BMW class action alleges fire risk in certain vehicles

BMW fire risk class action lawsuit overview:

• Who: Plaintiff Archy Beauge filed a class action lawsuit against BMW of North America LLC.
• Why: Beauge claims BMW sold vehicles with a defective electrical connector on the water pump that poses a fire risk.
• Where: The BMW class action lawsuit was filed in North Carolina federal court.

A new class action lawsuit accuses BMW of selling vehicles with defective electrical connectors on their water pumps that can pose a fire risk. 

Plaintiff Archy Beauge claims BMW was aware of the defect but failed to disclose it to consumers. The defect can cause an electrical short circuit, potentially leading to a fire. 

“When a vehicle manufacturer discovers a defect, it must explicitly disclose the defect and make it right or cease selling the vehicle,” the BMW fire risk class action says. 

Beauge wants to represent a nationwide class and North Carolina subclass of consumers who purchased or leased certain BMW models manufactured between 2012 and 2018, including the X1, Z4, 528i, X5, 2 Series, X3, X4, 3 Series, and 4 Series.

Class action claims BMW was aware of vehicle defect 

BMW recalled more than 720,000 vehicles in August 2024 due to the defect, according to the BMW fire risk class action, which argues the recall did not fully compensate consumers for the diminished value and inconvenience caused by the defect.

“Rather than refunding or reimbursing Plaintiff and Class members the difference in value related to the diminished resale value, Defendant has offered to simply fix the Class Vehicles with a fix that appears to do no more than replace the defective systems with no guarantee that the root cause of the problem is solved,” the BMW fire risk class action claims. 

Beauge claims BMW is guilty of unjust enrichment, strict liability and breach of implied warranty of merchantability, and in violation of North Carolina’s Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. 

The plaintiff demands a jury trial and requests declaratory and injunctive relief and an award of  actual, general, special, incidental, statutory and consequential damages for himself and all class members. 

A consumer filed a similar class action lawsuit against BMW in December over claims it failed to disclose the same defect. 

Were you affected by the BMW recall in August 2024? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiff is represented by Ryan A. Valente, Paul J. Doolittle and Seth Little of Poulin Wiley Anastopoulo LLC and Philip J. Furia and Jason P. Sultzer of Sultzer & Lipari PLLC.

The BMW fire risk class action lawsuit is Beauge, et al. v. BMW of North America LLC, Case No. 5:25-cv-00051, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.

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