BMW Recalls 324,000 Diesels In Europe Due To Potential Fire Risk

BMW is now recalling as many as 324,000 diesel-powered models in Europe in order to fix a technical issue that has already caused fires in South Korea.

At fault is an exhaust gas recirculation module specific to BMW diesel cars, which has led to 27 engine fires and the recall of 106,000 vehicles in South Korea, where BMW Korea chairman, Kim Hyo-Joon has also issued an apology.

“For the recent series of fire incidents happened in the country, we sincerely apologize for causing worry and anxiety among people and government authorities,” stated Hyo-Joon during a press conference this past Monday.

As of this week, 13 South Korean owners of BMW vehicles have filed class action lawsuits against the Bavarian automaker, asking for compensation worth 5 million won ($4,447) each – arguing that they have been unable to drive their cars out of fear.

Automotive News Europe reports that BMW is now prepared to recall European models, with 96,300 vehicles affected in Germany alone, as per German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

While BMW said that it knew about these issues since 2016, the automaker had only identified the root cause in June of this year. As for which diesel-powered models are involved, a previous report calls out the 520d, although we suspect several other nameplates to be part of this recall.