BMW Car Fires

[Anchor Lead]

There have been more engine fire cases involving BMW cars. Two BMW vehicles caught fire in South Korea on Thursday. One of them was not a model subject to the automaker's ongoing recall. Questions are arising regarding the cause of the fires and the carmaker's standards to recall cars.

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At a rest area on Namhae Expressway in Gyeongsangnam-do Province, the engine room of a BMW car was set ablaze. The driver escaped from the car after seeing smoke rising from the front of the vehicle.

[Soundbite] Passenger of car that caught fire (Voice Modified) : "Flames were first seen at the bottom of the engine room near the passenger's seat. I rushed to take my belongings out. The fire spread up in an instant."

The problem is that this car was not a model subject to the carmaker's ongoing recall. Following a spate of engine fires involving its cars, BMW announced a recall last month of roughly 100,000 cars in 42 models. However, the 2011 730Ld was not among them. This is where questions are arising regarding the cause of engine fires and the automaker's standards in recalling cars. Another BMW car caught fire on the second Kyungin Expressway on Thursday, an hour after the fire on the Namhae Expressway was reported. The car even came to a stop before it was moved to the shoulder of the road.

[Soundbite] Driver of car that caught fire (Voice Modified) : "An alarm warning a problem with drive system appeared on The display. I applied the accelerator but the car continued to slow down. I did not reach the road shoulder yet and the situation was dangerous. I was terrified and taken aback. I am still shocked."

Fortunately, there have been no casualties reported from BMW fire cases. However, concerns are growing over the safety of drivers and possible secondary damages. A total of 36 BMW cars have caught fire so far this year.