With deadline approaching, many BMW cars have yet to undergo safety inspections

A BMW M3, a model that was exempt from safety inspections, caught fire on the Yangyang Expressway in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province near the Hwado Interchange on Aug. 13. It was the 39th BMW fire this year.

Transport Ministry still deliberating over mandatory suspension of operating all BMW vehicles

Just one day remains before the deadline (Aug. 14) for the emergency safety checkups that BMW is giving to cars at risk of spontaneously combusting prior to the recall, but a large number of cars have yet to receive a checkup, making it unclear whether the company can meet the deadline. BMW plans to keep providing the checkups even after the deadline.

“We haven’t decided yet whether to issue a mandatory order to suspend the operation [of BMW vehicles]. We’re consulting with related government agencies like the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and local government bodies,” said an official with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

According to figures provided by the Transport Ministry on Aug. 13, 72,188, or 68 percent, of the 106,317 vehicles subject to the BMW recall had received a safety checkup as of Aug. 12. It’s expected that about 90,000 vehicles will have received the checkup by Aug. 14, the date that BMW chose as the deadline for the checkups.

Since the Transport Ministry is planning to follow through on a threat to order vehicles that haven’t been checked to cease operations, service centers are expected to see a last-minute rush of cars still needing a checkup. But for various reasons, including the large number of workers on summer vacation, it’s likely that quite a few vehicles won’t be able to get checked.

“We’re working around the clock to complete the emergency safety checkups by Aug. 14. On Aug. 20, we’re going to quickly implement the recall using improved parts,” said Kim Hyo-jun, president of BMW Korea.

“All our assets are currently focused on completing the emergency safety checkups. We’ll continue providing checkups even after the deadline,” a BMW spokesperson said.

Democratic Party floor leader Hong Young-pyo speaks at an emergency meeting of the National Assembly’s Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee in Seoul on Aug. 13. To Hong’s left is Kim Hyo-joon, Chairman of BMW Korea; to his right is Rep. Yun Gwan-seok, the Democratic Party’s ranking lawmaker on the committee. (Kang Chang-kwang, staff photoghrapher)

The Transport Ministry is still mulling the question of whether to issue a mandatory suspension order for affected vehicles given the possibility of a backlash from car owners and legal action. Another option on the table is to order cars to receive a checkup before ordering them off the road.

“The authority to enforce orders for cars to get a checkup or stay off the roads belongs not to the Transport Ministry but to municipalities, counties and districts, and without their cooperation, any order we do issue wouldn’t be effective. We’ll make our final decision after consulting with related ministries and in consideration of the rate of progress in the safety checkups,” said an official with the Transport Ministry.

Kim Hyo-joon, Chairman of BMW Korea, was ordered to appear at the National Assembly on the morning of Aug. 13 for an emergency meeting of the National Assembly’s Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, during which Democratic Party lawmakers on the committee agreed to implement reforms by strengthening the punitive damages system and creating legal grounds for imposing penalties.

“The committee reached an agreement to strengthen the punitive damages system, improve the recall system, create grounds for imposing large penalties and improve the analytical system that checks for automobile design defects,” said Rep. Yun Gwan-seok, the Democratic Party’s ranking lawmaker on the committee, during a meeting with reporters immediately after the meeting.

In a related development, a BMW driving toward Yangyang on the Yangyang Expressway in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province near the Hwado Interchange caught on fire at 5:53 pm on Aug. 13. This was the 39th fire this year and the 11th fire this month alone. The vehicle in the accident was an M3 gasoline-fueled model that was exempted from the recall.

By Hong Dae-seon, Kim Kyu-nam and Heo Seung, staff reporters

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