BMW i3 2011–2016 — technical service bulletin
Bulletin B611915 · NHTSA communication 10147257 · issued Sep 1, 2015
Technical service bulletin
communication type
Steering
component
2011–2016
model years
17
vehicle entries
Official summary
Grating or Scraping Noise When Turning Steering Wheel. There is a grating or scraping noise when the steering wheel is turned. The noise comes from the steering column switch cluster (SZL), coil spring or steering wheel. CAUSE When the steering wheel is turned, the connection between the steering wheel and the steering column switch cluster causes torsional stress, which creates a noise in the coil spring cassette.
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.