UK vehicle safety body, the DVSA, has recently revealed that BMW did not initially disclose a serious electrical fault and then continued to give incorrect information about it. This fault caused a BMW car to be involved in a fatal car accident in England.
We are highlighting this issue because a large number of BMW vehicles are imported into Malaysia by used/reconditioned/gray/AP importers and sold to unsuspecting Malaysian buyers. Most commonly, the 3 Series and the Z4.
Following a recent news story about BMW and the inquest into Mr. Narayan Gurung’s death, the government body responsible for UK vehicle safety, the DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency), has said BMW failed to make it aware of 19 cases of electrical failure between 2011 and 2014, as it is required to do under the General Product Safety Regulations.
The DVSA also claims that not only was it provided with inaccurate information about the fault in 2014, but it asked the German car manufacturer to recall 370,000 cars affected by an electrical fault in December 2016.
BMW issued a recall in April 2017. So far, only 36,410 cars have been recalled. That’s less than 10% of what the DVSA says it asked for.
DVSA chief executive, Gareth Llewelyn, said: ‘BMW did not make DVSA aware of the electrical failure in its cars between 2011 and 2014. ‘It then provided us with incorrect information about the faults, so we were not able to make an informed decision. However, after examining the growing evidence, DVSA has contacted BMW in December 2016 to ask it to conduct a full safety recall of the affected vehicles. ‘Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Mr Gurung.’
The DVSA does not have the power to recall cars, only to ask the manufacturer or distributor to do so. The government agency confirmed it is trying to strengthen its powers of enforcement.
The fault in affected BMW cars involves the connection between the battery and the power distribution box, which is damaged by wear and tear. In most cases, this should mean the vehicles will not start. But in extreme cases, the car will cut out while the vehicle is in motion.
So which BMW cars are affected? The fault affects petrol versions of the BMW 1 Series, BMW 3 Series, BMW X1 and BMW Z4 built between 2009 and 2011. If you own one of these models, check with BMW directly. Any affected cars should be fixed for free.
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