BMW recalls 25,000 UK cars over starter-motor fire risk: owners warned not to leave engines running

BMW is recalling 24,732 UK cars over a starter-motor manufacturing defect that, in worst-case conditions, can short-circuit and cause a vehicle fire. A further 197 cars are affected in Ireland and up to 575,000 worldwide. Owners are being warned not to leave affected vehicles idling unattended until the free dealer fix has been carried out.

Which BMWs are affected?

All affected cars were built between July 2020 and July 2022. The full model list covers most of BMW's petrol-engine line-up in that window:

• 2 Series Coupe (G42)
• 3 Series (G20, G21)
• 4 Series Coupe and Gran Coupe (G22, G23, G26)
• 5 Series (G30, G31)
• 6 Series Gran Turismo (G32)
• 7 Series (G11, G12)
• X3 and X4 (G01, G02)
• X5 and X6 (G05, G06)
• Z4 (G29)

What is the fault?

The starter motor's magnetic switch is prone to increased wear from a manufacturing defect. BMW says a short circuit can cause “local overheating in the starter” and, in the worst case, “lead to a vehicle fire”. The risk is highest when a starting attempt is held for an extended period, which is why BMW is telling owners not to leave the car running unattended.

What you should do

• BMW is pulling owner addresses from the DVLA and sending letters with the next-step instructions.
• You can check your VIN against the recall using BMW's own UK lookup tool, your nearest BMW Centre, or by running a run a £1.99 RecallClear check against the combined DVSA and SMMT registers.
• The dealer fix is free of charge regardless of the car's age, mileage or how many owners it has had.

Second owners and private buyers

If you bought a 2020–2022 BMW second-hand, the manufacturer may not have your address on file, and you may never receive a recall letter. A quick check against your VRM is the simplest way to know where you stand. The BMW recall page on RecallClear walks through how the DVSA and SMMT data sources report BMW recalls.