A new document says that BMW was aware of engine fire risks months before the date it claims to have first identified the problem. 

Heon Law, which is representing some one-thousand-200 BMW owners in a compensation lawsuit against the German automaker, made the claim based on a document that BMW of North America sent to BMW Korea back in August 2016.

The document explains in detail how to repair diesel vehicles that have damaged intake manifolds. The document states that eight models, including four diesel models, have seen cases of bypass valves continuously opening.

The document is dated around three months earlier than the date that BMW Korea CEO Kim Hyo-joon mentioned during a public hearing at the National Assembly last month. 

On August 28th, Kim appeared before the National Assembly and said the automaker’s head office in Germany began to analyze the issue of punctured intake manifolds from November 2016.