BMW, Rolls Royce recall 2,900 vehicles over engine fire risk

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced a recall of select 2010, 2011 and 2012 model year BMW and Rolls Royce vehicles over a concern that circuitry under the hood could overheat and, in the worst case situations, lead to an engine bay fire in these high end luxury vehicles.

This new BMW and Rolls Royce recall affects the 2011 BMW 5 Series, the 2011 5 Series Gran Turismo, the 2012 BMW 6 Series Convertible (shown on the right), the 2012 BMW 7 Series, the 2012 BMW X5, the 2012 BMW X6 and the 2010-2011 Rolls Royce Ghost – but only on those vehicles equipped with the turbocharged V8 or V12 engine options. This recall includes vehicles from two different companies but considering the fact that the Rolls Royce Ghost is built on the BMW 7 Series platform and uses a modified version of the BMW V12 engine, the Ghost has been gathered up in this BMW engine recall. In total, there are 2,846 BMW vehicles potentially included in the recall while the super luxury Rolls Royce Ghost will add another 69 units to the recall.

In these 2010, 2011 and 2012 BMW and Rolls Royce vehicles being recalled, the turbocharged V8 and V12 engines are equipped with an electric auxiliary water pump system to help keep these high performance engines running cool. Unfortunately, it seems that the circuit board for that auxiliary water pump can overheat and if this problem is left unattended; the board could catch fire. In the best case scenario for a vehicle experiencing the circuitry overheating, there could be smoke coming from the engine bay and decreased function of the cooling system. In the worst case scenario, the circuit board could catch fire – which could lead to a massive engine bay fire. Needless to say, this poses a serious safety risk to both the occupants of these premium luxury vehicles so BMW will instruct owners to return to dealerships to address the issue.

The new BMW and Rolls Royce water pump system recall is set to begin later this month, at which point the owners of these 2,915 cars and sport utility vehicles will be asked to return to their local BMW or Rolls Royce dealership. Once there, a technician will inspect the electric system and replace the auxiliary water pump system free of charge to the owner.

The NHTSA report does not mention if there have been any accidents or injuries stemming from this problem but in any case, BMW will soon begin replacing the faulty water pumps to ensure that there are no more related issues going forward.