South Carolina Lawyer Blog
We’ve written before about recalls and how to keep yourself and your loved ones informed and safe. Now we’ve come across an article in the Chicago Tribune about BMW, which has announced a major recall–nearly 1.3 million vehicles worldwide–because of a defect that could cause vehicles to fail to start and perhaps even catch fire.
The problem seems to be a battery cable cover, which may be incorrectly connected in some vehicles. BMW says they are unaware of any owners who have reported injuries due to the defect, but the maker is still recalling all 5- and 6-series autos built between 2003 and 2010. Owners can take vehicles affected by the recall to a BMW dealer or shop for repairs, free of charge.
BMW isn’t the only manufacturer to recall autos this month. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) maintains a current auto recall list that owners may want to check. After a quick look, we found Toyota, Land Rover, Hyundai, Subaru, Volvo, GM and even Porsche among the makers on the list this month. The list is updated daily. Owners may also want to consider signing up for personalized recall notices from the NHTSA, which allows users to choose specific auto makers and models.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time BMW has run into trouble with defects–the NHTSA recently fined BMW North America for not reporting 2010 defects and safety issues to the government quickly enough. According to the NHTSA comments about the $3 million fine, BMW issued 16 recalls during 2010. In recent years, studies in effective recalls found that the lack of fast, clear warnings to consumers about safety hazards is one of the biggest obstacles to an effective recall. Hopefully BMW issued the 5- and 6-series recall in time to prevent any injuries or accidents.