In the United Kingdom, a BMW recall linked to a fire risk gained wider attention when one of the recalled cars suffered a blaze en route to a service appointment. Daily Mail reported the incident.
London resident Kim Sharon, 65, described how her BMW 6 Series Coupe 640d began to smoke as she drove toward a nearby service station roughly two kilometres away. The smoke soon turned into flames that quickly filled the windshield. Sharon said she acted quickly, pulling over and exiting the car as fire enveloped the exterior. She recalled standing on the verge in disbelief as the vehicle burned in front of her.
Earlier, BMW had notified Sharon that her vehicle was part of a worldwide recall for an EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) system issue that could, under certain conditions, lead to a fire. As part of the recall, owners were invited to visit a dealer to receive free replacement components. The scope of the recall was substantial, affecting more than 1.6 million BMWs globally, with about 300,000 of those vehicles located in the United Kingdom.
Following an official review into the incident, BMW officials stated that the fire did not originate from a malfunction within the EGR system. Local authorities and company engineers advised Sharon to bring the car to a dealer for the specified part, which was considered at risk of igniting under certain circumstances. She expressed frustration that her car caught fire while she was on the way to obtain the replacement, after which the dealers reportedly revised the suspected cause of the fire to a different factor.
In related reporting, a separate incident in another country was noted where a driver sustained fatal injuries in a separate vehicle accident in the Yaroslavl region, highlighting ongoing discussions about vehicle fires and safety investigations across regions. That report emphasized the need for ongoing diligence in assessing fire risk and ensuring timely repairs for affected owners (source attributions: BBC News, Reuters, and local authorities as cited in multiple outlets).