BMW of North America is recalling 720,796 vehicles in the United States after federal safety officials said a water-pump electrical connector can short-circuit and start a fire even when the car is parked and turned off^1,2,3.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration told owners of the affected cars and SUVs on Friday to park them outside and away from buildings and other vehicles until a new repair is done^2,3. BMW said a free dealer repair is still being developed^1,4.

The campaign covers multiple model years from 2012 through 2018, including 3 Series, 4 Series, 5 Series, 2 Series, X1, X3, X4, Z4 and X5 xDrive40e vehicles listed by NHTSA and local outlets^1,3,4. al.com, citing agency documents, said the notice spans 53 model listings⁴.

NHTSA and BMW described the defect as an improperly sealed connector on the electric water pump that can be exposed to moisture and short^1,3. KIRO 7 and al.com reported that BMW said it knows of about 10 U.S. field incidents possibly related to the issue, including smoldering and overheating, and is not aware of crashes or injuries^1,4.

Those incidents involved vehicles that had already been repaired under a 2024 water-pump recall, according to KIRO 7 and NHTSA's account as reported by Reuters^1,2. al.com said the earlier remedy was a protective shield meant to keep residual fluid off the connector, and that a BMW investigation later found it did not stop the problem⁴.

BMW said the condition applies to less than 0.1% of the recalled vehicles, according to al.com⁴. Owner notification letters are expected to begin Dec. 25, 2026, with VIN lookup on NHTSA's site around the same date^1,3,4. A second letter is planned once a remedy is ready; outlets said no timetable for that repair has been given^4,5.

Until then, NHTSA's instruction is to keep affected vehicles outdoors and away from structures^2,3. Owners can call BMW at 800-525-7417 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236^1,3.