Big recall for BMWs
Stall alert after death crash
CAR giant BMW is recalling 312,000 cars in the UK after an electrical fault caused a death crash.
Investigators found that the vehicles’ engines can suddenly cut out while they are being driven.
CAR giant BMW is recalling 312,000 cars in the UK after an electrical fault caused a fatal crash.
Investigators found that the vehicles’ engines can suddenly cut out while they are being driven.
Former Gurkha soldier Narayan Gurung, 66, died when he crashed his Ford Fiesta into a tree in Hampshire while swerving to avoid a BMW car which had stalled.
The German maker recalled 36,410 cars in Britain last year after the tragedy.
Problem
But a BBC Watchdog Live probe has found the problem could be nearly 10 times that number.
And the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency said BMW had failed to alert UK authorities to 19 cases of electrical faults.
The point where the battery is connected to the fuse box by a cable can get worn and make the car stall. Now the company is recalling 312,000 cars to fix the problem. The affected models are BMW 1 Series, 3 Series, Z4 and X1 petrol and diesel models made between March 2007 and August 2011.
A BMW spokesman said: “We are widening the recall as a precaution.”
He said the fault could be fixed within two hours and involved replacing a plug.
Owners are not being told to stop driving the vehicles but will be contacted in the next three weeks.