[S.Hunter]

New to the BMW World... [Sort of]
So - I am new to the Site, and looking at getting an F10.

I have been reading about the Fuel Pump Recall since I found a few for sale that had the CarFax available to look at, with a Recall on the car.
It appears the Fuel Pumps are faulty?

But the more I look into this, there more I know what is actually happening:

This issue seems very Different from the E60's which have High-Pressure Fuel Pump failure. [On those, the pump actually 'Fails']

Just to give you an Overview, the Issue is with the Electrical Connector melting. This will result in the Pump not working or only working Intermittently. AND possibly causing a Fuel Leak by melting the top of the Pump or Hose near the Connector, melting through the Top Cover of the Fuel Pump.

Now - My THEORY as to WHAT is causing this:

Obviously, it's the Electrical Connector getting Really HOT and Melting. [Duh, you guys probably know that]
But WHY and HOW this is happening is narrowed down to the actual CONNECTOR Failing rather than the fuel pump itself.

My Hypothesis & Theory is that the Pins within the Connector are not making a Sound Connection to the Female Connector on the Wire. Basically, the Electrical Connection is too Thin. Under certain Conditions, the Connector is barely Touching the Leads on the Pump-Side. Which creates an Arc. This Arc is hot enough to melt the Connector, and totally disable the entire Pump Functionality, making it either work Intermittently when it is 'Touching' and not at all when it isn't making a Connection at all.

Many of you have touched Battery Cables together, and know what an 'Arc' is. This is what is happening to the Connector at the Top of the Fuel Pump.

BMW Replacing your Fuel Pump with one with the EXACT same Connector wont prevent it from happening in the Future, unless it has thicker Pins.
Since replacing a defective part with a NEW defective part only Delays the problem, it doesn't really solve it.
It is a Temporary Fix, and in my Experience with 'Warranty' service with Electronics from Samsung, it's just a way to give
you a Fix until your Warranty is up. Then it's a totally defunct situation. Unless.....

BMW Builds a NEW, Properly Designed Connector and installs THAT into our Cars. This would be a Permanent Fix and CURE for the In-Tank Fuel Pump Connector melting.

What to be Aware of :
Since this is an Electrical 'Arc' created by a Connector with Contacts that are too loose , this creates a possibility of a fire. And of course, being literally on Top of the Fuel Pump means there is the possibility of igniting your tank.
This is a worse-case scenario, but it's something to Communicate to BMW.

As an Electronics Tech, I know how to Fix this myself. It would be a sort of 'Hack' but it would Work.

Though I have not opened up an F10 myself to remove a Fuel Pump, I have seen Pictures and a Video showing the Connector.
It appears there are 3 Pins that go into the Connector. And 3 Electrical Connections which go to the Wire.
The DIY Solution is Best done by a Professional who knows how to use a Soldering Iron. And of course this should be done on
a NEW Fuel Pump that has never been used.

The 3 Leads on the Fuel Pump would need to be either Soldered Directly to the Internal Components of the Connector.
OR 3 New Wires would need to be Soldered directly to the Pins on the Fuel Pump, and a NEW, much more Solid Connector would need to be Soldered to the other end. And the Car-Side Connector would need to be Changed to be Compatible with the New one.

The Idea is, to completely CHANGE the Female Electrical Connector on the Car-Side to a tighter one that makes a much more Secure Electrical Connection. Really, just a thicker metal connection would work. Using the same Connector just sets a Mouse Trap for another identical occurrence.

BMW could do this themselves without costing them too much, and MUCH Less than the cost of a Fuel Pump.
(We're talking like, $20 MAX + Labor)
Though creating a new and Improved Connector design might also mean a new Top-Cover/Hat for the Fuel Pump. Which is STILL
Cheap!! (You could 3D-Print one!!)

The Electronic Control systems have better and stronger connectors/Pins than the Fuel Pump. Think about that!
Like the GM-5 Module. It's Internals fail, but the Connectors are HUGE. They don't arc and fail.
(If I remember correctly, Relays inside the GM-5 Modules were the culprit) Or Water getting into them via a leaky sunroof.

Other Thoughts:

It's really too bad that BMW had to make such a Simple Flaw, but this is Easily FIXED with a New & Improved Connector.
I'm talking a CHEAP Fix using parts from a Hardware Store. No one ever makes connectors with issues like this for a Fuel Pump and for good reason. Of all the Great things that BMW has done, and become the Industry Standard for what other car companies try to imitate, it is such a shame that an Issue like a 3-Pin Connector is causing such a Serious Problem.

Just Think: Your Electrical Outlets have 3-Prongs. I know they are much larger than needed for a Fuel Pump, but they wouldn't 'Arc' when left plugged-in. If they did, everyone would have this Melting issue with every single Electrical Outlet. And there would be a lot of homes burning down due to something simple as a Phone Charger.

These things rarely happen to a UL-Listed Power Outlet. The only Arc you get with them, is when you plug them in.
And that is 120V AC not 12V DC like what all automotive electrical systems use.

SO - BMW really screwed-up. They put all the most Advanced Technology into the car, but forgot to make a Safe Electrical Connection at the Fuel Pump. You can bet the new 2017 5-Series doesn't have this issue.

[EL Jeffe 5]

I taught fuel pump is life time guaranteed under BMW recall???

[S.Hunter]

Really? Well, that's Good!! I'm hoping they Redesigned the Connector, and install a New one on the wire harness. The Fuel Pump itself on the 528i & 535i are fine other than the Connection.

Also - I think it's possible it isn't really Arcing per se, is burning-up due to being the weakest-link in the Electronic Connection to the FP.

So long as BMW isn't limiting to One Replacement....