If you’re from Korea, you probably heard about BMW’s recall of certain diesel cars for a potential fire hazard. Initially, BMW recalled about 480,000 cars in Europe and Asia but upon further inspection, the German company decided to expand its operation to make sure nobody is in danger and now over 1.6 million cars are estimated to be affected by this recall. Customers owning cars made between 2010 and 2017 with potentially malfunctioning EGR valves will be notified by BMW.
According to BMW, some diesel vehicles can experience glycol-leakage from the EGR (Exhaust-Gas-Recirculation) valve can occur. In combination with typical soot deposits and the high temperatures normally present in the EGR module this might result in smoldering particles. This could lead in very rare cases to the melting of the intake manifold and in extremely rare cases result in a fire.
The technical campaigns initially decided for European and Asian countries in mid-August 2018 involved around 480.000 BMW diesel vehicles. 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 the customers, as per BMW.
However, a decision was made to further reduce even this minor risk by expanding the country-specific technical campaigns. The 1.6 million affected cars are spread worldwide so this is no longer an European-Asian ordeal. BMW said in a statement that this is a voluntary recall, adding that “It is the goal of BMW Group to support the trust and confidence of our customers in our products.”
If you’re worried about whether your car is affected, just contact your local dealer which should be able to offer some additional details.
