— A BMW water pump recall is allegedly related to a lawsuit filed over an engine compartment fire in a 2016 BMW X3 xDrive28i in Georgia.
The BMW lawsuit was filed by plaintiff Jennifer Lea Higdon who was married to Timothy Sean Higdon, owner of a 2016 BMW X3.
The BMW Water Pump Recall Lawsuit
On January 22, 2025, at about 9:00 a.m., the plaintiff was getting ready to leave and went outside to start the BMW to warm it up since the weather was cold. She went back inside to get her purse and went outside to see fire coming from the engine compartment of the 2016 BMW X3.
She yelled for her husband to call 911 and within minutes "a fireball erupted from the car" and spread to the house. Firefighters arrived and were told the couple were in the house trying to help the husband down the stairs and to retrieve their pets. The couple emerged from their home with burns on their hands and faces.
"The Higdons were so severely burned that they had to be life-flighted to the Grady Burn Center in Atlanta, 100 miles away. As a result of the fire, Jennifer Higdon sustained major full-thickness burns covering 16% of her total body surface area, including her hands, wrists, face, eyelids, ears, neck, upper back, and shoulders. She also experienced corneal abrasions and inhalation burn injuries that required immediate intubation." — BMW water pump recall lawsuit
The lawsuit says she has scars over her upper body and donor scars on her thigh from skin grafting.
Her husband was also burned severely and never recovered from his wounds. He died in June 2025 with the medical examiner noting, “A HOUSE FIRE LESS THAN A YEAR AGO” was among the “significant conditions contributing to death.”
In addition, the family lost their three dogs and two cats that died in the house fire.
According to the lawsuit, the state fire marshal concluded the fire began in the engine compartment of the BMW parked outside the Higdon’s home.
Although the lawsuit doesn't specifically say officials determined the engine compartment fire was caused by the water pump, the lawsuit contends the recalled X3 water pump was the cause.
BMW Water Pump Recall
BMW had recalled about 720,000 vehicles in August 2024 over water pump problems after reports of "thermal events," including fires, which BMW called "rare." However, dealers were not ready to repair 720,000 vehicles, so BMW issued interim (Remedy is Unavailable) recall letters to customers in October 2024 letting them know about the problems.
At that time and out of 720,000 vehicles, BMW was aware of "18 customer complaints, concerns, and/or field instances, in the US market, that relate, or may relate, to the issue identified in this report."
Owners were told they could continue driving the vehicles and second recall letters would be mailed when dealerships were ready.
The lawsuit says second (Remedy is Available) recall letters were not mailed until October 2025, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says final water pump recall letters were mailed in March 2025.
Either way, the lawsuit blames BMW for not immediately repairing or replacing the recalled 2016 BMW X3 xDrive28i water pump which allegedly caused the fire.
The BMW water pump recall lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (Atlanta Division): Jennifer Lea Higdon, et al., v. BMW of North America, LLC.
The plaintiffs are represented by Barnes Law Group, LLC, Fried Bonder White LLC, and Amborella Law PLLC.