BMW is recalling thousands of cars following an electrical fault that may render the cars stranded without power.

The vehicles involved in the recall include 1 Series, 3 Series, Z4 and X1 models registered between March 2007 and September 2011.

More than 300,000 vehicles are being recalled by the company in the UK and cars in the same time frame and model range are also being recalled in Ireland.

What the exact number in the recall will be in this country is being determined by BMW Ireland but it is expected that the figure will be more than 10,000 cars. However, this figure may rise when imported vehicles from Northern Ireland and the UK are taken into account.

BMW owners will be contacted by BMW and all repairs, which will take about two hours will be carried out free of charge by BMW dealers nationwide. Customers with any queries are asked to contact their local dealer or BMW Customer Care Team on 1890 719 421.

The recall follows an investigation by the BBC Watchdog programme after a driver was killed in a road accident when his car crashed into a tree while avoiding a broken-down BMW in the South of England. The BMW had apparently suffered an electrical fault after which its brake lights failed and the car stalled on a dark byroad.