E70 X5 Rear Differential failure

[Ninja]

The majority of E70s owners wouldn't have tuned or trashed their cars given it is a 4WD and family oriented vehicle, unlike high performance BMWs like a ///M3 where the owners might trash it around the track with launch control, high speed cornering etc.

Generally a typical rear diff shouldn't break under normal use, we are talking about a 7-10 yrs old car. Once we have established the number of affected pre-LCI E70s, perhaps it is time for BMW to consider a recall on the faulty rear diff.

[JCL]

Might be different in Australia, but in North America recalls are for safety and emissions reasons, not for parts that don't meet owner's life expectations.

As for part numbers being changed up, it can be for any number of reasons, including simply a supplier change. It isn't an indication that there is necessarily a design or manufacturing problem. Do we know what the part number change up signified?

I agree that a differential shouldn't break under normal use. The existence of a stronger diff for certain models, however, suggests that the standard diff may not have had as much safety margin as other models.

[ard]

Originally Posted by Ninja

Generally a typical rear diff shouldn't break under normal use, we are talking about a 7-10 yrs old car. Once we have established the number of affected pre-LCI E70s, perhaps it is time for BMW to consider a recall on the faulty rear diff.

Originally Posted by JCL

Might be different in Australia, but in North America recalls are for safety and emissions reasons, not for parts that don't meet owner's life expectations..

Spot on.

Engineering analysis must show that a failure rate has been demonstrated above some threshold, AND that if the failure were to recur it would likely result in a safety issue to occupants or others on the road.

Originally Posted by hs2k02

In some cases it would be a personal safety issue. With mine, while taking off from a stop sign, the car moved onto the road before diff failure and total loss of mobility.

That MAY be construed to be a safety defect that would lead to a recall.



As we see with the GM news recently, car manufacturers fight TOOTH AND NAIL to avoid recalls. You'll need more than a group letter.

Like logging complaints with governmental agencies to start. And rememnber, the issue is '...and it led to a dangerous situation due to _______'. Griping about how much it costs, or that other mfgs dont have failing diffs is NOT a good justification for a recall