Tag Archives: Recall

News

BMW Issues Massive Recall Over Starter Motor Fire Risk—Toyota Supra Included

BMW is back in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. The automaker has announced a sweeping recall involving more than 196,000 vehicles in the United States and at least 136,500 in Germany, after regulators uncovered a defect in the starter motor that could lead to vehicle fires. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) made the recall official on Friday and took the unusual step of urging owners not to park their cars inside garages or near buildings until repairs are complete.

At the heart of the issue is the starter relay, which can corrode if exposed to moisture. That corrosion may trigger overheating, and in some cases, a short circuit. Initially, the problem may leave a driver stranded with a car that won’t start. But NHTSA and BMW confirmed the bigger danger: the defect can escalate into a fire—even hours after the vehicle was last driven.

BMW traced the issue back to water intrusion in starter motors built between late 2015 and 2021, with internal testing and customer complaints pointing to repeated failures. The recall spans a wide range of models, and thanks to shared components, the Toyota Supra finds itself caught up as well.

Models Affected in the U.S.

  • 2019–2021 BMW 330i
  • 2019–2022 BMW Z4
  • 2020–2022 BMW 530i, X3, X4
  • 2021–2022 BMW 430i, 430i Convertible
  • 2022 BMW 230i
  • 2020–2022 Toyota Supra

Globally, the campaign covers nearly every BMW model line produced between September 28, 2015, and September 7, 2021, with only transverse-engine compact cars and M performance models escaping the defect, thanks to different suppliers.

Germany’s Recall List Includes:

1 Series (F20, F21); 2 Series Coupe (G42); 3 Series (G20, G21, G28); 4 Series (G22, G23, G26); 5 Series (G30, G31); 6 Series GT (G32); 7 Series (G11, G12); X3 (G01); X4 (G02); X5 (G05); X6 (G06); X7 (G07); and the Z4 Roadster (G29).

Safety Warnings

Both BMW and U.S. regulators are treating the situation with urgency. Because the fire risk is unpredictable and may occur while a vehicle is parked, NHTSA warns:

“Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the remedy is complete.”

That’s not boilerplate advice—it’s the same language regulators have used in past recalls where parked-vehicle fires became a real-world hazard.

Remedy and Timeline

BMW says owners in the U.S. will begin receiving official recall notices on November 14, 2025. At that point, drivers can confirm their vehicle’s status by checking their VIN at NHTSA.gov/recalls.

The fix involves replacing the starter motor free of charge, and in some cases, swapping in a new battery. Repairs will be carried out at authorized BMW dealerships worldwide. For U.S. owners with questions, BMW’s hotline is 1-800-525-7417.

This is not BMW’s first large-scale recall in recent years, but the scope—spanning multiple continents and even pulling in Toyota’s halo sports car—makes it one of the brand’s most significant safety campaigns to date.

Source: BMW

News

Man Sues Toyota Over Recall—Doesn’t Check If His Car Is Even In It

Recalls are an inevitable part of the modern automotive industry—a reflection of manufacturers’ commitment to safety, but also a source of frustration for owners. Some drivers ignore recall notices for years. Others, like one Lexus RX owner in New York, take a far more aggressive approach—filing a lawsuit before even confirming whether their vehicle is actually included.

In early February, Toyota issued a recall for certain 2025 Toyota Camry, 2025 Lexus NX, and 2024–2025 Lexus RX models. The campaign, affecting roughly 41,000 vehicles, addresses a potentially defective second-row seat belt that may have been damaged during manufacturing. Toyota estimates the defect exists in fewer than one percent of recalled vehicles, and any confirmed faulty seat belt will be replaced at no cost.

That wasn’t enough reassurance for plaintiff Mark M., who claims Toyota owes him compensation for “hours of his time,” “a vehicle that has been devalued,” and “the cost to transport himself and his defective class vehicle” to a certified service center. His legal complaint also argues that the remedy—a complete seat belt replacement for affected vehicles—is insufficient, insisting the car’s value would remain diminished even after repair.

However, there’s one glaring issue with the case so far: it’s unclear whether Mark’s Lexus RX is even part of the recall. Toyota’s legal team has asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, pointing out that the plaintiff never alleged facts confirming his vehicle’s inclusion. The automaker noted that identifying affected vehicles is straightforward—owners can check by entering their VIN or license plate on Toyota’s recall lookup tool.

For now, the future of the case is uncertain. Toyota awaits a ruling on its motion to dismiss, while the legal standoff underscores a curious reality of the recall process—sometimes, the legal drama begins before the repairs do.

Source: Toyota

News

Kia Recalls Over 100,000 K5 Sedans for Shedding Trim Parts

While Ford continues to headline the recall leaderboard in 2025, it’s not the only automaker grappling with reliability woes. Kia is now in the spotlight, and not for the right reasons. The South Korean brand has issued a recall for over 100,000 units of its sleek K5 sedan—this time for an unusually mundane but surprisingly problematic issue: falling trim pieces.

The recall affects 100,063 K5 sedans spanning the 2023 to 2025 model years. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the vehicles are equipped with C-pillar trim pieces that may loosen, detach, and fall off, potentially creating road hazards and increasing the risk of crashes.

A Problem That Started Small

Kia first became aware of the issue back in 2023, initiating a service action to address early signs of delamination in the C-pillar garnish face plate. At the time, the problem seemed minor and was deemed non-critical by the automaker. Their reasoning? The piece in question was relatively light, flat, and unlikely to cause serious danger if it fell to the road.

But the government wasn’t convinced.

Fast forward to 2025, and NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation reopened the file after receiving four consumer complaints about detached trim. Upon revisiting the issue, Kia discovered 4,082 cases of missing or detached C-pillar trim—hardly an isolated problem. With numbers like that, a recall became inevitable.

What’s Actually Going Wrong?

At the heart of the issue is a manufacturing shortfall: an insufficient adhesive layer applied during assembly. This causes the trim to gradually delaminate, loosen, and eventually fall off. Kia acknowledges that affected drivers might hear rattling sounds before full detachment, providing a subtle warning sign before the part goes airborne.

To fix the issue, Kia dealerships will inspect and replace the C-pillar trim assemblies using new components. These updated trims integrate both a stronger adhesive and a mechanical retention system, promising a more secure fit.

What Owners Need to Know

Kia plans to notify affected K5 owners beginning in September 2025. Until then, the company advises drivers to visually inspect their vehicles—or more simply, look for gaps or missing trim near the rear window pillars.

It’s a small part, but as this recall shows, even minor components can lead to major headaches. And in an era where vehicles are growing increasingly high-tech, Kia’s latest trim trouble serves as a reminder that attention to basic quality control is still just as critical as advanced driver-assist systems.

Source: KIA