BMW is recalling another 26,700 plug-in hybrids (PHEV) due to the risk of fire

14/10/2020

Problems with the high-voltage battery in plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) led the BMW Group to announce its second recall for this reason.

The new campaign with internal codes “0061650500” (BMW PHEV series), “0061660500” (Mini Countryman), and “0061670500” (BMW i8) affects 26,700 vehicles worldwide, of which about a third is currently in the hands of customers. “Depending on the country, the recall may not apply to all of these models,” a BMW Group spokeswoman told the german kfz-rueckrufe.de website.

In Germany, almost 1,800 of the 5,300 vehicles sold will be recalled to an authorized workshop. A delivery stop applies to the others and it should not reach the customers. As with the first recall for 4,500 PHEV models – we wrote here – a short circuit may occur in the battery cells. The carmaker’s internal inspections revealed that the welds on the high-voltage battery were not completely cleaned during the production.

In the last few weeks, three fires of hybrid BMWs have been reported in the German cities of Herne and Erfurt and in Salzburg, Austria. However, it has not yet been officially confirmed that the cause of the fire was the mentioned problem. “Comprehensive analyzes of damaged vehicles have not yet been completed,” the spokeswoman said. However, according to the available information, the fire always occurred while the car was charging.

Charging by cable prohibited

If certain instructions are followed, the vehicle can still be used, according to the manufacturer. For example, drivers of a BMW PHEV should set the battery charge level to a maximum of 30 percent in the vehicle settings. “We ask you not to charge the vehicle by cable until a service measure is available,” BMW also writes to the owners.

According to the spokeswoman, BMW is aiming for the repair by the end of this month. With Ford, which solves a similar problem with the Kuga PHEV model – we wrote here, the problem will be solved with a longer time interval. Ford talks about the horizon of months rather than weeks.

-rb-

Source: focus.de

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