FRANKFURT--German car maker BMW AG on Friday said it will recall
about half a million vehicles world-wide due to an engine part
defect, extending a repair action started in China that also led to
recalls in the U.S.
The vehicles produced between September 2009 and November 2011
are affected by the defect, a spokesman for BMW said.
The total figure includes more than 232,000 vehicles that will
be recalled in China because of the defective engine-control
component as well as 156,137 vehicles in the U.S.
The problem lies in the bolts that are attached to the cars'
engine-control system and they could come loose or even break,
which in a worst scenario could lead engines to stall. However, the
spokesman said that no accidents have been reported due to the
fault.
In recent weeks, global auto makers have issued a number of
recalls due to mechanical defects in their cars. Earlier this week,
Toyota Motor Corp. issued massive recall of nearly 6.4 million
vehicles world-wide, covering five separate problems and 27
different models. General Motors Co. also nearly doubled its
estimate of costs for recalling about seven million vehicles
world-wide. It said recall costs would reach $1.3 billion in the
quarter ended March 31.
BMW, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ford Motor Co., General Motors
Co., Toyota and Volkswagen AG have recalled nearly 15 million
vehicles since the start of the year. Industry experts see
increased competition as one of the reasons for an increase in this
trend, as global car makers push to accelerate the production of a
number of models to get them into the market.
Neetha Mahadevan contributed to this article.
Write to Nico Schmidt at nico.schmidt@wsj.com
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