UK Car Recalls For Fire Risk: Which Models Are Affected, What Causes The Fires And What To Do Until Yours Is Fixed

Fire-risk recalls fix faults that can make a car overheat, melt or catch fire, usually electrical wiring, fuel leaks, exhaust gas coolers or high-voltage batteries. DVSA's data lists 206 car recalls mentioning a fire risk since 2020. Check your registration below and follow any parking or charging advice in your recall letter.

Latest Fire-risk Recalls In The UK

These are the newest car recalls that mention a fire risk, newest first.

Each row links to the recall's own page, with the build dates covered, the fix and what to do next. A recall that mentions a fire risk is graded urgent, unless the manufacturer's wording says do not drive, in which case it is marked stop-drive. See how we grade recalls.

If You Smell Burning Or See Smoke

Stop as soon as you safely can, switch off, get everyone out and away from the car, and call 999. Don't open the bonnet.

1. Pull over somewhere safe, away from buildings and other cars if you can.
2. Switch off the engine or, on an electric car, the power.
3. Get everyone out and move well away, behind a barrier on a motorway.
4. Call 999. Tell the operator if the car is electric or a hybrid.
5. Don't open the bonnet, because fresh air can feed a fire.

A burning smell with no smoke still means stop and get the car checked before driving on. See car recall symptoms.

What Causes Car Fire Recalls?

Most UK fire recalls trace back to six causes: wiring that chafes or overheats, fuel leaking onto hot parts, exhaust gas recirculation coolers, heater blower resistors, 48-volt hybrid systems and high-voltage batteries.

1. 1
   WiringChafed or poorly connected wiring and fuses.
2. 2
   Fuel linesLeaking fuel pipes or connectors near hot parts.
3. 3
   EGR coolerCoolant leaks leading to deposits that smoulder.
4. 4
   Heater resistorBlower motor resistors that overheat.
5. 5
   48-volt hybrid partsMild hybrid starter generators and their wiring.
6. 6
   High-voltage batteryCell faults in electric and plug-in hybrid cars.

Heat, fuel and electricity are the three ingredients. Most fire recalls fix one of them: a wire that rubs through its insulation, a fuel pipe or injector that can leak onto a hot exhaust, or a battery cell that can overheat. Exhaust gas coolers are a special case, because leaking coolant mixes with soot to form deposits that can smoulder in the intake. Only 1 fire-related car recall in DVSA's data uses stop-drive wording, so most owners can use the car until the repair, unless their letter says otherwise.

Should I Park Outside Or Stop Charging?

Only if your letter says so. When it does, follow it exactly. Ford, for example, told some Kuga plug-in hybrid owners not to charge above 80 % until a software fix.¹

Real instructions from UK recall letters include:

• Charge to no more than 80 %, for example the Ford Kuga plug-in hybrid recall R/2025/527.¹
• Do not charge from an external source until the repair, as in the earlier Kuga plug-in hybrid recall R/2020/224.
• Park outdoors, away from buildings, for example the BMW starter motor recall R/2025/405, covering 115,024 vehicle-records.²
• Charge outdoors only, as on the Volkswagen ID. Buzz and ID.3 recall R/2026/150.²

These instructions apply until the dealer has done the repair. If you can't keep to them, for example because you have no off-street parking, tell the manufacturer when you book; it may be able to prioritise your car. See can you drive a car with a recall?.

Which Makes Have The Most Fire-risk Recalls?

Since 2020, Ford and BMW have the most UK car recalls mentioning a fire risk, followed by Peugeot, DS, Vauxhall and Kia.

Ford

20

BMW

18

Peugeot

12

DS

12

Vauxhall

11

Kia

11

Hyundai

10

Audi

10

Citroën

9

Jaguar

6

Land Rover

6

Toyota

6

Porsche

6

Jeep

6

Mercedes-Benz

5

These are raw counts, so brands with many models score higher. Fire-related recalls have also risen, from 19 in 2020 to 42 in 2023 and 42 in 2025, partly because more cars now carry high-voltage batteries and 48-volt systems. For counts adjusted for cars on the road, see which car makes have the most recalls.

Cars Recalled More Than Once For Fire

Some fire problems needed a second recall, notably the Vauxhall Zafira B heater resistor and BMW's diesel EGR coolers.

Vauxhall Zafira B. The first recall, R/2015/245, replaced the heater blower resistor. DVSA then told Vauxhall a second recall was needed, and R/2016/104 fitted a new heater blower motor to cars with manual heating controls built from February 2005 to October 2014, covering 231,572 vehicle-records.³

BMW and MINI diesels. From 2018, BMW replaced leaking EGR coolers. In 2022 it added a further recall to check intake manifolds for damage from leaks that had gone unnoticed.⁴ See the BMW EGR cooler recall.

If your car had the first recall done, check again by VIN, because a later recall can still apply. The same applies to a used car: the seller may have had the first repair done and never received the second letter.

Getting The Fix

Fire-risk repairs are normally free at a franchised dealer.⁵ Ask for collection if the letter says not to drive.

• Book promptly with any franchised dealer of your make. See manufacturer recall helplines.
• Ask about parts. Some fire recalls need parts that take time to arrive, so ask for a date and whether you can drive meanwhile.
• Keep the paperwork showing the recall was done, which helps when you sell the car.
• Ask for a courtesy car or collection if the letter tells you to park outdoors or stop charging and you can't do that safely at home.

See how long a recall repair takes and do you have to pay for a recall?.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Electric Cars Catch Fire More Often?

UK recall data doesn't answer that, because recalls count defects, not fires. High-voltage battery recalls have risen as more electric cars reach the road. See electric car recalls.

Will A Fire-risk Recall Fail The MOT?

No. An outstanding recall is shown for information, not as a fail.⁶ See recalls and the MOT.

Does A Fire-risk Recall Affect My Insurance?

It doesn't usually change your premium, but ignoring a recall, especially one with parking or charging instructions, can affect a claim. See recalls and car insurance.

Is An Engine Misfire A Recall?

No. A misfire is a running fault, not a fire. Get it checked by a garage, and run your registration through our checker in case a recall applies.

---

Data: DVSA vehicle recall data (Open Government Licence v3.0), updated 15 October 2026. Fault groups are our classification (methodology).