The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and BMW have announced a massive fire risk recall over a potentially faulty water pump equipped across a broad spectrum of 11 vehicles, totaling a whopping 720,796 sedans, sports cars, and SUVs now potentially at risk of a “thermal event.” Here’s what to do now, and what you can expect will happen next.
What’s the BMW Water Pump Recall Risk?
The NHTSA BMW recall report describes the issue as “a water pump that, due to insufficient sealing, could, over time, be susceptible to fluid ingress at the electrical plug connector.” It describes “blowby” liquid from the “positive crankcase ventilation system may collect on the intake air hose,” where “liquid could drip onto the plug connector,” and eventually “lead to fluid ingress into the plug and the possibility of a short circuit” that could result in a larger “thermal event,” otherwise commonly known as a fire.
Which BMW Cars and SUVs are at Risk?
The BMW SUVs impacted by the water pump fire risk recall range from 2012 to 2015 model years of the BMW X1 sDrive28i and xDrive28i SUVs, the 2013 to 2017 model years of the BMW X3 sDrive28i and xDrive28i SUVs, the 2013 to 2017 model years of the BMW X4 xDrive28i SUVs, and specifically the 2016 to 2018 model years of the BMW X5 xDrive 40e SUV trim.
The BMW cars impacted by the water pump fire risk recall include the 2012 to 2016 model years of the BMW 328i and 328xi cars, as well as the 2014 to 2016 BMW 328xi Gran Turismo, and 2012 to 2016 model years of the BMW 528i and xDrive sedans.
The BMW coupes impacted by the water pump fire risk recall range from the 2012 to 2016 BMW Z4 sDrive28i roadster coupes, the 2014 to 2016 BMW 228i and 228xi coupes, and the 2014 to 2016 BMW 428i and xDrive and 2015 to 2016 BMW 428xi coupes.
What Should BMW Owners and Buyers Do?
BMW will inspect your vehicle for free: “The water pump, and the plug connector, will be inspected and, if necessary, replaced, and a shield will be installed to divert any fluid that might drop down onto the pump from the positive crankcase ventilation system’s intake air house.” BMW says owners should be notified by mail. So far, there are 18 noted instances or complaints but no reported further damage or injuries.