BMW owners in US told to park outside over risk of cars catching fire

Drivers of nearly 721,000 BMW vehicles in the US should park outside due to a defect that could cause a fire, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Friday.

BMW last week recalled 14 models from the years 2012 to 2018 over an improperly sealed electrical connector on the water pump that may be exposed to water and short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire while parked and turned off.

The vehicles were previously recalled in 2024 due to a water pump issue and must be repaired again. BMW identified 10 incidents that could be related to the issue in vehicles that had been repaired under the previous callback, NHTSA said. No crashes or injuries have been reported.

“If you have one of these vehicles, you should park your vehicle outside and away from buildings and other vehicles until the vehicle is repaired,” the agency said in consumer alert on Friday.

The company does not yet have a fix available, though one is under development. Notifications are expected to be mailed starting December 25, NHTSA said.

BMW didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

BMW is seeking to cut costs and overhaul its management ranks to contend with increasing competition from Chinese automakers. The German carmaker last week trimmed its profit outlook and laid out plans to boost production of its next-generation models to shore up profitability in the coming years. – Bloomberg