 2019-2022 BMW Z4, 2020-2022 BMW 530i, X3, X4, Toyota Supra, 2021-2022 BMW 430i, 430i Convertible, and 2022 BMW 230i vehicles. The engine starter relay may corrode, causing the relay to overheat and short circuit.
Is my BMW included in recall 25V636000?
Not every BMW is affected. The recall covers 2021–2022 Z4, X3, X4, SUPRA, but inclusion depends on the specific VIN. Enter your 17-digit VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to confirm whether your exact vehicle is covered.
Does recall 25V636000 make my BMW a lemon?
Strong. A fire-risk recall with a park-outside instruction impairs use, value and safety from the day the letter arrives — often without any repair history at all. If the remedy is delayed or the replacement parts are backordered, that is the profile of a buyback case.
What does it cost to have a lemon law attorney look at this?
Nothing. Case reviews are free, and under California's Song-Beverly Act the manufacturer pays your attorney's fees on a successful claim. You keep your recovery.
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Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome. Every case is different and depends on its own facts.
Is your BMW a lemon?
A recall is one data point. If your BMW has been back to the dealer for the same problem, or has sat waiting on parts, the recall may be the least of it. Speak to a BMW lemon lawyer before you agree to another repair attempt — our BMW lemon law attorneys will tell you straight whether you have a case.
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