Mexican Media Brands
BMW Blames Drivers for Fires in S. Korea
BMW AG suggests to the Xinhua News Agency that fires involving its cars in South Korea are a result of local traffic conditions and the “driving style” of their owners.
#regulations
Share
BMW AG suggests to the Xinhua News Agency that fires involving its cars in South Korea are a result of local traffic conditions and the “driving style” of their owners.
BMW says the comments of its spokesman, which were made in German, were mistranslated into English, The Korea Herald reports. But the report immediately prompted a lawyer representing BMW owners to say the carmaker’s comment shows “arrogance.”
About 40 BMW vehicles, most of them diesels, have caught fire in Korea so far this year, the Herald says. BMW has recalled 106,300 vehicles in Korea and another 324,000 in Europe to fix the problem. Two groups of owners have sued.
BMW blames a flaw in engine exhaust gas recirculation modules that could allow coolant to leak onto the exhaust valves and form sooty deposit that cause the EGR to overheat. Critics in Korea say the carmaker identified the problem a year ago but did nothing about it until last month.
It hasn’t been clear why the fires appear to occur in significant numbers only in Korea. The Herald says some local experts speculate that BMW used special software to meet Korean emission standards that overstressed the device.
RELATED CONTENT
-
Seniors, Pollution and Exercise
People who are opposed to stricter emissions regulations, especially those who are over 60, may be interested in learning about a research study led by the Imperial College London and Duke University, funded by the British Heart Foundation—even healthy +60 people.
-
BMW Granted License to Test Self-Driving Cars in Shanghai
BMW AG has become the first foreign carmaker to win permission to test autonomous vehicles on public roads in China, according to the Shanghai Daily.
-
Study: How States Should Update Traffic Laws for Autonomous Cars
U.S. states should require that all automated cars have a licensed driver on board, suggests a study by the Governors Highway Safety Assn.