The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received on September 1, 2026 a defect petition dated August 5, 2026, requesting an investigation into an alleged defect in BMW rear differential assemblies. The petitioner alleges Model year (MY) 2022 BMW 540i vehicles are experiencing a sudden mechanical failure that severs the drive connection between the driveshaft and the rear wheels. This defect petition has been opened to evaluate the issue and determine whether to grant or deny the petition. BMW filed Safety Recall 26V525 on August 12, 2026. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI number 11761650.
Defect petition DP26009Open
Driveshaft to rear differential connection failure
An investigation is a step in NHTSA's review, not a finding that a defect exists. NHTSA links no recall campaign to it.
Components named
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
Source: NHTSA ODI investigations file, action DP26009. Text as published by NHTSA.
Products
One product line is named
Make, model and model years as listed in the investigation record.
| Make | Model | Model years |
|---|---|---|
| BMW | 540I | 2022 |
Source: NHTSA ODI investigations file.