By Nam Hyun-woo
Concern is growing among owners of BMW vehicles here after nearly 15 of the German automaker's best-selling 520d models caught fire under the hood while being driven.
Although the authorities are in talks with BMW Korea over launching a recall, consumers are increasingly anxious about driving the model.
According to the Korea Transportation Safety Authority (TS), BMW Korea has filed 20 cases of fire from December 2017 to early this month. Nine of the vehicles were 520d models, which the TS said was “irregular.”
Domestic law stipulates that automakers in Korea must carry out their own investigations into car fires or accidents and report to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation every month.
“As we look at BMW Korea's reports of car fire cases, we found an irregularity that nearly 50 percent of fires involved 520d models,” a TS official said.
“We therefore have asked BMW Korea for a more detailed report on the case, but the company has not submitted the data, asking for more time.”
On June 25, the TS asked BMW Korea for detailed reports on the 520d models, but it replied on July 5 that it needed more time. However, the ministry on June 16 decided to investigate the models, accusing BMW Korea of deliberately stalling.
“By any stretch, we have never stalled for time on purpose,” a BMW Korea official said. “BMW Korea has explained our circumstances on the government's move. Our commitment to minimize customer inconvenience by actively cooperating with the government's investigation remains firm.”
However, the company refused to elaborate on its own findings on what caused the fires, saying it needed more time to determine the cause.
“Due to the high pressure of water used to extinguish the fires, parts of the cars were damaged, making it difficult for us to determine the cause of the fires,” the official said.
Although BMW Korea said it needed more time, fires continued to be reported on the 520ds.
Although not included in the TS report, two 520ds reportedly caught fire on July 19 in Guri and Seongnam, both in Gyeonggi Province. The Guri vehicle caught fire while being driven and the Seongnam vehicle caught fire while parked.
On July 15, a 520d caught fire while traveling on a highway near Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. The transport ministry is investigating the vehicle and said the ministry was getting closer to finding the cause because the vehicle was less damaged.
As fires continue, the ministry said it was in talks with BMW Korea to compel it to launch a voluntary recall.
Meanwhile, BMW Korea confused consumers after it made “a blunder” in the TS report it submitted. In the report, BMW Korea said eight 520d models made in 2013-16 caught fire, while one was made in 2017.
The company then belatedly told the TS that 2017 was “a typo” and that all the vehicles were made between 2013 and 2016.
The government and private experts assume that engine problems could be implicated in the fires, as the drivers reported that they noticed acceleration problems before black smoke came from the hood.
On May 11, a driver reported that the dashboard showed a message saying the car “cannot yield normal power” and that the hood had caught fire. The owner was driving a 2016 520d in Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province.
On May 3, a driver said the accelerator did not work and the dashboard showed a message that read “drive system malfunction.” Smoke came into the vehicle through ventilators.
Except for a Jan. 13 case, in which a driver alerted the driver of a 2014 520d GT that his car was on fire, all the cases reported acceleration problems.
According to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributers Association, BMW's 520d was the best-selling import car in Korea in 2016 and 2017, after selling 7,910 and 9,688 units, respectively.
Although Mercedes-Benz's E220 sedan (6,875 units) was the best seller in the first half of this year, the 520d is close behind with 6,706.
Despite the popularity of its vehicles, BMW Korea faces questions over the quality of its vehicles recently.
Along with the 520d models, the transport ministry said Thursday BMW Korea would voluntary recall 468 of the X3 xDrive20d and X3 xDrive30d vehicles, due to brake defections.
“The ministry has confirmed that air has been blown into the brake fluid, forcing the driver to step on the brake pedal harder than usual, which can cause an accident,” the ministry said.
A BMW official said, “BMW is behind no other brands in terms of its cooperation for the government policy and responsibilities for customers.
“We believe we can solve the problem through enhanced communication with the government.”