- BMW is recalling nearly 30,000 plug-in hybrid vehicles in the United States.
- Owners of affected vehicles are advised to park outside, as there is an increased risk of fire.
- That said, the high-voltage battery is not the culprit.
BMW is recalling 29,119 plug-in hybrid vehicles sold in the United States, advising owners to park them outside because there’s a fire risk. Despite this recall targeting PHEVs specifically, the cars’ high-voltage batteries are not the issue.
Instead, an issue with the combustion engine’s starter has prompted the German automaker to recall certain 3 Series, 5 Series, and 7 Series models sold stateside. According to official documents submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, water can get inside the starter’s electrical relay and, over time, lead to corrosion. Corrosion could affect the electrical connection within the relay and the ability to start the gas engine.
Photo by: BMW
It could also lead to a short-circuit and possible overheating of the starter, which, in extreme cases, could cause a fire during driving or when the vehicle is parked, and the ignition is off.
The 2016-2018 BMW 330e, 2018-2020 BMW 530e, and 2017-2019 BMW 740Le are affected by this recall. The automaker will replace the faulty starter motors for free with a model that has a different design. Owners who have paid for the replacement out of pocket will be reimbursed.
This recall is similar to one that was issued last year, which included nearly 200,000 cars, but none of them were plug-in hybrids. After the initial recall was issued, BMW continued to monitor plug-in hybrid models, even though they had already been examined before.
During the investigation, the German marque evaluated 150 starters and received a couple of field incidents involving 3 Series and 5 Series models. The decision to recall the PHEV population came on July 1, 2026, but the company said it has not received any reports of accidents or injuries related to this issue.