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On Tuesday, BMW announced it is recalling it is recalling 720,796 vehicles in North America due to an issue with the water pump’s electrical connector that may short circuit as a result of faulty installation, posing a fire hazard.
According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report, the impacted vehicles have water pumps with insufficient sealing, and may be susceptible to fluid ingress at the electrical plug connector over time. There is the possibility that a short circuit could occur, and there’s the potential for a fire, in rare cases.
Recall documents posted by the NHTSA read that “an improperly sealed electrical connector on the water pump may be exposed to water and short circuit .. specifically, blowby-liquid from the positive crankcase ventilation system may collect on the intake air hose, eventually drip onto the plug connector .. this could increase the risk of a thermal event and, in rare cases, a fire.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that the recall applies to the following BMW models:
- BMW 228XI 2014-2016
- BMW 328I 2012-2016
- BMW 328XI 2012-2016
- BMW 428I 2014-2016
- BMW 428XI 2015-2016
- BMW 528I 2012-2016
- BMW X1 2012-2015
- BMW X3 2013-2017
- BMW X4 2015-2018
- BMW X5 2016-2018
- BMW Z4 2012-2016
Notification letters will be mailed to vehicle owners on October 4, where they will be instructed to take their cars to an authorized BMW center where water pumps and plug connectors will be inspected and replaced as necessary for free. Per the recall report, a shield will be also installed to divert any fluid that might drop down onto the pump from the positive crankcase ventilation system’s intake air house. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW’s number for the recall is “24V-608.” Owners can also contact NHTSA’s safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (toll-free at 1-800-424-9153) or go to www.nhtsa.gov for further information.
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