SEOUL, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- The South Korean government on Friday recommended the owners of fire-prone models sold here by German automaker BMW refrain from driving until safety issues are totally settled.

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation Kim Hyun-mee said in a statement that the owners of BMW cars prone to fire refrain from driving until safety is secured and that the owners get safety checkups as early as possible.

The statement said the government would examine the cause of fire incidents of BMW vehicles in a thorough and transparent manner.

There have been about 30 cases of fires in the engine room of BMW models, mainly the 520d sedan, in 2018 alone.

The German carmaker announced a voluntary recall of 106,317 vehicles on July 26, only after receiving the transport ministry's request for the recall.

The BMW identified the fault of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), or a component to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions of diesel engines produced before November 2016, as the main cause of fires in the engine compartment.

The number of BMW owners taking legal action was forecast to rise as BMW models catching fire continued to be reported.