BMW owners alert! Carmaker tells over 3,00,000 vehicle owners to park outside because...

German automaker BMW AG is recalling around 3,31,000 vehicles globally after identifying a starter motor issue — which could cause fire due to possible corrosion — built between 2015-21.

The costly product flaw was identified in 1,95,000 vehicles in the United States and a further 1,36,000 in Germany, as per the manufacturer, according to a Bloomberg report. It did not give an estimated cost of repair or expense for the recall.

Notably, this comes after BMW recalled 15 lakh (1.5 million) cars due to a defective in the braking system made by Continental AG. It had also issued a profit warning due to the same, it added.

What is the engine fire issue?

In the latest recall, BMW said that water could leak into the starter motor of affected vehicles and cause corrosion, which can eventually result in a short circuit, and cause a vehicle fire “in the worst case.”

“Affected customers should park their vehicles outdoors, at a safe distance from buildings, until the repair is carried out,” the company said.

Repairs will be free of charge and BMW will replace the starter motor and battery in a “low number of vehicles.”

The recalled BMW models are:

• 2019-2022 Z4
• 2019-2021 330I
• 2020-2022 X3
• 2020-2022 X4
• 2020-2022 530I
• 2021-2022 430I standard and convertible
• 2022 230I
• 2020-2022 Toyota Supra vehicles (for 1,469 vehicles made by BMW).

‘Park outside’: US traffic safety department issues alert

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, part of the US Department of Transportation has also issued a consumer alert for the same.

“BMW of North America has issued a new park outside recall for nearly 2,00,000 model year 2019-2022 BMW vehicles due to a risk of fire while parked or being driven. Owners should park outside and away from buildings and other vehicles until they either confirm their vehicle is not subject to the recall or have their vehicle remedied,” it stated.

It further informed that due to parts availability, BMW will be conducting a phased recall. “Interim notification letters to owners are scheduled to be mailed on November 14, with a second notice being sent as remedy parts are available. Owners can call BMW customer service at 800-525-7417 with questions,” it stated.

The vehicle identification numbers for affected vehicles will be searchable on NHTSA.gov starting Nov. 14 and US-US-based owners can visit NHTSA.gov/recalls and enter their license plate number or 17-digit VIN to see if their vehicle is under recall, or or call NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236.

(With inputs from Bloomberg)