2000 BMW 328i (E46) Technical Service Bulletin # 720499 Date: 991201
Recall - 99V063 MRS Control Module Recoding
GROUP 72
Safety Restraint Systems
Bulletin Number
72 04 99
Woodcliff Lake, NJ
December 1999
Product Engineering
This Service Information bulletin supersedes S.I. 72 04 99 dated May 1999 which should be removed and discarded from your S.I. binder.
THIS RECALL CAMPAIGN MUST BE PERFORMED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE RECALL CAMPAIGN 99V-100 DESCRIBED IN SI
BULLETIN 35 01 99.
Perform the procedure outlined in this Service Information on all affected vehicles the next time they are in the shop for maintenance or Repair,
AND prior to RETAIL delivery.
SUBJECT:
Recall 99V-063: Recoding the E46 MRS Control Module
MODEL:E46
Situation:
The side airbag system is sensitive to certain non-crash impacts such as contacting large potholes or curbs at substantial speed. This could cause the
side airbag and Head Protection System (HPS) of the vehicle to deploy without an actual side crash or impact severe enough to cause significant
visual damage to the vehicle. Unexpected deployment of the side airbags and Head Protection Systems could cause serious or fatal injury if the
occupant's head is resting near any side airbag and could temporarily (or momentarily) distract the driver from controlling the vehicle. Depending on
traffic conditions, and the driver's reaction this inadvertent deployment could cause a crash and/or personal injury. In addition, the Battery Safety
Terminal (BST) would also activate, disconnecting the starter cable from the battery. In this case, the vehicle's electrical system would continue to
operate and the engine would continue to run but, after stopping, could not be restarted.
Affected Vehicles:
328i, 323i (E46) produced up to 4/99
In order to determine if a specific vehicle is affected by this recall campaign, it will be necessary to utilize the "Service Menu" of the DCS (Dealer
Communication System). Based on the response of the system, either proceed with the corrective action or take no further action.
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The Chassis Number Ranges listed are only for informational purposes and are not to be considered as the only deciding factor.
Under the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966, as amended, if there is a recall campaign, dealers must assure that all new
vehicles and new items of replacement equipment are free of safety defects and comply with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
at the time of delivery to the consumer. This means that dealers may not deliver new motor vehicles or new items of replacement equipment unless
the safety defect or noncompliance has been remedied before delivery.
Correction:
Recode the MRS module using coding version C17.1 or higher.
Some customers may express concern about driving their car to your Service Department for this repair. To handle cases of this nature when
necessary, BM will allow (1) for towing affected vehicles to the nearest BMW Center through the Roadside Assistance system to have the inspection
performed, or (2) for sending a technician to the customer's residence in those cases where this would be more economical than towing.
If towing the customer's car is necessary, please call Roadside Assistance at 1-800-332-4269 and make the arrangements on the customer's behalf.
Procedure:
1. Before proceeding, check the "B pillar" for the campaign label # 242. If the vehicle has this label, no further action is necessary. If no label is
present, continue with the recoding.
Important:
If the "airbag warning" lamp is illuminated, the faults must be repaired/deleted before proceding with this recoding.
2. Connect diagnostic connector to the vehicle.
3. Turn the key on (to KL15).
4. Select "Coding/Program."
5. Select "ZCS Coding". Scroll right >.
6. "Coding by means of central coding code (ZCS) Version C17.1 (or higher)" is displayed. Scroll right >.
7. "ZCS encoding can be overwritten by the modifications made by the CAR/KEY MEMORY program. They can be reset if necessary" is
displayed. Scroll right >.
8. Select "7 E46". Scroll right >.
9. Select "Recoding". Scroll right >.
10. Select "19 AIRBAG". Scroll right >.
11. "AIRBAG has been selected. Select correct?" is displayed. Select "YES"
12. "AIRBAG Install control unit so that it works properly. Turn on ignition!" is displayed. Scroll right >.
13. "Start Automatic Coding" is displayed. Select "YES", and continue with step 14.
a) If error message # 2062 is displayed "Coding Data Incomplete", a battery disconnect will need to be carried out. In a small number of
cases, disconnecting the battery may cause the odometer to jump to a lower value (see SIB 62 05 99 dated December 1999).
b) Record the vehicle mileage from the instrument cluster odometer.
c) Remove the battery terminals and, using a fused jumper, touch the cables together for 30 seconds. Reconnect the terminals and clear all
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fault codes.
d) Confirm that the odometer mileage on the instrument cluster is unchanged and continue with the recoding process. If the odometer
mileage changed, refer to SIB 62 05 99 dated December 1999 for correction.
14. "AIRBAG Automatic coding active! Please wait!" is displayed.
15. When coding is complete, "AIRBAG The central coding code has not been; changed! Coding Complete! Turn ignition off. Wait 10 seconds.
Turn ignition on again and carry out functional check." is displayed.
16. MRS coding is now complete.
17. Attach the label with # 242 punched out.
Recall Label Instructions:
This recall campaign has been assigned code number 242. After the vehicle has been checked, and corrected if necessary, obtain a label (5D92-120)
and:
a) emboss your BMW dealer warranty number in the middle of the label (1);
b) punch out code number 242 printed on the label and,
c) affix the label to the B pillar as shown:
If the vehicle already has a label from a previous Service Action/Recall
Campaign, affix the new label next to the old one. Do not affix one label on top another one because a number from an underlying label could appear
in the punched-out hole of the new label.
Warranty Information:
Reimbursement for this recall will be provided through campaign entry without regard to vehicle age or mileage.
