A recall has been issued on all 2010 and 2011 BMW 5-Series and 5-Series Gran Turismo models, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has revealed on its website today. The recall is due to a problem with the affected cars' fuel level sensors, which can see them indicate more fuel than there actually is in the tank.

Essentially, the fuel level sensor within the actual fuel tank can become wedged against the tank sidewall. If this occurs, the fuel gauge in the instrument cluster would display a larger amount of fuel than was actually in the tank.

While potentially the issue isn’t extremely dangerous, the NHTSA points out that if the tank became empty, the vehicle could stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

The affected vehicles, of which there are some 6,080 units, are those built from January 12 through July 1, 2010. BMW is yet to announce an actual recall schedule or even a remedy but letters should be going out to customers very soon.

On a side note, more than 5,000 2010 and 2011 model year Jaguars are being recalled for an issue that might cause their 5.0-liter V-8 engines to stall with little or no warning. In certain Jaguar XK Coupes or Convertibles from the 2010 or 2011 model years, or in 2010 Jaguar XF models, the fuel pump and fuel pump relay may fail to operate as they should after a restart, leading the engine to stumble, then stall. For more details, check our Bengt Halvorson’s report over at TheCarConnection.com.

[NHTSA]