BMW announced a recall of over 32,000 high-powered vehicles across multiple popular model lines. The vehicles being effected are the turbo-charged X6, X5, 7 series, 5 series and the 5 series Gran Turismo with model years ranging between 2008 and 2011. The total amount being recalled is 32,084.
The dilemma is that the circuit board in the auxiliary water pump, which is designed to keep the turbo-charger cool, may overheat and fail. The result would be that the turbo-charged engine could overheat and in some cases cause a fire.
There have been 102 cases worldwide, so far, where the auxiliary water pump failed. Under United States Federal Law, a manufacturer must inform the NHTSA within 5 days of discovering a safety hazard or defect, or else face legal action. BMW dealers will inspect and replace all effected water pumps for free.