German high-end carmaker BMW said on Tuesday it would recall more than one million additional diesel cars, citing a problem with the exhaust system that "in extreme cases can cause a fire".

Cooling fluid can leak from a faulty component called the exhaust gas recirculation cooler, combining with other substances in the system to cause the fire risk, the group said.

Combined with an August announcement targeting 4,80,000 cars, BMW is now recalling a total of 1.6 million vehicles worldwide.