BMW recalls HUGE range of Plug-in Hybrid models – including MINI – over fire risk

BMW is recalling a wide range of plug-in hybrid models – from X1 to X5, 3-7 Series and even MINI Countryman – over a fire risk from batteries.

It’s not easy being a car maker at the moment, and with the huge push in to electrification costs are going up and profits – if there are any – are falling.

So the last thing beleaguered car makers need as they try to convince buyers that electrification – PHEV or BEV – is the way to go is a bit of a scare over safety. But that’s happening to more than one car maker.

The latest to issue a recall is BMW, recalling PHEV versions of a wide range of their cars – X1, X2, X3 and X5,  the 3, 5 and 7 Series saloons, the 2 Series Active Tourer, the i8 and the MINI Countryman – built from 20 January this year up until 18 September.

That means almost 27,000 car worldwide could be subject to the recall, of which roughly 3,000 are in the UK.

It seems that there were ‘discrepancies’ in the manufacture of the battery packs which lead to foreign contaminants being sealed in which could cause a short circuit and poses a fire risk.

According to reports from Germany, the risk comes when the batteries are fully charged and owners are being advised not to plug-in to recharge (how many actually do?) and make do with regen charge for the time being.

BMW’s problems follow-on for recalls for the Kuga PHEV and Hyundai’s recall of all the Kona Electrics in Korea, expected to become a worldwide recall.