BMW Recalls Another 268,000 Models in the UK Over Melting Risks

BMW Group announced a recall of 268,000 models after an internal investigation revealed leaking coolant issues.

“In combination with typical soot deposits and the high temperatures normally present in the EGR module this might result in smoldering particles,” the company explained in a press statement. “This could lead in very rare cases to the melting of the intake manifold and in extremely rare cases result in fire.”

The company noted it would replace any faulty components related to the issue whenever a driver presented an affected vehicle.

“The BMW Group has decided to carry out a technical campaign to check the EGR module and replace any faulty components on the potentially affected diesel vehicles,” the company noted.

The campaign to fix this started in August 2018, and it initially included 480,000 cars. However, that number continued to grow. With the latest announcement of 268,000 cars in the UK, the total count of affected cars is at 1.6 million.

"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,” the company noted in a statement. “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.”

[see-also]

Models include the 3 Series, 4 Series, 5 Series, 6 Series, X3, X4, X5, and X6 vehicles, both four- and six-cylinder diesel engines being under investigation and recall. More specifically, owners of four-cylinder diesel cars built between December 2014 and August 2016 should be cautious, as should six cylinder owners of vehicles between July 2012 and June 2015.

Owners of these models can expect letters about their affected cars and next steps. However, UK residents should know this recall is not related to an earlier issue when 294,000 vehicles were recalled.

BMW is encouraging diesel drivers to be cautious in light of these new findings. When in doubt, check it out.

Interesting Engineering will continue to monitor developments related to this story and update it with the latest information when it becomes available.