South Korean Authorities Notified, BMW Recall 720 Thousand Cars In The US Due To Fire Risk

BMW 3 Series Sedan 2015. (Doc. BMW USA)

JAKARTA - BMW has held a massive recall in the United States (US) involving more than 720,000 vehicles produced between 2012 and 2018 because they are equipped with a defective water pump.

The recall notification issued via the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reveals that the blow-by-liquid of the positive crane ventilation system can accumulate on incoming air hoses. This can cause the liquid to fall into the plug connector and over time, it can cause short circuits, increase the risk of fire.

This recall affects specific models such as X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i, Z4 sDrive28i, 528i, 528i xDrive, 328i, 328xi, X5 xdrive 40e, 228i, 228xi, 428i, 428i xDrive, 328xi Gran Turismo, X3 sDrive28i, X3 xDrive28i, X4 xDrive28i, and 428xi. In total, 720,796 vehicles were involved in this recall. This problem was most experienced by BMW 328i models and 328xi in 2012-2016, affecting 236,702 units.

The automaker first learned of a potential problem on March 19, 2024, when contacted by South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport regarding vehicle fires. BMW started an investigation and learned a similar incident had also occurred in the US in January.

Over the following months, BMW tested field spare parts, analyzed water pumps, and investigated the plug connector. It was found that under certain rare vehicle operating conditions, the sealing of the electric plug connector could be disrupted by blow-by fluid flowing from the incoming air hose.

BMW told NHTSA that they were aware of 18 customer complaints, concerns, and field reports that might be linked to the matter in the US but were not aware of any accidents or injuries.

The affected model owners will be notified of the recall starting October 4 and instructed to take their vehicles to a dealer where the water pump and the plug connector will be inspected and, if necessary, replaced. A shield will also be installed to divert any liquid that may fall into the pump from the incoming air hose of the positive crane ventilation system.