The first consumer group lawsuit has been filed against BMW, which has started to recall the car as a topic of conversation in succession.
On July 30th, four BMW car owners filed a compensation lawsuit against BMW Korea and Deutsche Motors at the Seoul Central District Court. The lawsuit stated that the incident did not cause damage to the owners due to susceptible fire, but stated that the owners suffered financial and psychological damage due to restrictions on the use of their cars.
“First of all, about 4,474 dollars are charged for damages by adding up all the damages and alimony. We plan to file more damages based on the results of the appraisal, and also further increase the number of litigants,” said a lawyer from Barun Law.
“We cannot drive our vehicles until they are fully repaired, and even if a recall is made, the risk of fire cannot be completely eliminated. There will be a continuing hindrance to vehicle operations because there are more than 100,000 vehicles affected by the recall, and it is clear that parts supply will be delayed,” said the owners of the BMWs
In addition, the owners demanded compensation saying that the fire had caused demand for used cars to drop sharply, leading to a drop in used car prices.
The owners insisted that BMW Korea had concealed the flaws as a manufacturer; therefore, they had to preemptively investigate EGR parts for a number of fires in 520d from 2015, but failed to fulfill their duty.
The owners claimed an alimony because they were mentally shocked by the exposure to the fire risk. Moreover, another driver who experienced the fire in person filed a lawsuit against BMW Korea.
This year alone, more than 10 BMW vehicles caught fire while driving while other accidents seemed to be mechanical failures. In particular, it was controversial because it focused on the 520d model, which is the best-selling domestic model in Korea.
