Korean Authorities Launch In-depth Investigation into Fires Involving BMW Cars

The Korean government has launched an intensive investigation into the recent spate of BMW car fires.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on Nov. 1 that an investigation team has conducted a field survey of the five BMW car fires that took place in the Seoul metropolitan area recently and will conduct further investigations to find out the exact causes of the fires.

The authorities confirmed that three of the five vehicles (the 640d, 525d and 320d models) had been recalled and received correction measures. The remaining two vehicles (328i and 5GT) were not subject to a recall.

The ministry has found that of the three recalled vehicles, the 525d model had a damaged diesel particulate filter (DPF), the 640d model had a submersion history, and the 320d model had a problem in the exhaust system. While investigating the possibility of these problems causing a fire, the ministry also plans to conduct an in-depth investigation into possible leaks from exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) devices.

At the same time, the ministry will take a close look at the two other vehicles that were not subject to a recall to find out the causes of their fires.

"The new EGR is an improved product to replace the EGR that caused multiple fires last year," the ministry said.