BMW said Friday it is recalling 720,796 vehicles due to a risk of fire while cars are parked and turned off. The vehicles were previously recalled in 2024 for a water pump issue and must be repaired again, NHTSA said, adding that owners “should park your vehicle outside and away from buildings and other vehicles until the vehicle is repaired.”
NHTSA said the following vehicles should be parked outside until repairs can be made:
-
2012-2016 BMW 3 Series
-
2012-2016 BMW 5 Series
-
2012–2015 BMW X1
-
2012-2016 BMW Z4
-
2013-2017 BMW X3
-
2014-2016 BMW 2 Series coupe
-
2014–2016 BMW 3 Series sportswagon
-
2014-2016 BMW 328xi Gran Turismo
-
2014-2016 BMW 4 Series convertible
-
2014-2016 BMW 4 Series coupe
Literally took a picture of this connector yesterday while chasing a parasitic drain on an X1. The water pump sits below the PVC. When they age, the PCV leaks straight into the connector and shorts it out. As with all older BMWs, everything is also covered in oil.
Their last recall fix was to literally put a plastic boot that snaps on around the connector. It’s not waterproofed or anything, it’s just supposed to prevent some of the water so it doesn’t short out.
Here’s the little boot.
And here’s the connector without the boot (and some scuffed electrical work from the recall repair).
Will definitely be taking this in for the recall repair again.
But they aren’t EVs. I thought only EVs caught fire, not good old fashioned ICE vehicles. /s
Ole reliable, smacks hood, explodes.
a risk of fire while cars are parked and turned off
That sounds like ABSURDLY incompetent car design! 😆🤦🏻
NHTSA said an improperly sealed electrical connector on the water pump may be exposed to water and short circuit, increasing fire risks.
I have never worked on a car that had any kind of ‘electronically actuated/controlled’ water pump. The hell? And they’re all ‘older’ cars now…
When I sold my 2011 BMW, one of the reasons I was happy to see it go was a lack of an oil dipstick. Zero dipstick.
Yes, you can check the oil level on the dashboard (engine running and warm, level ground, at idle, parking brake on). However, that relies on the oil level sensor working and actually sending the correct level to the computer. Sometimes you just want to see and smell the oil yourself and not being able to do that easily didn’t sit right with me.
Oh and as a home DIYer I also didn’t like that after changing the oil, I had to start the car, get it warm, then use the bleep bloop to check the oil level. Like if I somehow fucked up and put way too much or way too little I’d love to know that before starting the engine and letting it run 10 minutes! Sure, an oil pressure light might trip, but it might not…
Last, yes, mine also had an electric water pump. No pulley. They have lots of failures of them. I was lucky and never had an issue with mine.
Edit: one cool thing about the water pump: if you did coolant system work and had to drain some/all coolant, there’s a procedure to have the cooling system self-bleed with the engine off. I forget how, but you like mash the throttle 10 times, say a prayer to Bavaria, and flash the high beams 4 times or whatever. Then you hear the water pump doing it’s thing for like 15 minutes (best to have a battery tender hooked up). That part did feel like the future.
Lol, fun read. I agree, no dipstick is completely mental. Weird to think “burping” air out of the coolant can involve more than a funnel and a breather. I think my car ('24 Civic) is one of the last almost completely analog cars left. 2 liter with a 6 speed.
Yeah it’s for parasitic draw, 2 speed water pump with a solenoid and speed sensor. If the water pump doesn’t need to be on full blast it can be slowed to allow lower parasitic draw on the engine and improve fuel economy
Primarily for cold start emissions. BMW is so obsessed with it, they even have elaborate insulating blankets to keep the engine as one as possible overnight.
Seems like gains from that would be awfully small, but okay then.
Yes I’m sure the gains are small. I personally don’t work on BMW I am a HD diesel engine technician. They do lots of small things that do add up. It’s also for cold start emissions to get the engine to temp as fast as possible too. Lower pressure has been lowered on newer engines for less of a parasitic draw too
I watch a dude on yt- adept ape I think- CAT guy. Really cool how those machines actually work.
Still think a lot of the modern things like variable water pumps are a bit silly myself. More complexity helps on power and efficiency but makes them horrible to live with and keep outside warranty.
This bullshit has been going on 15 years. Why: because BMW used plastics in the pressurized fuel system that fail after a certain number of heat cycles. So at some point, the fuel lines dont release pressure as they should , then a crack turns into a gas sprayer.
BMW fires are a meme.
Capitalism sure does promote innovation. Just like BMWs proprietary screw head! Thats helped a lot of folks I’m sure. Or subscription seat heaters.
Being force fed ads on the dashboard of a car you paid premium money for, having to pay absurdly inflated maintenance costs, having to pay additional monthly fees to use basic features that come already installed, and having the right to repair locked behind software locks and proprietary hardware wasn’t enough. It needs to burn down your house as well.
Unrelated question. Is there public parking near the white house?
Park them in that new parking garage they just built.
bUt eLeCtRiC CaRs CatCh fiRe!?!
No one ever said gas cars don’t catch fire.
The difference is that conventional firefighting will put the fire out.
A massive battery will keep reigniting.
If that happens in a subterranean garage, where it’s already difficult to get firefighting equipment in, what are you going to do? Roast hotdogs on the smouldering embers of an apartment tower?
The argument is typically that gas cars don’t spontaneously catch fire. Yes EV batteries are self sustaining. However they also don’t tend to literally explode.
Pros and cons.
Gas doesn’t explode, either. You watch too many movies.
If a gas pump is stuck, you at least need a spark or open flame. The fuel vapor will then catch fire. Liquid gasoline itself doesn’t catch fire (nevermind explode). If you’re quick, you can put a match out in a cup of gas.
All it takes for a Li-ion battery to catch fire is for the BMS to crash while charging is enabled. See: Samsung phones and the PowerBook 5300.
Ditto damage to a gas tank vs a battery.
cars don’t typically explode from fire too. in my 20+ years of putting them out, i have yet to see one explode. or really even hear of one. meh. there’s still hope.
S’mores as well.
What it doesn’t say in the article, this only applies to vehicles with the N20 engine.
Fight Club - The Recall Coordinator’s Formula
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiB8GVMNJkEThe plane collision still makes the hairs on my neck stand up, decades later on a tiny screen.
Boom
Maybe
WednesdayAbout 25 years ago there was this ad in TV that went something like “Do you know what car brand was voted best of 2001? Not Mercedes, not Saab, not even BMW. Mitsubishi!”
To this day I keep thinking how some writer fucked up because all it made me think was that BMW was a great brand. “You’re not going to believe it but they didn’t vote for BMW…”. It should have said “obviously not BMW…”.
That’s it. I just wanted to share my thoughts on an ad that aired 25 years ago.
If you buy new cars, BMW is a great brand, or at least was back then. 25 years ago, you could choose between the E46, the E39 and the E38 (and the OG X5 if that’s your thing, but it’s boring). The E38 was being phased out for the newer E65 7 series which sucks absolute ass used, but was ridiculously comfortable for the first owner.
Reliability 25 years later is kinda meh on all of those, but brand new they were all amazing cars. And to be fair, I don’t see many 25 year old Mitsubishis here, they’ve all rusted through. I see a lot of late 90s and early 00s BMWs though.
Yep the e30, e36, e46 are awesome cars. Still luxury and gonna be more to maintain but I will take ANY of them over the absolute dog shit made today. ALL NEW CARS SUCK ASS and have for over 10 years.
I really can’t believe people are still buying shit like this. They need to be boycotted.
The biggest problem with BMW, and most other premium brands, is that 10-15 years down the line they become cheap enough that poor people can afford to buy them, but they will neglect each and every problem that’ll arise as they can’t afford the upkeep and the cars become shit.
Just as accurate today as it was then.
recalled in 2024 for a water pump issue
You mean that “issue” where the water pump magically fails at 85,000km and warranty expires at 80,000km?
No, the connector failed allowing the high current terminals to short and cause a fire.
BMW seems to do a lot of engineering around problems it didn’t need to create.
“Oh no our motorcycle is unbalanced” “I know, just move the rear wheel 1 inch to the left”
They have always been the General Motors of Germany.
Looks like Minis dodged a bullet. Same pump manufacturer (Pierburg), but it’s a different part for that BMW brand.
This is only on the N20 engine, which mini never used.
True. That said, they do occasionally use some parts across brands. Example, the engine’s ignition systems have a lot of shared components.
I remember there being a pump -> fire recall with Minis a while ago, so I felt like it was worth running a parts check. I also distrust manufacturers and expect them to try to minimize recalls.
I’ve been saying it for years, but nobody listens: Don’t buy a BMW.
