Class Action Lawsuit Says Several BMW, MINI Models Plagued by Engine Oil Filter Housing Defect

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A proposed class action lawsuit alleges that several 2014-2021 BMW and MINI vehicle models are equipped with a faulty engine oil filter housing prone to premature failure, and that the automaker has known of the issue for years but failed to disclose it to consumers.

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The 45-page defective product lawsuit says that a vehicle’s engine oil filter housing, which holds the cartridge-type oil filter, should last at least 150,000 miles. However, the complaint says that the BMW and MINI vehicles at issue have polycarbonate engine oil filter housings predisposed to become “embrittled” due to repeated heating and cooling cycles, with the internal wall structures of the housing, which separate the oil and coolant passages, failing and/or warping, and the part’s gaskets, which seal the oil and water passages, also failing prematurely.

When this occurs, engine coolant can either leak into the oil sump, or drain externally, which can cause engine overheating and/or failure, the suit states. The filing says that failure of the BMW engine oil filter housing can require repairs that reportedly cost anywhere from $2,000 to more than $3,500.

The suit alleges that BMW has known of the problems with its polycarbonate engine oil filter housings since at least late 2013 or early 2014, a few short years after the automaker began to phase out cast aluminum engine oil filter housings to lower production costs. Although BMW in 2021 introduced a “half measure” design update to address internal problems with the polycarbonate engine oil filter housing, the case says, the automaker “knew or should have known” that the stopgap measure would not fix or correct the “inherent structural weakness” of the new engine oil filter housing.

“Defendants purposefully ignored this polycarbonate class engine oil filter housing defect for years in order to avoid substantial costs associated with remedying these defects under warranty or conducting another service action,” the complaint alleges.

According to the class action lawsuit, the cars at issue (the class vehicles) include 2014-2021 model year BMW and MINI vehicles, including the 1 Series, 2 Series, 3 Series, 4 Series, 5 Series, X1, X2, X3, X4, MINI Cooper, Clubman and Countryman, equipped with a B46, B48 and/or B58 engine.

Related Reading: BMW Lawsuit Alleges Automaker Concealed Transfer Case Defect in 2019-2025 Vehicles

The plaintiffs are a group of United States residents whose class vehicles allegedly experienced an engine oil filter housing failure between 60,000 and 80,000 miles. Because the BMW powertrain limited warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship only up to four years or 50,000 miles, the suit says, the plaintiffs were forced to pay thousands out of pocket to remedy the issues.

“Defendants acted to conceal the oil filter housing defects during the warranty period so that repair costs would be shifted to the proposed class representatives and proposed class members once the warranty expired and the oil filter housing failed,” the complaint asserts.

The BMW engine oil filter housing class action lawsuit looks to cover all current and former owners and lessees of any of the BMW or MINI vehicles listed on this page who purchased or leased their vehicle in the U.S.

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