BMW recalls 268,000 diesel models in UK over fire risk

BMW has revealed it intends to recall 268,000 diesel-engined models in the UK over a potential fire risk caused by a leaking part.

The recall specifies that the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) cooler can, in some cases, leak glycol liquid. BMW, which found the issue in an internal investigation, says "in combination with typical soot particles and the high temperatures normally present in the EGR module this might result in smoldering particles". 

These particles run the risk of melting the car's intake manifold "in very rare cases", resulting in a fire risk in "extremely rare cases". The original campaign to rectify this, launched in August, involved around 480,000 cars, but that has since been extended to 1.6 million, with 268,000 UK cars affected.

The recall affects several BMW models, including examples of the 3 Series, 4 Series, 5 Series, 6 Series, X3, X4, X5 and X6, with both four and six-cylinder diesel engines affected depending on the model. Four-cylinder cars built between December 2014 and August 2016 are affected, while six-cylinder cars produced between July 2012 and June 2015 are also part of the recall. Certain 1 Series, 2 Series, 7 Series and X1s, built as early as 2010, will also be checked.

As with all recalls, letters are being sent to the registered owners of affected cars advising them to contact their dealer to book it in. The recall is unrelated to an earlier fire risk, which led to 294,000 3 Series in the UK recalled.

BMW said in a statement "During further examination of engines with a similar technical setup, the BMW Group analyzed individual cases that were not included in the original technical campaigns. These individual cases posed no significant risk to our customers. Nonetheless, the BMW Group decided to further reduce even this minor risk by expanding the country-specific technical campaigns".