German car manufacturer BMW, the most popular car brand in Belgium, is recalling hundreds of thousands of cars from various series worldwide due to a fire risk.
In Belgium, this affects several thousand cars, according to Jeroen Lissens, spokesperson for BMW Belux.
German press agency DPA reported that 28,582 cars are affected in Germany alone. German media reports indicate that a total of 575,000 vehicles are affected worldwide, but this information has not been confirmed by BMW.
Product checks have revealed that after a large number of starts, increased wear can occur in the magnetic switch, the car manufacturer explained. In some cases this can prevent the car starting completely. In addition, short circuiting cannot be ruled out, which can lead to local overheating of the starter motor.
"In the worst case, this can cause a fire in the vehicle while driving," BMW said. "In this case, smoke may be visible or noticeable while driving or when exiting the vehicle." The manufacturer recommends that vehicles should not be left unattended with the engine running.
The problems specifically concern vehicles in the 2 Series Coupé, various variants of the 3, 4 and 5 Series, the 6 Series Gran Turismo, the 7 Series, the X4, X5, X6 and Z4. The vehicles in question were manufactured between July 2020 and July 2022.
In Belgium, this recall affects several thousand cars. "The customers concerned have already been informed by post and, in half of the cases, the starter motor has already been replaced," says the spokesperson for BMW BeLux. The customers concerned can continue to use their cars for the time being.
In the autumn, BMW had already recalled hundreds of thousands of cars because a starting problem could, in the worst instance, cause a fire. This was not due to wear and tear, but to water that could seep into the starter motor and cause corrosion.
