Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
BMW is issuing a recall of more than 390,000 vehicles in the United States due to the risk of defective airbag inflators exploding when deployed at a crash, increasing the risk of serious injury or death.
The German automobile company is recalling more than 394,029 vehicles because its Takata-made airbag inflators could explode when deployed at a crash, propelling sharp metal fragments towards drivers and passengers, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in notice on Wednesday.
The recall covers certain BMW 3 Series Sedan and 3 Series Sportswagon vehicles, which were manufactured from 2006 to 2012.
The notice said the original steering wheel on the recalled BMW vehicles may have been replaced with a sport or M-sport steering wheel equipped with the Takata PSDI-5 airbag inflators after purchase.
The M-sport steering wheel – equipped with defective airbag inflators using ammonium nitrate that could lead to “overly aggressive combustion” over time – was not officially approved as a replacement part by BMW.
“Depending on the circumstances, this potential could create excessive internal pressure when the air bag is deployed, which could result in the body of the inflator rupturing upon deployment,” the report read.
If the airbag inflator explode during a crash, it can blast sharpnel through the air bag cushion material and hit the driver or passengers, which can lead to serious injury and even death.
The defective airbag inflators were found to be prone to ruptures after “several years of exposure to persistent conditions of high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling,” a conclusion determined by Takata and independent researchers in their investigation and lab tests.
The inflators were designed by Takata Corporation, a Japanese automotive parts company which was once the world’s leading suppliers of advanced automotive safety products such as airbags and seat belts.
But the company had been subjected to one of the largest recalls in the history of the automotive industry.
Takata had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Japan and the United States in 2017 amid the exploding airbag crisis, which had left them crippled with more than 30 billion yen, or roughly $268 million, in debt.
More than 30 people worldwide, including 27 in the United States, have been killed and another 400 have been injured by the inflators since 2009, according to the latest data by the NHTSA.
There have been no reports of any accidents or injuries linked to the latest recall, BMW said in its report.
Owners can take their vehicles to the BMW dealers who will inspect and replace the air bag module free of charge.
BMW’s recall number for the vehicles with the defective airbag inflators is 24V-513, according to the notice.
BMW will begin notifying dealers on July 10, and then notify owners via mail beginning on August 23.
The recall covers the vehicles, including the 2006-2011 3 Series Sedan (324i, 325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 330i, 330xi, 335i, 335xi), 2006-2012 3 Series Sportswagon (325xi, 328i, 328xi), and 2009-2011 3 Series Sedan (335d) vehicles.
Owners who have any inquiries can also reach out to BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417, or contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
More than 67 million Takata airbags have been recalled in tens of millions of vehicles across 19 automakers and 34 brands to date.