A new report from ABC News claims that dozens of parked BMW vehicles have caught fire over the past five years, prompting surprise and questions about the safety of the German automaker?s vehicles. In a report that aired on Thursday on three ABC programs, the network?s investigators said more than 40 BMW vehicles?encompassing multiple models?have become engulfed in flames while parked with their engines off. In some cases, the fires began hours or days after the cars had last been used. None of the cars involved were under recall for fire-related issues.
Bill Macko, a Maryland resident, told ABC his 2008 BMW X5 caught fire shortly after his wife had parked it in their garage, and the ensuing blaze led to the loss of his entire house. Macko, who described himself as a BMW fanatic, said his concerns have been brushed aside by the company. ?You?re at wits? end, you don?t know what to do,? Macko told ABC. ?I feel like I?m just tossed aside. You know, it?s just a number. And so, it?s disheartening, I guess, when you?re so loyal to a particular product or brand or whatever and then you?re treated like this.? BMW says it has examined the cases brought to its attention by ABC, and in some cases inspected the vehicles. Multiple generations and model types were involved. “In cases that we have inspected and are able to determine root cause, we have not seen any pattern related to quality or component failure,” a company spokesperson said in a written statement.
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