Laguna Hills, CA – October 22, 2019 – BMW is pulling over 3,900 models from the marketplace due to the possibility that installed air bags are compromised. In the event of an accident that the air bags to deploy, sharp metal fragments could break through them, potentially leading to a severe injury.
The recall includes the following vehicles:
- 2000 – 2002 325i
- 2000 – 2002 325xi
- 2000 – 2002 323Ci
- 2000 – 2002 325Ci
- 2000 – 2002 330Ci
The defect
The cause of this issue is believed to be the propellant used in the release of the air bags. The propellant has the potential to break down over time due to exposure to high levels of humidity and temperature cycling.
Timeline of events
The 2000 – 2002 BMW air bag recall is one of several that have affected the auto industry tracing back several years.
The Office of Defects Investigation arm of the NHTSA opened a sweeping inquiry into this issue back in June 2014 after learning of six separate incidents where air bags ruptured, which involved five vehicle manufacturers.
The ODI determined that the common link between them all was the manufacturer of the air bags – Takata – and the locations of where these air bags were installed. All six took place in either Florida or Puerto Rico.
These events led to a much wider investigation of Takata air bags and their potential to cause serious injury to motorists.
All told, at least 37 million automobiles had been equipped with 50 million defective air bags manufactured by Takata, according to the most recent statistics available from the NHTSA. Repair rates among automakers with Takata air bags installed rose 30% in 2018 compared to the previous year.
“Communicating the urgency for recall repairs with the help of stakeholders and DMVs is proving effective to protecting lives on our nation’s roadways,” NHTSA Deputy Administrator Heidi King said at the time.
This isn’t the first time this year that BMW has been affected by an air bag safety issue. In June, the luxury automaker announced it was recalling approximately 2,000 SUVs whose air bags were installed improperly.
Prior to that, around 1,700 2-Series, 3-Series and 4-Series models were also recalled because of compromised passenger knee air bags.
The solution
As for the 2000 – 2002 BMW air bag issue, the luxury automaker is getting ready to start distributing mailers that will inform owners about this problem. BMW says it will begin sending the notifications out starting November 25.
Recipients of the safety notices are urged to bring their vehicle to a local dealer. If appropriate, a replacement air bag will be installed free of charge.
Is your vehicle part of the recall?
Over 3,900 airbags were originally part of this recall. As of April 9, 2021 – the last date for which information is available – 1,425 airbags had been replaced. To see if your car still needs to be repaired, use MotorSafety’s free lookup tool.
Note: June 8, 2021
We have noticed a large number of readers are interested in this recall. For that reason, we have added the last section to allow the driver to check if his or her car is part of the recall and include the most up-to-date information on the recall’s completion rates. The article has also been updated to reflect the latest editorial standards.
