BMW, the renowned German automaker, has announced a recall of over 500,000 vehicles worldwide after identifying a defect in the magnetic starter system that could cause fires in worst-case scenarios.
On Wednesday, 11 Feb 2026 GMT+7, a BMW spokesperson confirmed that the premium German carmaker is recalling several hundred thousand vehicles due to a fire risk, stating that the recall affects more than half a million cars.
Meanwhile, kfz-betrieb, a specialized German media outlet, reported that a total of 575,000 vehicles from various series are affected.
BMW stated that product inspections and customer complaints revealed that 16 models equipped with starter motors produced between July 2020 and July 2022 might be affected because the magnetic switch of the starter motor shows excessive wear over time.
"BMW AG advises that after starting the engine—especially after remote engine start—the vehicle should not be left unattended while the engine is running," the automaker said in a statement.
BMW added that product inspections and customer complaints indicate the starter motors in these vehicles may be defective, with a possibility of an electrical short circuit in the electromagnetic system causing localized overheating of the starter motor, which in the worst case could lead to a vehicle fire while driving.
The spokesperson said the company will send letters to vehicle owners to replace potentially defective starter motors.
In 2024, BMW had to lower its earnings forecast after incurring hundreds of millions of euros in damages from recalling 1.5 million vehicles due to defective brakes supplied by Continental.
However, the spokesperson confirmed that the latest recall would have little or no impact on BMW's earnings.
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Source:france24