BMW expands recall to 1.6M diesel vehicles worldwide amid fire concerns

Oct. 23 (UPI) -- BMW announced Tuesday that it's expanding a recall to cover 1.6 million vehicles over concerns that a coolant leak could spark a fire in certain diesel models.

The recall affects 2010-17 models with four- and six-cylinder diesel engines. Munich-based BMW had earlier recalled 480,000 vehicles for this issue in Asia and Europe. Only 54,700 vehicles are affected in the United States and Canada.

BMW said that coolant could leak from the exhaust recirculation module, then combine with soot at high temperatures to spark a fire. South Korea reported 40 fires this year, prompting the government to ask drivers to keep them off the road until the problem could be identified.

No injuries were reported, but videos of the fire went viral, prompting police to raid BMW's office in Seoul.

BMW will replace the parts to fix the vehicles at the dealerships.

An earlier version of this report incorrectly stated the number of vehicles affected by the recall.