The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced two recalls on Nov. 2 that involve about 1 million vehicles around the country manufactured by BMW. The recalls address two issues that have been linked to a series of fires involving parked BMW vehicles, and cars and SUVs manufactured between 2006 and 2011 are covered. BMW says that its dealers in Kentucky and across the U.S. will have the parts necessary to perform the recalls by Dec. 18, and owners will not be charged for the work.
When reports emerged in May about more than 40 parked BMWs catching fire, the German carmaker denied that a product defect or manufacturing issue was to blame. Some of the vehicles involved had been idle for several days before going up in flames according to the reports, which BMW blamed on nesting rodents, arsonists or vehicle owners who relied on untrained mechanics or failed to properly maintain their vehicles.
One of the recalls calls for faulty positive crankcase ventilation valves to be replaced in 740,561 BMW cars and SUVs produced between 2007 and 2011. The second recall involves checking, and replacing if necessary, the wiring and electrical connectors in the air conditioning and heating systems of 672,755 BMW vehicles produced between 2006 and 2011. The total number of vehicles being recalled is less than these two figures combined because some of the models involved are covered by both recalls.
Manufacturers often blame accidents involving their products on consumers who acted recklessly or failed to follow directions. These arguments can be persuasive when products are used by millions of people without incident, and experienced personal injury attorneys may search court records and media reports for examples of similar incidents before initiating defective product litigation on behalf of consumers who have been harmed.
Source: ABC News, BMW recalls 1 million vehicles for fire risk, Brian Ross, Nov. 3, 2017