Ah, automotive recalls. You never really know what you’re going to get with these safety-related callback actions. Sometimes, they’re absolutely critical, to prevent vehicle fires or stop the wheels from falling off, you know, serious stuff. Other times, however, recalls are for totally mundane things, like a misprinted owner’s manual or floor mat problems. Recently, both BMW and Ford posted new recalls, but each has to be one of the smallest ever issued.
Bothersome BMW Braking
Starting alphabetically, the German luxury automaker’s 2025 X3 xDrive 30 utility vehicle has a potential issue with its front brakes. Reportedly, some of the rotors may have been damaged during transport before they were installed on vehicles. Affected components may have score marks or gouges. During heavy braking, these irregularities could cause damage to other system components, which is, understandably, not ideal.
Of course, if your X3 is affected by this problem, BMW will replace the front brake rotors and pads free of charge. But how many vehicles does this actually apply to? Well, the manufacturer says just 26 X3s have this issue, 26. Of that number, 100 percent are estimated to be affected.
Ford’s (Potentially) Bucking Bronco
As for the blue oval, there’s reportedly an issue with the 2025 Bronco SUV. The problem? Something a bit more severe than damaged brake rotors. Certain vehicles may have left the factory with their front upper control arm ball joints either missing their retaining nuts or with nuts that were improperly torqued. Over time, this could cause the control arm to divorce itself from the steering knuckle assembly, leading to a loss of control or, yes, even a crash, neither of which is ideal.
To prevent any of this from happening, owners of affected Broncos are warned not to drive their vehicles until they’ve been inspected and repaired, something a Ford dealership will take care of free of charge.
Now, what’s interesting here is that Ford estimates 100 percent of potentially affected vehicles have this suspension issue, which is not good news. But putting things in context, this recall applies to – are you ready? – just two vehicles, TWO. In the past, there may have been callbacks applying to fewer vehicles, but this has got to be one of the smallest of all time.
What To Do Next
If you’re one of the tiny handful of drivers affected by either of these recalls, keep an eye on your mailbox for formal notices from each automaker. BMW expects official letters to be mailed out to customers by roughly June 6. Notices from Ford should have gone out around April 11, though the automaker is also calling and emailing customers about this serious safety issue.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) campaign number for the BMW recall is 25V247000. The one applying to the Bronco is 25V-260, while Ford’s internal designation is 25S40. For additional information about either of these actions, you can contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417, Ford at 1-866-436-7332, or even the NHTSA safety hotline by calling 1-888-327-4236. As always, get these recalls taken care of as soon as reasonably possible, and stay safe out there.
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