BMW diesel engine recall: 1, 5, 7 Series, X models affected locally

BMW is recalling more than 1100 diesel-powered cars in Australia due to an electrical fault that could lead to a vehicle fire.

An expansion of a recall campaign announced in 2011 that originally affecting 2000 vehicles, the new recall sees the total number of affected vehicles rise to 3143.

The recalled cars, built between August 1, 2009 and November 30, 2009, comprise 555 E87 1 Series, 321 E60 5 Series, 17 F01 and F02 7 Series, as well as 812 E83 X3, 1395 E70 X5 and 43 E71 X6 models.

The fire risk stems from the potential for an internal short-circuit of the cars’ diesel fuel filter heating unit to occur, causing the unit to remain on and continue to heat.

According to the official recall notice on the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) product safety recalls website, “In unfavourable individual cases, an electrical short-circuit may occur in the diesel fuel filter heater, which may lead to a vehicle fire.”

The diesel fuel filter heater only risks the short-circuit once the unit is operational, which occurs automatically at temperatures below -1° Celsius.

BMW Australia product communications manager Scott Croaker told CarAdvice the fix involves the full replacement of the specific unit, which should take between 30 minutes to one hour to complete (depending on the model). The repairs will be performed at no cost to owners.

The local division of the German manufacturer is notifying owners of the recalled vehicles by mail, with Croaker saying that, prior to this recall expansion, 70 to 80 per cent of the initially recalled vehicles had been repaired. There are no local reports of any injuries related to the fault.

The latest expansion is part of a global recall that includes more than 3600 BMW X5 xDrive35d models in the US.