BMW recalls more than 720,000 vehicles due to an electrical fire risk

BMW is recalling 720,796 vehicles in North America that have a faulty electrical water pump and may be more susceptible to catching fire.

According to documents posted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the water pumps in the affected vehicles were manufactured with "insufficient sealing" at the electrical plug connector, which could make it "susceptible to fluid ingress" over time.

If the connector is exposed to water, possibly due to the ventilation system dripping, there is a higher chance of a short circuit, which could increase the risk of a "thermal event" or fire in rare cases, the NHTSA report said.

As of August, BMW said it's received 18 complaints from customers related to the faulty pump, but there have been no injuries related to the issue.

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Owners of the recalled vehicles are expected to be notified by mail starting Oct. 4. They can contact BMW customer service to bring the vehicles to a dealer, which will inspect and replace the water pump and connector as necessary and install a protective shield to divert fluid from the ventilation system for free.

The recalled vehicles include various models made from 2012 to 2018, including the X1, X3, X4, X5, Z4, 228I, 528I, 428XI and more. To see the full list of affected vehicles, check here .

Before this notice, BMW had already issued recalls for 684,000 vehicles since July. Some were related to faulty bolts that could cause the interior cargo rail to be damaged and detach, and the others were due to Takata air bag inflators that have a risk of exploding during a crash. The air bags have killed at least 27 people and injured 400 others in the U.S.

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