BMW has issued a recall for some 98,000 vehicles in Canada - part of a worldwide recall order affecting over 1 million cars - over a potential fire risk involving the affected automobiles' engine ventilation system.
The auto manufacturer has issued the recall for vehicles from the 2006 to 2013 model years. According to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, most of the cars affected by the recall were also subjected to a prior recall for another issue.
BMW warned in its latest recall order that the affected cars have part irregularities that could lead to a short circuit, which could then cause the PCV valve heater to overheat and pose a considerable fire risk.
Automotive News Canada reported that the PCV valve heater was manufactured by German auto supplier Mahle International.
BMW said that it began to receive reports of overheating in the engine compartments of vehicles that were subject to a previous recall in 2019. It later determined in February that supplier production and process issues could lead to variations that would cause valve heaters to take damage over time; this prompted BMW to issue a secondary voluntary recall.
The expanded recall includes vehicles from model years 2012 and 2013 that were not previously recalled, in addition to automobiles that were originally recalled in 2017 and 2019.
A spokesperson for BMW told Automotive News that a number of vehicles from previous recall lists were not named for the new recall, "because they were produced with a different, more robust PCV valve heater design.”
Dealers have been notified of the issue earlier this month, while vehicles owners will be sent notification letters in the weeks to come.
