BMW recalls 300,000 cars over safety fears: is your car affected?

BWM is recalling 312,000 vehicles from across its range following reports that the engines of some models have cut out without warning while on the move. 

An investigation by BBC Watchdog found that a number of vehicles produced by the German car giant between 2007 and 2011 were prone to an electrical fault that caused them to stall.

The problem first came to light after a driver in Surrey was killed when his Ford Fiesta collided with a tree while trying to avoid a stationary BMW on Christmas Day in 2016, the BBC reports. The BMW had stalled as a result of an electrical fault that also caused the brake lights to fail. 

According to the Daily Express, BMW had failed to inform the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) about the electrical faults.

BMW has rejected claims that it provided “incorrect information” or ignored “instructions regarding the safety of it vehicles”, the newspaper reports. 

Following the fatal accident, BMW ordered the recall of more than 36,000 vehicles over safety concerns, The Guardian reports. That has now been extended in light of the BBC investigation. 

Here are the vehicles affected by the fault and how the recall will operate. 

Which cars are being recalled?

Cars affected by the electric fault, and therefore covered under the recall, include all BMW 1 Series, 3 Series, the Z4 sports car and X1 SUVs that were manufactured between March 2007 and August 2011. 

The fault isn’t exclusive to cars powered by certain fuels, so the recall applies to both petrol and diesel models. 

Cars bought after 2011 may also be affected, as the recall applies to the period when the vehicle was made rather than when it was sold. Drivers unsure about when their car was manufacturered should contact their local BMW dealership.

How do you fix the issue?

BMW told the BBC that it will be contacting customers with faulty vehicles directly and will open a hotline for customer complaints. 

The company says the repairs can be carried out at the customer’s local BMW dealer, take no longer than two hours and involve the replacement of an electrical plug, ITV News reports.

A seperate study by Auto Express found that more than a million dangerous cars made by a variety of manufacturers are still on UK roads, with less than half of the top ten vehicles recalls in the UK since 2012 being completed. 

This can either be down to drivers ignoring a recall notice or the manufacturer being unable to contact the customer, the magazine says. 

The Motor Ombudsman provides a free tool that allows drivers to type in their car’s details and see whether it is due for recall.