The recent spate of fires affecting BMW vehicles,... which prompted a mass recall in South Korea,... may have been caused by a malfunction in a different part than claimed by the German auto giant.
As the local public-private probe into fire-prone BMW cars reveals new findings,... experts say additional recalls now seem unavoidable.
Kim Hyo-sun reports.
A joint investigation team probing into the cause of fires in BMW vehicles says the main cause lies in the malfunction of the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valves, not the EGR bypass, as previously claimed by the German automaker.

"We are confident that we have found the root cause, and this has become clear to us. The root cause is a leaky cooler, a module as stated in a number of occasions as well. And there is one spot where higher temperatures can arise, as I mentioned, where the EGR valve is."

The team comprised of individual experts and government officials, led by the Korea Transportation Safety Authority announced its interim findings on Wednesday.

It explained the deposits caused by the EGR cooler leakage, when exposed to high temperature exhaust emissions flowing in through EGR valves,... triggered sparks inside the engine compartment.
The spark,... ultimately grew and caused fire in the engine room when exposed to air in high-speed driving conditions.

"It's worth noting that the cause of the fire that was sparked on the deposits caused by the EGR cooler leakage was not the bypass valve, but the EGR valve. The fire ignited when both of the valves were malfunctioning."

As the studies find another reason associated to the spate of fires,... bringing into question BMW's focus on the EGR bypass,... additional recalls seem likely.
The investigation team is set to release its final results next month,... which will be used to make recommendations for the South Korean government.
Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News.