Here's how a man's death unearthed a major fault with the BMW 3 series
The whole shocking story has now come to light.
The UK Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has harshly reprimanded BMW following its failure to disclose an electrical fault in a 3 series.
On Christmas Day 2016, Narayan Gurung and his wife were forced to violently swerve their Ford Fiesta out of the way of a stationary black BMW 3 series.
The BMW had suffered an electrical fault which had caused its brake to fail, leaving it stalling on a dark A-road at around 6:30am on a winter morning.
Gurung's Fiesta ended up veering into a tree. The driver died at the scene and his wife was seriously injured.
In an evasive statement released at the time of the incident, BMW said that it was "deeply saddened" by the accident but refused to comment further.
The DVSA said: "BMW did not make DVSA aware of electrical failure in its cars between 2011 and 2014, as it is required to do.
"It then provided us with incorrect information about the faults, so we were not able to make an informed decision.
"However, after examining the growing evidence, DVSA contacted BMW in December 2016 to ask it to conduct a full safety recall of the affected vehicles."
A recently released inquest report revealed the shocking truth that BMW had received multiple complaints of power failures from as early as 2011.
In an initial effort to address the problem, BMW recalled around half a million cars in the US in 2013, alongside similar measures in Australia, Canada and South Africa.
The DVSA, which is an authoritative government body, then contacted BMW with further concerns over vehicle safety defects in 2014.
Andrew Tudor, the DVSA's lead engineer stated in February 2016 that "we do not want a fatality".
BMW reassured the DVSA in a meeting the same month that the faults were under control and that no UK vehicles would be recalled.
Alex Neill, a representative of the consumer group Which?, said that the case raised serious concerns about BMW's safety measures.
He said: "It must now set out how it will respond to this incident and ensure that other car recalls are dealt with swiftly."
BMW supplier quality engineer Mark Hill argued that, in the manufacturer's opinion, the issue was not "critical".
He pointed out that drivers could still steer and brake when the problem occurred, despite their headlights, hazard lights, indicators and brake lights not working.
He said: "It is not a safety defect because a prior warning is given to the user in the majority of cases."
The recent report revealed that the fault had been caused by the gradual degarding of the cars' battery cable connectors and fuse box terminals.
This can ultimately cause a break in the electrical connection between battery and fuse box, which is thought to be behind Mr Gurung's Christmas Day crash.
The 1 series, 3 series and Z4 models are all thought to be affected, totalling around 370,000 cars in the UK alone.
Which? said: "Drivers in the UK will ask why BMW delayed recalling a car that was a known danger and had been recalled in several other countries years earlier."
Following the death of Mr Gurung, BMW issued a recall of 36,000 cars in Britain.
BMW said: "We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident and we extend our heartfelt sympathies to the family of Mr Gurung.
"As this matter is still the subject of court proceedings, we are unable to comment specifically on it."
The inquest has been adjourned until later this year, meaning that disciplinary proceedings will likely not continue for several weeks at least.
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