Family reveal how 'death trap' car burst into flames on a dual carriageway

A mother of two has described her desperate scramble to save her children from the back of her BMW after it burst into flames on a dual carriageway.

Sara Longley and husband Stuart were driving with nine-month-old Eleanor and three-year-old Adam when their car lost power and smoke poured through the air vents.

Minutes later, they watched from the side of the road as their BMW 3-Series – now the subject of a worldwide safety recall – was engulfed in flames.

Mrs Longley said: ‘It was terrifying. The only thing on my mind when the car started smoking was the kids, and getting them out and away from the car.

‘If BMW knew there was a problem and sat on it – and this caused the fire – it has put our lives at risk.’

Around 1.6million BMWs around the world – including 268,000 in the UK – are affected by a potentially lethal fault with the exhaust cooler system near the engine.

Earlier this month the Mail revealed thousands of owners had still not been told about the problem, which affects 12 models manufactured between August 2010 and August 2017.

BMW began contacting drivers in October last year but the Longleys only received their safety recall letter on March 8. Just over a week later the car – a 2013 registration with a full service history at their local BMW garage in Stansted, Essex – burst into flames on the A1 as the family drove to visit relatives in Grantham, Lincolnshire.

Mrs Longley, 34, who was driving, was using the cruise control system on the car in a 50mph average speed zone.