BMW recalls hundreds of thousands of cars worldwide due to fire risk

BMW is recalling hundreds of thousands of vehicles worldwide due to a technical problem that could cause a fire, the luxury automaker announced Wednesday.

A total of 28,582 cars are affected in Germany, according to BMW.

The company did not give an exact figure for the number of affected vehicles worldwide, but German industry newspaper Kfz-Betrieb said some 575,000 could be affected.

Product inspections revealed a faulty solenoid switch, which controls electrical flow in a circuit. Affected models include the BMW 2 Series Coupe, several 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, according to the automaker.

After a high number of starts, excessive wear of the switch may occur, which can make it more difficult or impossible to start the car.

A short circuit could occur, which could lead to localized overheating of the starter motor, causing the vehicle to catch fire during operation “in the worst case scenario,” BMW said.

In this case, drivers might notice smoke while driving or leaving the car, according to BMW, which advises against leaving the engine running unattended.

Vehicles equipped with a starter relay manufactured between July 2020 and July 2022 could potentially be affected, as well as cars retroactively equipped with a faulty starter during repairs, the company said.

BMW last recalled hundreds of thousands of vehicles in September due to a potential fire risk from a faulty starter motor.

In this case, water had entered the starter motor in certain areas of the affected vehicles, causing corrosion.