A new report from ABC News claims that dozens of parked BMW vehicles have caught fire over the past five years, prompting surprise and questions about the safety of the German automaker’s vehicles. In a report that aired on Thursday on three ABC programs, the network’s investigators said more than 40 BMW vehicles—encompassing multiple models—have become engulfed in flames while parked with their engines off. In some cases, the fires began hours or days after the cars had last been used. None of the cars involved were under recall for fire-related issues.
Bill Macko, a Maryland resident, told ABC his 2008 BMW X5 caught fire shortly after his wife had parked it in their garage, and the ensuing blaze led to the loss of his entire house. Macko, who described himself as a BMW fanatic, said his concerns have been brushed aside by the company. “You’re at wits’ end, you don’t know what to do,” Macko told ABC. “I feel like I’m just tossed aside. You know, it’s just a number. And so, it’s disheartening, I guess, when you’re so loyal to a particular product or brand or whatever and then you’re treated like this.”
BMW did not respond to a request for comment from Car and Driver. ABC reported the carmaker has investigated the fires brought to its attention and finds no pattern related to a “product defect.”
While the network says more than 40 fires were found in a five-year period, an ABC spokesperson was unable to provide Car and Driver the exact number of fires discovered during the network’s reporting, nor provide any breakdown of the specific models affected. The report indicated the fires have occurred across the globe, including incidents in Sweden, China, and India.
A spokesperson for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the federal agency that oversees vehicle safety, said there are no open investigations into whether fire-related safety defects exist in BMW vehicles. The agency’s records show at least nine car owners have filed complaints over the past five years regarding fires that fit the profile of the ones described in the ABC report, with vehicles parked and not running.
That may be where the similarities end. The known origins of the fires logged in NHTSA’s complaints varied among the engine, dashboard, and seats, and in some cases the causes were undetermined. The network termed the 40-plus fires named in its reporting as “BMW mystery fires.”
The NHTSA complaints, which are anonymous, include one filed by someone purporting to be a fire investigator with the Virginia Farm Bureau. On August 13, 2014, according to the complaint, the owner of a BMW X5 heard his car alarm and found the vehicle’s windshield wipers moving and lights flashing. On further examination, he saw smoke and fire in the car.
In a joint post-fire inspection of the vehicle, the investigator said an independent engineer and a BMW representative determined the fire was caused by “some kind of electrical issue,” according to the complaint filed with NHTSA. “BMW denied it was their fault, stating there was too much damage for them to accept liability.”
In a separate complaint regarding an incident that occurred on August 23, 2012, a car owner reported the BMW had been parked in a garage at 8:30 p.m. “At 3:35 a.m., was awakened by my dog and smelled smoke, strongest in the area of the garage. Once extinguished by firefighters, the car was pulled out. The left front bumper, headlight, and adjacent structures were melted. Extensive fire damage and smoke damage in the garage, a lesser degree in the house.” The origin of the fire was never determined, according to the complaint, but the owner expressed concern it may be related to issues with the auxiliary cooling pump that have been noted by owners of 2010 and 2011 BMW models.
The most recent incident reported to NHTSA occurred on February 2, 2017. The owner of a 2016 BMW 228i reported that the vehicle “spontaneously combusted in my driveway after being parked for approximately four and a half hours . . . The vehicle was totally engulfed in flames and destroyed in approximately 10–15 minutes from the fire ignition time.”
In some cases, BMW has offered discounts on replacement vehicles, according to ABC. In others, the network said, the automaker has agreed to cash settlements with the stipulation that vehicle owners sign nondisclosure agreements and refrain from discussing the car fires.
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