ABC News has just conjured up a story that BMW->ke178 is in some deep mess over the high-pressure fuel pump in its twin-turbocharged N54 six-cylinder motor. We know that the pump has a high rate of failure and can cause stalling, backfiring, and loss of power in certain BMW vehicles with this motor. Yet, due to the fact that BMW has failed to issue a recall, there have been numerous lawsuits against the automaker. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration got involved in 2008 and deemed that it posed no threat to owner safety. So, BMW is in the clear right?

Well, not so fast. The German automaker has said that what drivers are experiencing is something called a built-in limp mode. Although it may feel like the vehicle has stalled, it can still be driven safely. They have also said that when the pumps fail, there is no rapid deceleration, so there is no risk of an accident.

Although this is what BMW claim, many people are experiencing issues. We have seen many people who say that they’ve had to replace their fuel pumps seven times in the last seven months. It’s just in the United States, as the problem is worldwide. An owner of a 135i in Australia had to have his replaced, luckily, that vehicle was still under warranty.

Hit the jump to get the whole story plus ABC's video on the matter.

Update: BMW is recalling 150,800 vehicles to replace faulty fuel pumps after customer complaints. Models covered: 2007-2010 335i models, 2008–2010 135i, 535i and X6 xDrive35i; 2009-2010 Z4 Roadster sDrive35i and 2008 X5s.

Studying the message boards shows that the issue is far more serious than we thought. There were some threads with over 18 pages on these issues. Drivers around the world are having problems, even in Europe with their superior fuel.

In Pennsylvania, the owner of an X6, has had the vehicle in the shop for 60 days since January. Sadly, the lemon law doesn’t apply here, but the owner managed to convince the company to buy the car back.

To help customers, BMW->ke178 has sent them all letters and extended the warranty to 10 years. Yet, with ABC up their trumpet, BMW has agreed to take major action. Who said the news media doesn’t have any affect.