More than 917,000 older BMW cars and SUVs are being recalled in the US - for the third time as many - to fix a power outage that could have caused a fire in the engine compartment.
The recall, shared by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, covers several 3 Series, 5 Series, 1 Series, X5, X3 and Z4 vehicles. The model years of the affected vehicles are from 2006 to 2013.
There may be a lack of power in the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve heater. As a result, it can overheat and catch fire while driving or soon after it is parked, NHTSA said in documents posted online.
BMW said the vehicles can still be driven and do not need to be parked outside because fires are rare. In the documents, the company said it had eight reports of fires, but no reports of any accidents or injuries due to the problem.
The German automaker said that if the driver smells smoke or burning plastic or sees smoke from the engine compartment, they should move to a safe place, turn off the engine and leave the vehicle.
BMW said it is still developing a fix. Jay Hanson, a spokesman for BMW in the US, said in an email to the Associated Press that the measure and adequate spares inventory are expected in mid-2022. Owners will be notified by a letter starting April 25.
Most of the cars were recalled in 2017 and 2019 for the same problem. Documents posted online state that owners who have previously had their vehicles repaired under a prior recall will need to come back for a new fix.
Owners can contact BMW Customer Service at 1-800-525-7417. They can also visit https://www.nhtsa.gov/ and key in their 17-digit vehicle identification number to see if their autos have been affected.
The company did not disclose whether the U.S. How many vehicles were being recalled outside.
Other vehicle recalls made headlines over similar fire risks, including those in the U.S. and includes more than 793,000 small Nissan SUVs in Canada. The company said in January that water can seep into wires, which in rare cases can lead to fire.
Last month, Hyundai and Kia asked owners of about 485,000 vehicles in the US to park them outside because they could catch fire even if stopped. Automakers said the problem was centered on contamination in the antilock brake control module that could cause a power outage.