BMW recalls hundreds of thousands of cars on fire risk

BMW is recalling hundreds of thousands of vehicles worldwide over a technical fault that could cause the cars to catch fire, the luxury carmaker says.

A total of 28,582 of cars are affected in Germany, according to BMW.

The company did not give an exact figure of vehicles affected worldwide but German industry outlet kfz-Betrieb reported that 575,000 might be affected.

Product inspections revealed a faulty solenoid switch, which controls the electricity flow in a circuit.

Models affected include the BMW's 2 Series Coupé, several variants of the 3 Series, 4 Series and 5 Series, the 6 Series Gran Turismo, the 7 Series saloon and the X4, X5, X6 and Z4, according to the car maker.

Following a high number of starts, excessive wear might occur in the switch, which might make it more difficult or even impossible to start the car.

A short circuit might occur, which could lead to localised overheating of the starter, resulting in the vehicle catching fire during operation "in the worst case," BMW said.

In this case, drivers might notice smoke while driving or leaving the car, according to BMW, which advises against leaving the engine running unattended.

Vehicles that have a starter relay manufactured between July 2020 and July 2022 could potentially be affected, as well as cars that have been fitted with a faulty starter retroactively during repairs, the company said.

BMW last recalled hundreds of thousands of vehicles in September over a potential fire risk due to a faulty starter.

In that case, water was found to penetrate the starter motor at certain points in the affected vehicles, causing corrosion.