A tragic accident in the United Kingdom has prompted BMW to expand its recall of the BMW 1 Series, the 3 Series, and the Z4 and X1 petrol and diesel models manufactured between March, 2007 and August, 2011. In all, the German automaker is recalling 312,000 cars in the UK due to a defect that could cause the car to stall completely without warning.
A safety recall was initiated by BMW in 2017 that covered 36,000 petrol vehicles. But a recent investigation by BBC Watchdog Live indicated that the defect could affect more cars than were implicated in the original recall. BMW voluntarily expanded the recall after recognizing that power supply issues could be more widespread. A report in the UK concluded that BMW did not recall potentially defective cars after receiving customer complaints as far as back as 2011 related to sudden loss of power in its vehicles.
The expanded recall was prompted by the BBC report of the death of Narayan Gurung on Christmas day in 2016. Gurung swerved his car to avoid a stalled BMW that had stopped on the road. He was killed instantaneously when his vehicle crashed into a tree. His wife also incurred serious injuries. The BMW experienced an electrical problem resulting in a complete shutdown of the car on a poorly lit road. In February, 2017, three months after Gurung died, BMW initiated a recall of 36,000 vehicles that could be equipped with this defect. The manufacturer had already recalled cars with this same faulty system in the United States, Canada, South Africa and Australia.
Several experts have criticized the UK’s regulatory authorities for failing to issue a recall sooner, particularly in light of recalls in other countries for a similar problem years earlier. In addition to examining the recall system in the UK, others have called attention to the failure of the car manufacturer to timely address the potentially deadly defect. BMW was clearly aware of the existence of a serious electrical problem for an extended period of time before taking action to remove the dangerous cars from the roads.
If you or a member of your family suffered injury or death as a result of negligence or a defective automobile, contact the attorneys Alexander Law Group, LLP. Our exceptional personal injury lawyers will answer your questions and get you the maximum compensation that is possible. Call 888.777.1776 or contact us online.
