BMW is recalling 720,796 vehicles in the United States because they can catch fire while parked and switched off. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the federal vehicle-safety regulator, is urging owners to park outside and away from buildings until repairs are complete.

This is the second recall for the same population of cars. The vehicles were recalled in 2024 over a water pump defect; the new action covers vehicles that need to be fixed again. According to NHTSA, an improperly sealed electrical connector on the water pump may be exposed to water and short-circuit, raising the risk of a fire.

The failure mode is not theoretical. BMW is aware of roughly ten incidents in the United States that relate, or may relate, to the issue. Notably, those incidents occurred in vehicles that had already been repaired under the 2024 recall — which means the original fix did not hold. BMW told the regulator it is not aware of any crashes or injuries. That is the caveat worth holding onto: no injuries so far, but a fire risk in parked, unattended cars is precisely the kind that materializes without warning.

What does this change for owners?

The immediate operational instruction comes from NHTSA: "park your vehicle outside and away from buildings and other vehicles until the vehicle is repaired." The agency's advice applies to a broad slice of BMW's model range:

• 2012–2016 3 Series, 5 Series and Z4
• 2012–2015 X1
• 2013–2017 X3
• 2014–2016 2 Series coupe, 3 Series sportswagon, 328xi Gran Turismo, 4 Series convertible and 4 Series coupe
• 2015–2016 2 Series convertible and 4 Series Gran Coupe
• 2015–2018 X4
• 2016–2018 X5 xDrive40e (a plug-in hybrid variant)

BMW announced the recall on Friday, according to Reuters. A remedy for the new recall is still in development. When it becomes available, the repair will be performed free of charge at a BMW dealership. Until then, owners of the listed models have no fix — only the park-outside precaution.

How will owners be notified?

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed beginning December 25, 2026. That date is more than a year out, a timeline that raises its own question about how quickly a known fire risk in unrepaired vehicles will actually reach affected drivers. Beginning the same day, affected vehicle identification numbers and license plate numbers will be searchable on NHTSA's recall website, giving owners a way to check their status before the letters arrive.

Owners can also act now through two channels: BMW's recall hotline at 800-525-7417, or NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236. NHTSA additionally encourages drivers to download its SaferCar app to track current recalls.

The strategic picture for BMW is one of remediation debt: a 2024 recall that failed to eliminate the defect now returns at roughly ten times the inconvenience — a second campaign, a still-unfinished remedy, and a regulator publicly telling customers to keep the product away from their homes. The company has disclosed no injuries. It has also not yet disclosed when the new fix will be ready.