BMW recalls hundreds of thousands of cars on fire risk
BMW will recall hundreds of thousands of vehicles worldwide due to a technical fault that could cause the cars to catch fire, the luxury automaker said.
According to BMW, a total of 28,582 cars in Germany were affected.
The company did not provide the exact number of vehicles affected worldwide, but German industrial association kfz-Betrieb reported that 575,000 vehicles could be affected.
Product inspections revealed a faulty solenoid switch that controls the flow of electricity in the circuit.
According to the automaker, affected models include BMW’s 2 Series Coupé, various variants of the 3 Series, 4 Series and 5 Series, the 6 Series Gran Turismo, the 7 Series sedan, and the X4, X5, X6 and Z4.
After multiple starts, excessive wear can occur on the key, making starting the vehicle difficult or even impossible.
BMW said a short circuit could occur, causing the starter motor to locally overheat, which “in the worst case” could cause the vehicle to catch fire during operation.
Drivers may then notice smoke while driving or leaving the vehicle, according to BMW, which recommends not running the engine unattended.
The company said vehicles with a starter relay manufactured between July 2020 and July 2022 could potentially be affected, as well as vehicles retroactively fitted with a faulty starter during repairs.
BMW last recalled hundreds of thousands of vehicles in September due to the possible fire risk due to faulty starter motors.
In this case, it was determined that water entered the starter motor at certain points in the affected vehicles, causing corrosion.
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