Oops! The BMW 5 Series and 7 Series are a little too self-driving

BMW is recalling nine thousand 5 and 7 series vehicles in the United States, including the i5 and i7 electric models. What the problem is? That they are a little too self-propelled.

In a car with active driving assistant level 2, the driver must always keep his hands on the steering wheel. A sensor in the steering wheel monitors this.

BMW sensor not working properly

However, on the BMW 5 Series and 7 Series, this sensor may not work properly, meaning that the active driving assistant will continue to work if the driver is not holding the steering wheel.

Physically back to the dealer

The 5 and 7 Series must be physically returned to the dealer as the issue cannot be resolved with a software update. The models really need some repairs. The recall does not initially apply to Europe.

Autonomous driving at level 3

In Germany, both BMW and Mercedes already have permission for so-called Level 3 autonomy, which in certain situations does not require active control by the driver. This is not yet allowed here.

There are six levels of autonomous driving. Level 0 is a car without self-driving features. Level 5 represents complete autonomy. Many new cars are currently at Level 2, where they can perform certain actions themselves, but always require a driver to pay attention and intervene.