The 1997 BMW 840ci has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 410,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the exterior lighting. Last updated July 5, 2026.
THE CRUISE CONTROL AND THROTTLE CABLES ARE ATTACHED TO THE SAME THROTTLE VALVE ACTUATING LEVER AT THE THROTTLE HOUSING. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE PLASTIC BUSHING ON EITHER CABLE COULD BREAK DUE TO ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES COUPLED WITH VIBRATION. IF THE BUSHING BREAKS, THE OUTER CABLE HOUSING CAN SEPARATE FROM THE…
Consequence
THIS COULD CAUSE THE THROTTLE VALVE TO REMAIN PARTIALLY OPEN. IT HIS WERE TO OCCUR, THE CAR MIGHT NOT DECELERATE AS EXPECTED INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A SPRING STEEL CLIP ON THE OUTER TUBE OF EACH CABLE IN THE AREA OF THE ADJUSTING SCREW AND PLASTIC BUSHING. THE CLIP IS DESIGNED TO PREVENT THE OUTER TUBE FROM DISLODGING FROM THE BUSHING.
Complaints by component
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
2
Total complaints2
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“1. Headlight adjusters fall off and the pop-up headlights tilt down. 2. Visibility becomes poor at night - a safety problem. 3. Vehicle taken to dealer - parts on backorder since at least november 4, 2005. No repair is possible without parts. Dealer says 139 part kits are on backorder as of…”
“Adjusters fall off and the headlights tilt down and visibility becomes very poor at night.”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1997 BMW 840ci as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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