Police Raid BMW’s Korea Headquarters Following Vehicle Engine Fires

This comes after 20,000 BMWs were banned from Korea’s streets.

Last month we learned that South Korean had banned approximately 20,000 BMW vehicles from its streets due to suspected engine fires. BMW quickly issued an apology and recalled 106,000 diesel-powered vehicles, a total of 42 models including the 520d. Several BMW owners in Korea also filed a class action suit against the German automaker. Now, according to CarScoops via the Yonhap news agency, 30 investigators from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency have raided BMW’s local headquarters in order to search for evidence indicating the automaker purposely hid information regarding engine defects that led to the fires. What will Korean authorities find? Who knows?

Nothing has been announced just yet, but the fact that a raid was authorized in the first place is a possible indicator this could become a serious issue. Also earlier this month, a criminal investigation was being sought following a complaint regarding the engine fires. What’s clear is that the South Korean government is messing around here and wants affected owners to take this issue with the utmost caution. As we previously reported, Korean government authorities prefer for affected owners not to drive their cars at all until answers are found.

“I am asking owners of the BMW cars subject to the recall to actively cooperate to prevent bigger accidents, despite your inconvenience,” said Transport Minister Kim Hyun-mee. It appears the cause of the fires may have already been traced to a defect in the exhaust gas recirculation system, but nothing has been made official just yet. In the meantime, Korean police will begin sorting through whatever materials they confiscated following the raid as they search for any evidence of a cover-up.

South Korea Banned BMW, Nissan, And Porsche Models For Cheating

Take a lesson from Volkswagen and avoid cutting corners when it comes to emissions.

BMW, Nissan, and Porsche are now in trouble for emissions related violations in South Korea. After Volkswagen’s expensive little diesel soiree wrecked trust in the automaker, South Korean officials began testing other brands for further discrepancies. The investigation previously led Korean regulators to accuse Nissan of adding cheat software to the Qashqai SUV and fined the automaker. Now, as Financial Times reports, the country will ban eight vehicles it claims have used dubious means to clear emissions standards.

Thus far, six cars have been banned including one BMW, two Nissans, and three Porsches. The investigation has currently flagged 10 vehicles, seven of which are from Porsche. That poses a problem given that Porsche’s parent company, Volkswagen, has already had 32 of its cars across various brands banned following Dieselgate. There is, however, one major difference between the cars in question and Volkswagen’s cheating diesels. While VW’s cars had software aimed at manipulating its engines to pass emissions tests, South Korea’s environmental ministry alleges that the automakers in question submitted certification documents that had been used before to clear similar models.

The move likely was done to save time, but that doesn’t stop the ministry from fining the three automakers a combined 6.5 billion Won ($5.6 million). “We’ll ask the companies to clarify their positions,” Hon Dong-kon, ministry director, said. “If their illegalities are confirmed, we will revoke their certifications, ban sales of the affected cars and, if necessary, ask prosecutors to further look into the case.” Nissan has stopped selling the Q50 and Qashqai SUV in question and Porsche has stopped selling four of the seven models under investigation including the diesel Macan S. BMW’s single offender is the X5 M SUV, which will continue to sell for the time being. Cutting corners isn’t always the best way to go, guys.

Why Has South Korea Banned 20,000 BMWs From Its Streets?

This has really become a "hot" button issue.

When it comes to new car features, not catching on fire is something that should come standard on all models. Unfortunately, BMW Group has had some issues recently with BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce models all being recalled over potential engine fires caused by a malfunctioning water pump. The company had a similar issue back in 2016, then again in 2017 when over one million cars were recalled. According to Automotive News Europe, BMW has been having more issues with 27 engines catching fire, this time in South Korea.

The cause of the fire was investigated and 13 owners filed a class action lawsuit against BMW. The issue prompted a probe from the South Korean government and Automotive News Europe now reports that the country will ban approximately 20,000 BMW cars from its streets. BMW has issued an apology and a recall of 106,000 diesel-powered cars including the 520d starting on August 20th. The South Korean government is taking the issue very seriously and has asked owners not to drive their cars.

"I am asking owners of the BMW cars subject to the recall to actively cooperate to prevent bigger accidents, despite your inconvenience," Transport Minister Kim Hyun-mee said in a press conference. The cars can still be driven to perform safety checks, as the ban is meant to help speed up the checks rather than act as a punishment to owners. The issue has already been pinpointed as a defect in the exhaust gas recirculation system, so it is only a matter of time before BMW issues recall notices to affected owners and fixes the problem.