Laguna Hills, Calif. – January 9, 2019 – BMW of North America, LLC is recalling certain 2019 – 2020 330i and 330i xDrive vehicles. The outboard rear seat belt pre-tensioners may not lock as they are intended to in the event of a crash.
The estimated total of affected vehicles is 135.
The defect
Affected vehicles’ pre-tensioner inflator tubes may not have been crimped while in production. As a result, affected pre-tensioners have not been produced to meet BMW specifications.
The issue poses a potential risk because the seat belt pre-tensioners may fail to lock, causing the occupant to slide forward rapidly and increasing the risk of injury. The seat belt itself, however, will still lock during a crash.
BMW has not received any reports of accidents or injuries that were caused by this defect.
Timeline of events
On December 2, 2019, the retractor part supplier, Autolive ASP, Inc, a pre-tensioner that was out-of-specification was observed during supplier production. According to the supplier, the pre-tensioner lacked a crimp along the circumference of the tube.
Further review by Autolive ASP revealed that some defective parts had already shipped and been used in production by BMW.
BMW used vehicle assembly information and supplier production records to determine the production dates and vehicle numbers of vehicles that may have defective parts. Affected production dates were determined to be within a range from April, 2019 to December, 2019.
On December 19, 2019, BMW decided to conduct a voluntary safety recall. Certified BMW dealers were notified the next day.
The solution
Affected owners will receive a letter on February 10, 2020 by first class mail with information about the recall. Once the letter has been received, vehicles should be brought to a certified BMW Dealer.
In order for the process to run smoothly, and to ensure that BMW has all of their information updated, owners are encouraged to register their vehicles online.
To perform the recall, BMW dealers will replace the entire affected rear seat safety belt, free of charge. The process should take about one hour per vehicle.
Owners can continue to drive their vehicles in the lead up to the recall. However, owners are encouraged to bring their vehicles to have the problem remedied as some as possible after receiving a notification.
Check your car’s recall status using MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.
