Will BMW owners get this recall before their cars burn away?
News just in from Reuters that BMW will be recalling 1.03 million cars world wide over potential fire risks, the German car manufacturer said on Wednesday. This is BMW’s third recall over the same issue since 2017.
The new recall involves numerous vehicles built between 2006 and 2013, including some 1 Series, 3 Series, X3, 5 Series, X5 and Z4 models, because the heater for the positive crankcase ventilation valve (PCV) may short-circuit and in extremely rare cases could increase the risk of a fire.
The new recall includes 917,106 vehicles in the United States, 98,000 in Canada, and 18,000 in South Korea, BMW said. It looks like the recall is specifically for left hand drive models and probably vehicles that are produced in the North American factory.
The recall supersedes and expands BMW’s recalls in 2017 and 2019 that involved 740,000 and 184,000 U.S. vehicles, respectively.
Many vehicles repaired under the prior recalls will need a new fix, which is currently being developed, BMW said, adding that the remedy and sufficient inventory of parts are expected by mid-2022.
BMW said some vehicles previously recalled are not covered by the new recall because they were produced with an improved PCV valve heater design.
The new recall was prompted by a series of fire reports in BMW vehicles previously recalled that had been repaired. BMW said its investigation showed supplier production issues could lead to PCV valve heater damage in the field.
The automaker said it was not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the latest recall.
It said owners do not need to stop driving pending the recall fix, but should stop driving if they see smoke from the area near the engine compartment, or smell smoke or a plastic burning odor.
It is great to know that there will be visual confirmation before these BMW owners will need to get out of their cars and make sure their loved ones, maybe even children in rear baby seats are taken away from the ‘smoking’ car.
