Recall Masters – October 24, 2017
BMW recalls vehicles with defective occupant detection features
MW of North America has recalled more than 85,000 vehicles potentially equipped with defective front passenger-side occupant detection mats, according to documentation filed with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. The campaign affects 2006-2010 BMW X-3 sport utility vehicles with production dates ranging from Nov. 20, 2005 to Aug. 31, 2010. The German automaker suspects roughly 9 percent of the models referenced in the recall contain the defective features.
The Defect
The vehicles named in this campaign could contain front passenger-side occupant detection mats prone to fatigue-based cracking. BMW engineers speculate that high volumes of passenger entries and exits, combined with the dimensions of the vehicle floor board area, lead to the development of micro-fissures that eventually interrupt underlying conductive pathways and cause complete failure of the occupant detection system. This poses a serious hazard to passengers, as such a failure may inhibit air bag activation in the event of a crash. However, BMW has not received reports linking the defect to any accidents or injuries…
