BMW to pay $478 million for water damage to trunk power components

According to the compensation documents ruled by the U.S. District Court in New York last week, the models involved in this compensation are mainly BMW 5 Series produced from 2004 to 2010. The owners can receive up to $1,500 in compensation after receiving repairs.

In addition, car owners with less than 120,000 miles and whose cars are less than 10 years old can enjoy free inspection and repair services.

The court's compensation documents also mentioned that the electrical components on the spare tire in the trunk of some cars are easily damaged by blocked sunroof drain pipes and water that enters through other means. Therefore, during the repair process, the dealer will also put a label on the trunk to remind the owner not to splash water into the trunk.

It is reported that BMW had received complaints, warranty claims and technical service bulletins from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of this type of incident as early as 2004. However, BMW has always denied this.

BMW has been sued in similar cases in New York and California for nearly four years, but there is no relevant documents to confirm how many car owners are seeking compensation.

BMW also agreed to pay $1.8 million in damages to cover attorney fees and prosecution costs for the car owners, but the compensation still needs to be approved by U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest.

As of now, a BMW spokesperson has not responded to this.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.