BMW Recalls More Than 720,000 Cars & SUVs Due to Fire Risk
If you own a four-cylinder mid-2000s-era BMW, there's a pretty good chance your vehicle is now subject to a massive National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall. More than 720,000 BMW units are affected by the August 13 recall, which is focused on a potential fire risk due to a part inside the engine.
Specifically, NHTSA filings show that BMW's N20 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine could short-circuit at the water pump’s electrical plug connector due to accumulating blow-by fluid from the positive crankcase ventilation system. That's a lot of technical words for what is, essentially, an air-fuel leak between the pistons and cylinder wall.
While nearly every engine produces some degree of blow-by fluid, these BMWs are creating an excess — and that's dripping into the water pump's electrical system. The worst-case scenario result from this drip is a short circuit, which could in turn start a fire inside the engine, according to recall filings from BMW.
18 complaints of such thermal events have been recorded across the globe, including instances in South Korea and the United States. All told, 11 different BMW models were affected by the mass recall. There are no recorded injuries related to this recall.
Affected models include:
2012-2015 X1 / X1 xDrive
2012-2016 Z4 sDrive28i
2012-2016 528i / 528i xDrive
2012-2016 328i / 328i xDrive
2016-2018 X5 xDrive 40e
2014-2016 228i / 228i xDrive
2014-2016 428i / 428i xDrive
2014-2016 328xi Gran Turismo
2013-2017 X3 / X3 xDrive
2015-2018 X4 xDrive28i
2015-2016 428xi
BMW has already identified a remedy to the internal problem: dealerships will inspect the water pump and plug connector and, if necessary, replace them. Additionally, a shield will be installed to divert any fluid that might drop down from the positive crankcase ventilation system’s intake air house.
A total of 720,796 vehicles are included in the recall, but the NHTSA estimates that only one percent of those cars and SUVs are defective.
The timeline for identifying and remedying this fault has been relatively short, with BMW being alerted to the problem this March by the Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. BMW had collected samples of the indicted water pump and associated plugs by April and root causes had been analyzed by July. Dealerships have already been notified of the recall. and owners will receive personal mail notifications this October; the fix will be available to affected customers at no cost.
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