BMW M3 2009–2012 — technical service bulletin
Bulletin B612616 · NHTSA communication 10146790 · issued Dec 1, 2016
Technical service bulletin
communication type
Electrical System
component
2009–2012
model years
5
vehicle entries
Official summary
Interrupted supply of power to the vehicle. Initial vehicle entry / engine ignition may not function. Intermittent power failure during a journey may cause: o Instrument cluster flickering o Engine jerking. Plug-in contact of the positive battery cable, located at the front power distribution box has been damaged. Vehicle vibrations and frictional corrosion can cause a high current flow thru the wire. The excessive current draw causes damage to the battery positive cable plug contact.
Vehicles covered
What a TSB means. Technical service bulletins are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls, and repairs are not automatically free (warranty extensions are an exception worth checking). The full document is available via NHTSA’s vehicle lookup.