Laguna Hills, CA – November 26, 2019 -– BMW is recalling 74,185 vehicles equipped with deadly Takata-manufactured Non-Azide Driver airbag Inflators (NADI). The recall includes the following cars:

• 1999 – 2001 323i, 325i, 328i and 330i
• 2000 – 2001 323Ci, 325Ci, 328Ci, 330Ci, 323iT, and 325iT 

As of the date of the recall, one person was killed and another injured as a result of this defect. Therefore, it is important that you take your vehicle in for repair immediately. Use MotorSafety’s free lookup tool to see if your car is part of this recall.

The defect

BMW states that these specific units may have received replacement airbags as part of a vehicle repair. Due to a manufacturing issue, the replacement NADI inflator can absorb moisture, causing the airbag to rupture or underinflate.

All listed vehicles may have had these devices installed during repairs. In the event of a crash, a rupture of the inflator can result in dangerous metal fragments hitting drivers and passengers, while an underinflated airbag can fail to shield the occupants properly.

These issues increase the risk of severe injury or death. BMW has not provided any guidance on how to ascertain if a vehicle possesses the defective NADI inflators.

Owners should exercise caution; a solution is not yet available at this time, and BMW recommends that owners should not utilize their vehicles until safe removal processes are available.

Timeline of events

On November 26, 2019, manufacturer Takata (TK Global LLC) disclosed that some of their NADI inflators produced from 1995 – 2000 were defective and issued a recall for all known extant units and vehicles that may contain said units.

Later that day, BMW issued a recall for several different classes of vehicle, gradually adding more to the list by the end of the day. BMW North America is currently the only automobile manufacturer to have issued a recall relating to these defective Takata NADI inflators.

Recommending that owners do not currently drive their vehicles, BMW is sending interim notices about the risk to owners until January 17, and again when the remedy becomes available.

The solution

Dealers will inspect the cars and replace the defective airbags free of charge. Owners were last notified on November 20, 2020.

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

Over 74,000 cars were originally part of this recall. As of April 30, 2021, only 4,162 airbags had been replaced. To see if your car still needs to be serviced, please use MotorSafety’s free lookup tool.

We have noticed a large number of readers are interested in this recall. For that reason, we have updated the article to reflect the latest editorial standards; provided the most-up-to-date information in the “Solution” section and added the last section where drivers can check if their vehicle is part of this recall. To the best of our knowledge, the cars in this recall are not on the “Do not drive” list. However, out of the abundance of caution, we are keeping the original author’s recommendation NOT to drive these vehicles before they are repaired. Please contact support@motorsafety.org with any questions.