— A BMW water pump recall has "inconvenienced" the vehicle owner who filed the class action lawsuit.
Out of 720,796 recalled vehicles, BMW estimates about 1% may have defective water pumps.
And when the recall was announced in 2024, 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."
BMW says water pump "thermal events" (melting, smoke) can occur, but a fire is allegedly rare.
The BMW water pump class action was filed about two weeks after BMW mailed water pump recall letters (March 25) to customers of these vehicles.
- 2012-2015 BMW X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i
- 2012-2016 BMW Z4 sDrive28i
- 2012-2016 BMW 528i, 528i xDrive
- 2016-2018 BMW X5 xDrive40e
- 2014-2016 BMW 2 Series Coupe (228i, 228xi)
- 2015-2016 BMW 2 Series Convertible (228i, 228xi)
- 2013-2017 BMW X3 sDrive28i, X3 xDrive28i
- 2015-2018 BMW X4 xDrive28i
- 2012-2016 BMW 3 Series Sedan (328i, 328xi)
- 2014-2015 BMW 3 Series Sportswagon (328i, 328xi)
- 2014-2016 BMW 4 Series Coupe (428i, 428i xDrive)
- 2014-2016 BMW 4 Series Convertible (428i, 428i xDrive)
- 2014-2016 BMW 328xi Gran Turismo
- 2015-2016 BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe (428i, 428xi)
According to the BMW recall:
"Blowby-liquid from the positive crankcase ventilation system may collect on the intake air hose. If this occurs, then this liquid could drip onto the plug connector. Over time, this could lead to fluid ingress into the plug and the possibility of a short circuit."
BMW dealers will inspect and replace the water pumps and plug connectors if necessary. Dealers will also install protective shields to divert any fluid that might drop down onto the pumps from the positive crankcase ventilation intake air hoses.
BMW says the repair will take about an hour.
BMW Water Pump Recall Lawsuit
The BMW water pump recall lawsuit was filed by North Carolina plaintiff Archy Beauge who owns a 2013 BMW 328i Sedan.
Costing $405 to file the lawsuit, the plaintiff says the claims against BMW go beyond $5 million.
The plaintiff says while he was driving his vehicle it caught fire on March 20, 2022, causing him to get out of the vehicle at an intersection and wait for the fire department to extinguish the engine compartment fire.
However, the lawsuit doesn't say what caused the fire or if a mechanic or BMW dealer inspected the vehicle or diagnosed the cause of the fire. But apparently the plaintiff still owns the vehicle three years after the fire because he says the water pump recall will cost him "hours of his time."
The plaintiff complains the free recall repairs will cause him and all owners to "spend time and money to remedy the defect."
According to Mr. Beauge, his "repair-related commute is roughly a 52.5-mile trip, which is about 55 minutes one way." And although BMW hasn't warned owners not to drive their vehicles, the plaintiff complains about the cost to tow his vehicle to the dealer for repairs.
"In addition to the sheer amount of time spent in repairing his vehicle, Plaintiff is faced with another difficult expense, the price of towing his vehicle. The average cost of towing, per mile, is $4.75 per mile. Given Plaintiff's roughly 52.5-mile commute, this cost amounts to $249.38, which Plaintiff must pay for his own Class Vehicle to be safely repaired." — BMW water pump lawsuit
The plaintiff also complains about the time it will take for a tow truck to arrive.
"Given the additional time it takes for a tow truck to arrive, roughly thirty minutes, Plaintiff would spend more than an hour on his vehicle, unless of course, one is to assume that Plaintiff drives his potentially flammable Class Vehicle to the dealership."
According to the BMW water pump lawsuit, the recall "amounts to tens of thousands of hours and dollars needlessly taken from Plaintiff and other Class Vehicle owners."
According to the plaintiff, more than 720,000 BMW vehicles are not fit to provide safe transportation. The plaintiff also complains the water pump recall does nothing to fix the problems, and BMW has allegedly never explained the cause of the water pump defect.
"Plaintiff suffered injury in that he purchased a vehicle that is worthless." — BMW water pump lawsuit
The plaintiff claims the resale value of his 2013 BMW 328i has diminished because the water pump was recalled, and he has suffered damages because he has been "inconvenienced" by the recall and repairs.
The BMW water pump recall lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina (Statesville Division): Archy Beauge v. BMW of North America, LLC.
The plaintiff is represented by Poulin | Willey | Anastopoulo, LLC, and Sultzer & Lipari, PLLC.
The same lawyers filed two previous BMW water pump class action lawsuits (here and here) which have since been voluntarily dismissed.