In a recent announcement, U.S. vehicle safety regulators have urged owners of over 720,000 BMW vehicles to park their cars outdoors until they have been repaired to prevent the risk of fire.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a recall notice on November 13th, revealing that BMW of North America has initiated a recall affecting a total of 720,796 vehicles. This recall has been necessitated by the discovery that these vehicles pose a fire risk even when parked and turned off. The vehicles in question were previously recalled in 2024 due to water pump issues, and now need yet another round of repairs. BMW has advised owners of affected vehicles to ensure they are parked outdoors and away from buildings and other cars until the necessary repairs are completed.
The recall notice specifies that the issue stems from a poorly sealed electrical connector on the water pump. This faulty component may come into contact with water, potentially resulting in a short circuit, which in turn increases the risk of fire.
As far as BMW is aware, there have been approximately ten incidents reported in the United States that are either directly related to or may be attributed to this issue; however, no accidents or injuries have been documented thus far. All of these incidents occurred in vehicles that had previously been recalled and repaired.
The manufacturer is still developing solutions to address the issue, and once a plan is in place, vehicle owners can bring their cars to authorized BMW dealers for free repair services. Until the problem is resolved, it is critical that these vehicles are parked outside to minimize any potential danger.
According to the NHTSA’s announcement, the affected models involved in the recall include the following:
– 2012-2016 BMW 3 Series
– 2012-2016 BMW 5 Series
– 2012-2015 BMW X1
– 2012-2016 BMW Z4
– 2013-2017 BMW X3
– 2014-2016 BMW 2 Series coupe
– 2014-2016 BMW 3 Series sportswagon
– 2014-2016 BMW 328xi Gran Turismo
– 2014-2016 BMW 4 Series convertible
– 2014-2016 BMW 4 Series coupe
– 2015-2016 BMW 2 Series convertible
– 2015-2016 BMW 4 Series gran coupe
– 2015-2018 BMW X4
– 2016-2018 BMW X5 xDrive40e
BMW will begin sending notification letters to affected vehicle owners starting December 25th. From that date, owners will also have the option to check the NHTSA’s recall lookup website (NHTSA.gov/Recalls) to determine if their vehicle is included in this recall. It is essential for owners to remain vigilant and take immediate action to address this serious safety concern.