BMW ‘failed to fix safety fault’ until a driver died

BMW failed to recall thousands of UK cars with a potentially fatal electrical fault until a motorist died in a horrific crash, an inquest has heard.

After dozens of complaints in 2011, the car giant insisted for five years there was no safety issue. Although faulty cars could lose all their lights, drivers could still steer and brake.

However,a Gurkha veteran died crashing into a tree after he swerved to avoid a blackedout BMW struck by the fault, Woking Coroner’s Court in Surrey heard. In February 2017, two months after the death of Narayan Gurung, 66, of Aldershot, Hampshire, BMW finally recalled 36,000 UK cars, including 1 Series, 3 Series and Z4s.

A year earlier the firm had convinced the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency to drop a probe, despite a recall of more than half a million cars in other countries around the world.

John Williams, representing insurer Aviva, said: ‘It is entirely unsatisfactory for BMW UK or Germany to have allowed the same problem to appear in this country. Why did it wait for this fatal accident to occur before it issued any form of recall?’

The inquest was adjourned.