Inspection Deadline

[Anchor Lead]

The government has said that it would put a driving ban on recalled BMW vehicle models that have not been inspected, but with only two days before the government's inspection due date, a large number of cars still haven't been checked. At this point it may be impossible to have all the vehicles inspected in time.

[Pkg]

In front of a BMW service center in Seoul... Cars enter one by one in order to get safety inspections.

[Soundbite] (BMW Driver) : "I came because I was free this weekend."

[Soundbite] (Passenger) : "I don't think it would catch fire. We thought about getting an inspection when replacing a component, but the earliest replacement date is late November."

A BMW not on the recall list has also burst into flames, so one anxious driver came for inspection just to be safe.

[Soundbite] (BMW Driver) : "My car is not on the safety check list, but I came for inspection anyway. I was nervous."

As of Monday morning, 69,000 out of 106,000 potentially dangerous BMWs have been inspected. That amounts to an average of 5,700 vehicles per day. But 37,000 more vehicles need to be inspected by tomorrow, the last day of the government-mandated safety inspection. It's been pointed out that it would be realistically impossible to look at all of those cars in time.

[Soundbite] (BMW Korea Employee (Voice Modified)) : "There many not be that many unchecked cars, since some of them may not be operational or able to undergo safety inspections. We are trying to contact them through various channels so the cars can be inspected."

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, which is currently mulling a drive ban, is considering forcing the unchecked BMWs to undergo safety inspections. Meanwhile, police have summoned for questioning the BMW owners who have filed suit against the automaker to kick-start an investigation.