BMW Issuing Recall For Over 1 Million BMWs After Over 40 BMWs Caught Fire in S.Korea

I bet after reading the headline, you’re like, BMW’s such a versatile word. It’s like can lah in Singlish.

On 23 Oct, the German luxury carmaker said they’re recalling more than 1 million diesel cars.

They said that there are problems with the coolant system which might end up breaking out into a fire in the worst case scenario.

Lest you’re not aware, the coolant system cools down the engine, and it’s not just about the coolant (the water): it comprises a few parts like the radiator, the pipes, the fan and a few other components.

If one component isn’t working, the engine would usually overheat, so it’s an important part of the car (though every part is important lah, but anyways).

More Than 40 BMWs In South Korea Breaks Out Into Fire

Earlier this year, BMW was caught in a controversy in South Korea. More than 40 BMW cars, most of them the 520d sedan model, caught fire.

The South Korean government were not happy with BMW’s response to the situation and told them to respond responsibly.

BMW had to issue a public apology in South Korea and issued a recall for their cars.

“We offer our sincere apology with our heads down for causing concern and anxiety among customers, the public and the government due to recent fire accidents,” said Kim Hyo-joon, head of BMW’s Korea unit. “We also offer a sincere apology … to customers who suffered the latest fire accidents.”

They said that the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) cooler generated excessive sediment and causes engines to catch fire.

Right now, BMW cars in South Korea are like Samsung Note 8.

While the mobile phone model was not allowed on flights during the exploding phone incident, some car park owners refused to let BMW drivers part in their facilities for fear of fire damage.

BMW Getting Sued By BMW Owners And One Victim

Despite recalling the vehicles, BMW can’t escape lawsuits filed by BMW owners and one victim of a BMW fire.

It was alleged that the German carmaker was aware of a problem with the EGR since 2016. However, they only managed to figure out the cause of fires in June 2018.

The German carmaker office in Korea was raided by the authorities, who want to investigate if they engaged in any cover-up of defective parts.

South Korea prosecutors vow to get to the bottom of the incident.

Recall Expanded To More Diesel Models After Detecting Possible Coolant Fluid Leaks

During the probe by the South Korean government, BMW said that the problem wasn’t a “Korea-specific” issue and existed in other markets as well.

BMW said that they have checked more diesel models and identified a “minimum risk” of fire in some of the models.

In some vehicles, glycol cooling fluid might leak from the faulty component. When the fluid combines with other substances in the car’s system, it could become a fire hazard.

With the expansion, the number of vehicles BMW is recalling will increase to 1.6 million cars around the world.

Owners Will Be Contacted By Direct Sellers

As to how the recall will take place, BMW said they’ll contact the sellers of their cars in Singapore.

These sellers will contact the owners to bring their car in for a checkup.

The EGR of the vehicles will be checked, and if found to be faulty, it will be replaced.