BMW Recall Issued for 1.3M Cars Due to Electrical Problems

A worldwide recall has been issued for 1.3 million BMW 5- and 6- Series vehicles, which may have electrical problems that pose a potential fire hazard.

The BMW recall, announced earlier this week, warned that the battery cable cover inside the trunk could be incorrectly mounted in 5-Series and 6-Series BMWs manufactured between 2003 and 2010.

As a result of the problem, it may cause electrical systems to malfunction, which might prevent the car from starting or cause a vehicle fire, according to the manufacturer.

The recall affects all BMW 5 and 6 Series vehicles built from 2003 to 2010, including 368,000 in the United States, 293,000 cars in Germany and more than 100,000 in Britain and China.

At least nine instances of defective battery covers have been identified so far, but the company noted that there have been no reports of accidents or injuries related to the electrical problems.

The company is in the process of notifying all of the registered vehicle owners individually. It indicates that owners will be able to take the vehicle into a BMW partner workshop for free repairs that will take about 30 minutes. The company notes that, so far, less than 1 percent of the vehicles inspected actually have the problem.

Last month BMW settled a lawsuit with the U.S. government for $3 million for failing to report problems that could affect the safety of their vehicles in a timely manner. The lawsuit came as the result of a review of 16 BMW recalls issued in 2010 conducted by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Federal law requires auto makers to report defects that could affect the safety of a vehicle to the NHTSA within five days of discovering the problem.

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