[Tek-dad]

I keep getting this emergency call system malfunction alert. And there is no way to cancel it. It bings like every 10 seconds. What’s going on and what can I do!?

Thanks in advance!

[TurtleBoy]

Could be water leakage through the fin and the TCU is bad or maybe just a dead battery. You will want to take it in to get checked.

[sharp]

This is a known problem and a dealer can fix it under warranty. It will most likely be a water leak in the shark fin antenna, so the antenna module will need to be replaced.

[JJacksonIII]

Take it to the dealer, or put on some noise canceling headphones.

[Orient330iNYC]

i had this happen to me recently, it software just needed to be reloaded. bring it to the dealer regardless. i believe it happened after an app update on the car.

[tinfoiltuna]

This happened in my ‘19 X3; it was because water got into the fin. $4k to repair but insurance covered thankfully

[TurtleBoy]

Originally Posted by tinfoiltuna

This happened in my ‘19 X3; it was because water got into the fin. $4k to repair but insurance covered thankfully

That was good thinking, I don't recall anyone trying to submit that to their insurance.

[TahoeDust]

It seems like this issue pops up a lot. Is there anything that should be done preemptively to prevent the water intrusion?

[TurtleBoy]

Originally Posted by TahoeDust

It seems like this issue pops up a lot. Is there anything that should be done preemptively to prevent the water intrusion?

I have seen some folks post that they ran a bead of silicone caulk around it. A few have removed the fin, cleaned everything, laid a bed of caulk and reattached the fin. I'm hesitant to do anything as I don't want to do anything that may help the problem along.

[TahoeDust]

Originally Posted by TurtleBoy

I have seen some folks post that they ran a bead of silicone caulk around it. A few have removed the fin, cleaned everything, laid a bed of caulk and reattached the fin. I'm hesitant to do anything as I don't want to do anything that may help the problem along.

I can agree with that. I think I remember seeing it denied while under extended warranty. I wonder how difficult it was to get it covered by insurance? How did it go for you tinfoiltuna ?

[Orient330iNYC]

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/20...27571-9999.pdf

basically from start of production till jan 2022, the seal can fail.
looks like they're using windshield adhesive (urethane) for the repair.

i recall reading somewhere the test for the leak was to run the HVAC on max with recirc off and spray soapy water around the sharkfin. if you get bubbles, you have a leak

OP, if yours is a 2024, possibly its just a software issue. this is what the fix was when mine went out (it stopped working in the middle of a rainstorm so i thought it was a leak, but it wasnt)

[tinfoiltuna]

Originally Posted by TurtleBoy

That was good thinking, I don't recall anyone trying to submit that to their insurance.

🤦 I 100% misspoke - I meant through warranty. CPO warranty coverage. Not my auto insurance… sure they would tell me to get lost 😂

[TurtleBoy]

Originally Posted by tinfoiltuna

🤦 I 100% misspoke - I meant through warranty. CPO warranty coverage. Not my auto insurance… sure they would tell me to get lost 😂

Okay, that makes sense that it wasn't insurance. It is surprising though that they covered it under CPO. They must have not considered it to be ruined by a water leak as the CPO excludes those. We have had others not have it covered.

[Novvaa]

Originally Posted by TurtleBoy

Okay, that makes sense that it wasn't insurance. It is surprising though that they covered it under CPO. They must have not considered it to be ruined by a water leak as the CPO excludes those. We have had others not have it covered.

Had this issue on my 2019 X3. Our CPO did not cover the issue and they quoted us nearly $3000 to fix it. My service advisor reccomended calling our insurance company to see if they’d cover it, as they’d had success using that method with other customers. USAA covered the cost, minus the deductible, and minus the cost of the shark fin itself. The covered the damage under “water intrusion”. They didn’t cover the fin because they “only cover the damage, not the root cause”. So all in all, we paid $700 out of picked. $500 for the deductible and $200 for the fun. Not amazing, but better than $3000.

So for anyone directed here by google in the future, some insurance companies will cover the cost to fix your leaking shark fin that causes the Emergency Call System failure on your 2019-2022 BMW.

[tinfoiltuna]

Originally Posted by TurtleBoy

Okay, that makes sense that it wasn't insurance. It is surprising though that they covered it under CPO. They must have not considered it to be ruined by a water leak as the CPO excludes those. We have had others not have it covered.

I must have gotten lucky here - my CPO had actually expired about a week before the issue was diagnosed. 100% attributed to a water leak from the fin. When I got the $4k bill, I pleaded with BMW NA to help cover. They worked with the dealership to bring my total down to $400. May or may not have made a diffence but I had also just purchased an X7 from the same dealership.

Given the other poster, looks like my insurance (USAA) would have covered it too.

[Tek-dad]

The warning stopped on its own hasn’t come back since (I probably jinxed it!).

Thanks!