BMW recalls one million luxury cars over fire fears

BMW has recalled more than 1 million cars and SUVs in the US due to the risk of fires under the hood, and it’s recommending that they be parked outdoors until repairs are made.

In the two separate recalls, the German carmaker says the risk of fire is very low in both cases, but the vehicles should say outside ‘in an abundance of caution.’ Repairs are expected to start on December 18.

The first voluntary recall affects certain BMW 3 Series models from 2006 to 2011, the company said in a statement.

The issue is related to potentially faulty wiring of the climate control blower fan which ‘in extremely rare cases’ could cause a fire, it said.

The second recall will address a problem with a heater valve in certain 2007-2011 BMW models equipped with a 6-cylinder engine.

In Brookhaven, Georgia, after an unexpected snowfall in January 2014, one motorist left his BMW E36 M3 on the impassable road overnight. It burst into flames before he returned

The BMW in Brookhaven, Georgia was quickly engulfed in flames as police looked on

The BMW in Brookhaven, Georgia was quickly engulfed in flames as police looked on

‘Irregularities in the manufacturing process could lead to corrosion and in extremely rare cases may lead to a thermal event,’ the company said.

BMW MODELS AFFECTED BY RECALL 

Model Years 2006-2011

323i, 325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 330i, 330xi, 335i, 335xi and M3

Model Years 2007-2011 

328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 525i, 525xi, 528i, 528xi, 530i, 530xi, X3 3.0si, X3 xDrive30i, X5 xDrive30i, Z4 3.0i, Z4 3.0si, Z4 sDrive30i, 335i xDrive and 335is

Model Years 2008-2011 

128i 

Model Years 2009-2011

335d 

 

Documents posted Friday by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that a heater for the positive crankcase ventilation valve can overheat and cause the valve to melt, increasing the risk of a fire even when the vehicle is not in use. Dealers will replace the heater.

The heater is designed to prevent the valve from freezing in cold temperatures, BMW spokesman Hector Arellano-Belloc said. But irregularities in manufacturing can cause corrosion can lead to overheating. 

Both recalls are for some 700,000 cars each but because there are ‘a lot of overlaps’ the total number of affected cars is around one million, spokesman Michael Rebstock told AFP.

The affected cars were produced in Spartanburg, South Carolina as well as in Germany, South Africa and several other countries, the spokesman said.

The largest of the recalls covers over 740,000 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 525i, 525xi, 528i, 528xi, 530i, 530xi, X3 3.0si, X3 xDrive30i, X5 xDrive30i, Z4 3.0i, Z4 3.0si and Z4 sDrive30i vehicles from 2007-2011. Also included is the 2008-2011 128i. All have 6-Cylinder engines. 

The other recall covers nearly 673,000 cars including the 323i, 325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 330i, 330xi, 335i, 335xi and M3 from the 2006-2011 model years. Also covered are the 2007-2011 328i xDrive, 335i xDrive and 335is, and the 2009-2011 335d.

More than 40 parked BMWs that are not under an open recall have caught fire in the US over the past five years, according to a new report out Thursday 

More than 40 parked BMWs that are not under an open recall have caught fire in the US over the past five years, according to a new report out Thursday 

A parked 2012 BMW X6 is seen engulfed in flames in Delray Beach, Florida in July 2015

A parked 2012 BMW X6 is seen engulfed in flames in Delray Beach, Florida in July 2015

The mass recall is the latest setback to hit the German titan, after its Munich headquarters was raided by EU antitrust regulators late last month as part of a probe into alleged collusion between German carmakers. 

The recall comes just six months after a shocking investigative report from ABC News in May, which found over 40 cases of BMWs catching fire while parked over the past five years.

The inexplicable fires ranged across several models, years, and generations of the iconic luxury brand’s vehicles, which can range in price to over $100,000. 

At the time, BMW denied that they’ve found ‘any pattern related to quality or component failure’ and says that out of the 4.9million vehicles it has on US roads, fire incidents are exceedingly rare.  

The dramatic, sudden fires in parked cars left dozens of drivers bereft of their prized luxury vehicles, and at least one man homeless when a car fire in his garage burned his home down.

In October of 2016, Tar Zaide had just parked his 2011 BMW 328 in an Oshwa, Canada parking lot on his way to visit a client when it began smoking and then burst into flames

In October of 2016, Tar Zaide had just parked his 2011 BMW 328 in an Oshwa, Canada parking lot on his way to visit a client when it began smoking and then burst into flames

In December of 2015, Bill Macko was in his Olney, Maryland when his wife parked their 2008 BMW X5, which originally retailed for $46,200, in the garage after a short drive,

Macko, a lifelong BMW enthusiast who had purchased seven of the high-end cars over the years, told ABC that he walked into the garage to investigate a strange smell, and heard a ‘snap, crackle, pop’ as he entered.

The car burst into flames, and Macko and his wife ran out of the house and watched as firefighters battled the inferno, which ultimately engulfed and gutted their home.

Sixteen months later, he and his wife are still staying with relatives, unsure when they will be able to return to their rebuilt home.

In another case, in New York’s Westchester County, the owner of a 2003 BMW told fire crews it had been sitting parked for three or four days before bursting into flames.

‘Which we thought was a little peculiar,’ Mamaroneck Fire Chief Tracey Schmaling told WABC.

In October of 2016, Tar Zaide had just parked his 2011 BMW 328 in an Oshwa, Canada parking lot on his way to visit a client when it began smoking and then burst into flames. 

John Minkhe of Sweden said his BMW X5 burst into flames a few minutes after his wife and children switched off the engine and got out of the car

John Minkhe of Sweden said his BMW X5 burst into flames a few minutes after his wife and children switched off the engine and got out of the car

‘My son saved by seconds,’ wrote the person who posted a video of the fire on YouTube. ‘Cannot believe what we were seeing.’ 

In Brookhaven, Georgia, after an unexpected snowfall in January 2014, one motorist left his BMW E36 M3 on the impassable road overnight. 

Before he returned the next day, the car was engulfed in flames, the Associated Press reported. 

Across the Atlantic, John Minkhe of Sweden got a rude surprise in April 2014. 

‘An explosive fire started in our BMW X5 a few minutes after my wife and two kids switched off the engine and left the car,’ he explained in a post on YouTube.

The car was ‘totally flashed over’ within 10 minutes, Minkhe wrote. 

‘My family has had BMW since beginning of 2000s, we thought we invested in quality and safety according to the premium brand BMW considered to be – unfortunately we were wrong,’ he added.  

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