BMW recalls vehicles with defective air bags

Westwood, NJ – Aug. 24, 2017 – BMW (OTCMKTS:BMWYY) has recalled more than 3,000 vehicles believed to contain defective air bag assemblies, according to documentation filed with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. The campaign affects 2012-2013 BMW X3 xDrive28i SUVs and 2012-2013 xDrive35i SUVs. This campaign serves as an amendment to an earlier recall initiated in September of last year.

Recall Summary

The models referenced in this campaign could come equipped with improperly welded Takata-model inflator air bag housings on the driver’s side. This defect could lead the inflator to detach from the base plate during deployment, resulting in the discharge of dangerous metal debris that could potentially harm occupants. However, BMW has yet to receive any reports connecting the defective feature to any injuries.

On August 15, 2016, BMW received notification of an accident involving an X5 SUV, according to NHTSA documents. Investigators looking into this event noticed that metal projectiles had caused damage to the cabin. Engineers examined the vehicle and determined that the air bag inflator module had separated from its base plate during deployment, showering the interior with debris. Between August 30 and September 7, BMW and air bag manufacturer Takata met with NHTSA officials to discuss the issue. Early tests indicated that Takata was at fault, as the air bag inflator housing had not been properly welded during production.

On September 13, 2016 BMW launched a voluntary safety recall. During this same time, Takata began an internal investigation into its processes.

BMW received the preliminary results from this investigation July 20, 2017. The data indicated that the issue also existed in vehicles not addressed in the previous recall. Eleven days later, Takata confirmed this and recommended that BMW take action to ensure owner safety. The German automaker then reviewed its production records and compiled a final list of new vehicles containing the defective air bag assemblies.

On August 2, BMW quality assurance personnel decided that an additional recall action was necessary, and launched another voluntary safety campaign. The company notified dealers August 8.

Both the car manufacturer and Takata have pledged to continue monitoring the issue.

The repair

BMW has directed dealers to replace the driver’s side air bag assemblies in affected vehicles free of charge, according to documents submitted to the NHTSA. The automaker plans to notify owners via first-class mail by October 2.

Is your vehicle part of the recall?

Over 3,000 vehicles were originally part of this recall. Since then, the recall population has grown to 6,785. As of April 23, 2019 – the last date information was available – 4,807 airbags had been replaced. To see if your car still needs to be repaired, use MotorSafety’s free lookup tool.

Note: June 24, 2021

We have noticed a large number of readers are interested in this recall. For that reason, we have added the last section where drivers can check if their vehicle is part of this recall and included the recall completion rate. The article has also been updated to reflect the latest editorial standards.

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