A number of Ohio motorists and other people across the country who like upscale cars and don’t mind paying more to own them drive BMW models.
Many of them will soon be without their wheels temporarily, as the car company has just issued a recall on multiple vehicle models that, in terms of the sheer numbers involved, approximates the total number of BMW cars sold globally all of last year.
To be precise: BMW sold 1.38 million cars worldwide last year and is presently recalling about 1.3 million vehicles. The recall is focused on potential problems in the electrical systems of 5- and 6-series models that, in the most adverse cases, could result in fires and car accidents.
About a quarter of those units are being recalled in the United States, where BMW is the number-one seller of luxury vehicles.
The problem that has precipitated the recall is the cars’ battery cable cover, which has been shown to be improperly mounted in many cases.
“This can result in the electrical system malfunctioning, the vehicle failing to start and, in some cases, to charring or fire,” says a BMW spokesperson.
No car crash has yet been reported from the potentiality, states the company, although several cases of “related defects” have been reported.
Federal regulations require car makers to report defects within five days to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a duty that the administration states BMW has failed to meet multiple times over the past couple years.
BMW denies that, but states that, nonetheless, it will agree to make internal changes in how and when it issues recalls.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, “BMW recalling 1.3 million cars to fix electrical flaw,” March 26, 2012