German luxury car maker BMW said today it was recalling about 40 Minis sold in Ireland because of a fault that could cause a fire when they are being filled with petrol.
The company said it was aware of two cases where a build-up of static electricity in the neck of the fuel tank could spark when a fuel pump nozzle is inserted and ignite the fuel vapour - a flash which is over in a fraction of a second.
The problem had been solved and new models were not affected, a spokesman said.
Motor Import Ltd. the importers of BMWs into Ireland said today that the 40 BMW Minis already sold in Ireland will be recalled for slight modifications.
It added that no incidents whave been reported in Ireland.
The spokesman said the recall would cost BMW about one million marks ($465,800).