Laguna Hills, CA – Aug. 12, 2019 – BMW of North America is recalling a small number of predominantly X3 and X4 models whose seat assemblies may suddenly fold while someone is seated and the vehicle is in motion. The confluence of this scenario and a crash could lead to injury for the passenger. The BMW passenger seat recall is limited in scope and no injuries have occurred thus far, but owners notified should nonetheless schedule to have the seat replaced by an area dealership.

The Defect

According to filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, BMW plans to recall a combined 20 X sport utility vehicles over a seat installation issue that may have occurred at some point during the assembly process. The model types involved are:

• 2018-2019 X3 sDrive30i
• 2018-2019 xDrive30i
• 2018-2019 M40i
• 2019 X4 xDrive30i
• 2019 M40i

As noted in the Part 573 Safety Recall Report, certain front seatbacks’ frames were not welded in accordance with the manufacturers’ specifications, and as a result, they could fold either forward or backward, depending on the circumstances of the moment and how the person seated is positioned. This could dramatically increase the risk of injury if motorists are involved in a collision.

Although highly rare, passenger seat failures have led to tragic deaths in previous years. In 2018, for example, a Ohio teenager was killed after becoming trapped in the third row bench seat of a Honda Odyssey, a story which made national and international headlines. The 16-year-old called 911 but tragically, the boy died of asphyxiation before responding officers were able to locate him.

Such a scenario is isolated, but nevertheless, it speaks to the gravity of what can happen should foldable seats release from their anchors.

Timeline of Events

Officials first got wind of what would ultimately lead to a BMW passenger seat recall when the company received word of an incident affecting a customer in China July 17. The owner noted that at some point during the course of travel, the seat folded downward while someone was positioned in the chair at the time.

BMW launched an investigation of this issue immediately thereafter and discovered that the customer’s front seatback frame may have been assembled during a time at which some of its AI-powered robots were malfunctioning. Further inquiry determined the manufacturing period in question was somewhere between May 29 and June 10 of 2018.

No one was harmed during the aforementioned incident, but nonetheless, BMW deemed it appropriate for a voluntary safety recall to move forward, which occurred July 24. NHTSA acknowledged and officially approved the precautionary measure Aug. 8.

Several separate recalls are now in effect for the German automaker. One involves approximately 2,000 X7 and xDrive 40i automobiles, whose air bags may be improperly installed. Another BMW recall, which officially got underway July 2, affects 5,000 2019-2020 models whose knee air bag assemblies were not folded away correctly.

The Solution

As to the BMW passenger seat recall, the front seat will need to be replaced to ensure this problem doesn’t occur. As such, the company will notify the 20 owners about this issue via first-class mail. They’re encouraged to take their vehicle back to the dealership – or any other BMW dealer, for that matter – so the front seat structure can be swapped out for one that’s fully functional. Motorists can expect to receive a notification alerting them to this starting Sept. 23. Dealers have already been informed.

For more information on this or any other automotive recall, visit MotorSafety.org and enter your 17-digit VIN.

Laguna Hills, CA – June 17, 2019 – BMW of North America seeks to recall nearly 2,000 X7 xDrive 40i and X7 xDrive50i models after learning that some of these vehicles may have head air bags errantly installed As a result, their deployment after a crash may result in injury or exacerbate the resulting effects. The German automaker advises owners of these SUVs to take their vehicles to their local BMW dealer to determine if a repair is necessary. If so, it will be arranged free of charge. The correction may involve entirely removing the air bag system and replacing with a new one or repair the existing air bag.

The Defect

In official paperwork filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is an arm of the U.S. Department of Transportation, BMW is recalling 1,822 SUVs, specifically 2019 X7 xDrive40i and X7 xDrive50i.

The German automaker says that the head air bags – installed within the wheel on the driver’s side and the dashboard for the passenger – may be out of alignment with the vehicle trim. The issue is not with the air bag itself but rather improper installation.

Because they weren’t loaded according to the manufacturer’s specified instructions, the air bags may not inflate correctly, thereby increasing the risk of head injury during a crash, the impact of which triggers deployment. BMW says it’s taking this step out of an abundance of caution, believing that only 1% of the potentially safety compromised SUVs contain the flaw.

This is the second voluntary recall for BMW in as many weeks, as close to 1,700 2-Series, 3-Series and 4-Series vehicles are being pulled from the marketplace because of damaged passenger knee air bags.

Timeline of Events

The air bag failing first came to BMW’s attention during a quality control check at the automaker’s Westwood, New Jersey-based assembly plant. Two SUVs were identified as suspect. This led to a follow-up to see if other model xDrive 2019 models were potentially compromised. Review of the relevant paperwork suggested that if other vehicles contain a similar flaw, the number was minimal. The investigation also helped BMW determine that any subsequent offending models were produced between Nov. 5, 2018 and April 3, 2019. The company says it’s unaware of any accidents or injuries tracing back to this issue, but nevertheless decided to make the recall notice official on May 16. NHTSA notified BMW of its desire to do so on June 10 and gave the company the go ahead.

The Solution

Starting on July 15, BMW will reach out to xDrive owners by first-class mail about the possibility their air bag may be impaired and what they can do to address this issue. The simplest solution is taking their car to an authorized dealership, who can diagnose whatever happens to be the problem and fix. The remedy will be free, as is normally the case for safety recalls that are voluntary or mandatory.

Dial 1-800-525-7417, BMW’s customer service hotline, for more information on this recall. You can also enter your VIN at MotorSafety.org to see if your model is subject to this or any other safety recall.

Laguna Hills, CA – June 14, 2019 – BMW of North America is recalling thousands of 2019-2020 model years passenger vehicles due to a potential air bag flaw that may alter the manner in which it deploys. Specifically, the defect affects the knee air bag assemblies, which may have been errantly folded at some point in the manufacturing process. It’s possible that the air bag may not uncoil completely after a collision, raising the risk of injury.

The recall is expected to begin on July 2 and owners of the affected models are advised to take their automobiles off the roads so they can be serviced – for free – by a licensed BMW dealership.

The Defect

BMW says its pulling 5,079 automobiles from the marketplace – of which include coupes, convertibles and sports wagons – due to improper installation of the knee air bags that are meant to protect the driver as well as the front-seated passenger, according to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The models include 230I, 330I, 430I, 440I, M2, M240I and M4. Their model years are 2019 and 2020 (the 330I is for 2019 only). It seems that the knee air bag modules, which were manufactured by Joyson Safety Systems, may have been loaded into the vehicles’ housing systems incorrectly. This could prevent the air bag from inflating properly upon impact in a crash that triggers them. Injury may result in such a scenario to the driver, passenger or both.

Timeline of Events

The problem first came to the attention of BMW in mid April. At the time, components manufacturer Joyson Safety Systems alerted the automaker that some of the air bags in several 2019-2020 may have been damaged during compliance testing. JSS came to this conclusion after performing additional examinations to see if the flaw was isolated or potentially widespread. Ultimately, the air bag manufacturer determined that at least several of the knee air bags were not adequately packed in the housing unit.

BMW concluded that it was best to err on the side of caution and initiated a voluntary recall on May 2, which entailed alerting NHTSA to the issue. There are no known injuries that trace back to this flaw.

The Solution

BMW says that it plans on notifying owners by July 2 about the potential problem and will encourage them to have the issue looked at the same place they bought their automobile. If not there, at a licensed BMW dealership. As per usual, the fix will come at no cost to drivers. It may be that a repair is unnecessary, as only about 13% of the recalled models are believed to have the defect. In paperwork filed with NHTSA, BMW suspects that the 4 series coupe models are most likely to be the ones affected, as 2,357 of these vehicles were equipped with knee airbag modules, compared to just 154 for the BMW 3 series sports wagon.

The NHTSA campaign number relating to this recall is 19V-352. Find out more at MotorSafety.org.

Laguna Hills, CA – May 18, 2019 – BMW of North America is recalling certain 2016-2019 X1 sDrive28i and X1 xDrive28i vehicles because of an issue involving crash impact protection. If an accident were to occur in which the occupant’s head comes into contact with the B-pillar, the pillar may not sufficiently absorb the impact, increasing the likelihood of serious injury or death. As many as 106,182 vehicles may be affected.

The Defect

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report on this issue, inadequate impact protection surrounding the affected vehicles’ B-pillar could lead to a greater risk of injury if an occupant’s head were to contact the pillar during a crash. Because of this issue, the vehicles do not comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 201, “Occupant Protection in Interior Impact.”

Timeline of Events

BMW conducted development tests in January 2019 on its next-generation X1 model. The results showed that one of the B-pillar target points exceeded the recommended value, indicating a safety issue. Since the new generation of X1 models are identical to the current X1 version now on the road, the automaker decided to revisit its prior certification results, finding that those earlier tests came out within the legal requirements for the B-pillar values. BMW then conducted further review of the discrepancies between the two versions.

Further tests were conducted April 3, showing that one of the B-pillar values still exceeded the recommendation. In response, additional reviews of test setup equipment and simulations took place in April, followed by evaluation from an independent testing laboratory. The lab repeated BMW’s earlier tests, coming up with similar results. 

Engineering analysis by the automaker then revealed that the engineering services company that had conducted the initial tests and simulations for the new generation X1 vehicles’ B-pillar contact point had failed to take into account a worst-case scenario for head-form positioning. As a result, BMW decided May 2 to launch a voluntary recall.

The Solution

The recall is expected to begin July 2, 2019. A repair solution is still under development. When the remedy becomes available, BMW will notify owners.

Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Owners may also contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to the www.safercar.gov website. The NHTSA Campaign Number for this recall is 19V349000.

Laguna Hills, CA – May 17, 2019 – BMW North America is recalling certain 2018 i3 BEV and i3 REx hybrid electric vehicles. A defective electronic module could shut down the high-voltage electrical power supply. If this happens while driving solely on electricity, without gasoline in the tank as a fallback, the car would lose power and stop unexpectedly, potentially causing a crash. As many as 159 vehicles could be affected by this issue.

The Defect

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report on this particular recall, a circuit board problem within the affected vehicles’ electronic module could shut down the supply of electrical power. This would result in a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of an accident.

Timeline of Events

BMW first learned in September 2018 of a number of incidents involving high-voltage electrical power loss on Model Year 2018 BMW i3 vehicles, with additional reports of the error continuing to surface over the next few months. Despite an initial review after the first cases, the origin of the power problem was not determined.

Additional field incidents occurred in early 2019, leading to further reviews that included the automaker’s supplier and subcontractor. On April 2, BMW learned from its supplier that the electronic modules in question had not been produced to specifications. The printed circuit boards had not been adequately cleaned according to the process laid out by the automaker.

BMW reviewed the supplier’s records to ascertain the time period during which the problem had occurred, as well as the number of affected vehicles. The automaker then decided April 10 to conduct a voluntary safety recall. As of that date, BMW had not received any reports of accidents or injuries related to this issue.

The Solution

The recall will begin June 7. BMW will notify owners of the affected vehicles, and dealers will replace the defective electronic module at no cost.

Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Owners may also contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to the www.safercar.gov website. The NHTSA Campaign Number for this recall is 19V-310.

Laguna Hills, CA – May 16, 2019 – BMW is recalling certain 2019 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i and X4 M40i vehicles because of air bags that may not function, as the result of an instrument panel defect. As many as 50 vehicles may be affected.

The Defect

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report on this issue, the affected vehicles are equipped with an instrument panel assembly that may have been improperly manufactured. The errors of this particular flaw pertain to the front passenger air bag and could adversely affect its deployment. If the air bag does not operate properly during a crash, there is a significantly increased risk of injury for the passenger in the front seat.

Timeline of Events

BMW learned from its supplier on March 20, 2019 that instrument panels in the affected vehicles may have been fastened with an adhesive not originally specified by the automaker during the course of the lamination process. BMW immediately launched an investigation to determine whether that improper adhesive had, in fact, been used, and learn which vehicles contained the problematic instrument panel cluster modules. Production was halted at the assembly plant as soon as the investigation began.

Further review by both BMW and the component supplier revealed the specific production dates during which the incorrect adhesive was potentially used in manufacturing the vehicles’ instrument panels. Based on this information, BMW decided April 3 to launch a voluntary recall. As of that date, the automaker had not received any reports of injuries or accidents related to this issue.

The Solution

The recall will formally begin June 3, 2019. BMW will notify owners of the affected vehicles, explaining to them that authorized dealers will replace the flawed instrument panel assembly at no cost.

Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Owners may also contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov. The NHTSA Campaign Number for this recall is 19V-291.