BMW recalls 1.3 million vehicles worldwide

LONDON, UK – German luxury carmaker BMW is recalling some 1.3 million cars worldwide for repair due to potential battery problems that could, in extreme cases, result in a fire.

Monday’s statement by the Munich-based firm comes two months after its Mini auto company announced it was recalling 235,000 of its vehicles around the world after discovering an electrical water pump fault that could also cause fires.

The cars involved in Monday’s recall are all 5 and 6 Series models built between 2003 and 2010, around 290,000 of which are on the roads in Germany, Fox Business reports.

The company said the affected cars could experience electrical system malfunctioning, fail to start, or, in some cases, face charring or fire, due to an incorrectly mounted battery cable cover, according to The Wall Street Journal.

A BMW spokesman said nine cases of defects had been reported so far, adding that there have been no reports of accidents or injuries due to the fault.

The company said it would write to all owners and that checks for the fault would take about half an hour and be free of charge.

Earlier this month, the company reported record profit margins in its core car business for last year, according to the BBC.

BMW’s profits leapt by 51 percent in 2011 to $6.43 billion, as sales rose 14 percent to around $91 billion, thanks mainly to a surge in car-buying in China, GlobalPost reports.