Terrifying moment BMW bursts into flames as motorist has narrow escape

Terrifying moment BMW bursts into flames as motorist driving it to a garage where it had been urgently recalled over a fire risk has a narrow escape

• Kim Sharon, 65, of London, was in ‘total shock’ after her BMW burst into flames
• BMW denied responsibility and claimed damage too severe to determine cause 

A motorist had a narrow escape when her BMW burst into flames – just a mile from the garage she was heading to after being told her car was a fire risk.

Dramatic pictures show the moment Kim Sharon’s car exploded as she took it in for a part replacement following an urgent safety recall.

Weeks earlier, the German manufacturer had written to her saying that the car’s EGR cooler had to be changed free of charge due to a fire risk. The recall affects more than 1.6 million BMWs globally and 300,000 in the UK.

But following the fire, the firm has denied responsibility and claimed the damage to her 640d sport coupé was too severe to properly determine the cause of the blaze.

Ms Sharon, a 65-year-old grandmother from North-West London, said she was left thousands of pounds out of pocket and that the terrifying incident had left her fearful to get back behind the wheel of a car.

Dramatic pictures show the moment Kim Sharon’s car exploded as she took it in for a part replacement following an urgent safety recall

But following the fire, the firm has denied responsibility and claimed the damage to her 640d sport coupé was too severe to properly determine the cause of the blaze

‘I was on the way to the garage and I could smell smoke, then seconds later there were flames licking up at the windscreen,’ she said. ‘I stopped and jumped out of the car just as it exploded in a big fire. I just stood there at the side of the road in total shock watching it burn.’

She called the response by BMW ‘disgusting’, adding: ‘They had told me to come to the dealership to get this part replaced because there is a risk of fire with it, then, when it blows up on the way there, suddenly they say that wasn’t the cause.’

Even more disturbing, she says most weekdays she has her three-year-old grandson with her in a child’s car seat. ‘The way the fire broke out so fast there would have been absolutely no chance of me getting him out.’

Her daughter Natalie said: ‘We could have lost my mum but BMW have been awful. They seem to care more about money than the welfare and safety of their customers.’

Following the fire, BMW ordered an inspection of the vehicle, which ruled out the EGR fault as a cause. The inspector said the most likely reason was ‘fluid on to a hot surface (oil on to the exhaust)’.

Ms Sharon (pictured), a 65-year-old grandmother from North-West London, said she was left thousands of pounds out of pocket and that the terrifying incident had left her fearful to get back behind the wheel of a car

Last night, a BMW spokesman said: ‘The BMW Group takes any incident involving its vehicles and all cases of product safety very seriously. 

‘As is our usual procedure, at the time of the incident we contacted the customer and respective vehicle insurance company to offer our support so that the root cause of the incident could be established. 

‘As a consequence, a full and detailed vehicle inspection has been carried out, in November 2022, which determined that no product fault or any relation to the safety recall regarding the EGR cooler had led to the incident.

‘This finding, alongside the full report, was shared with the customer, who had been supplied with a hire vehicle whilst our investigation was carried out.’

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