- Vehicles
- 20,500
- Built between
- Apr 1999 – Aug 1999
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 25 October 2002
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between April 1999 and August 1999. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1999-2000 BMW 323IBuilt April 1999 to August 1999
- 1999-2000 BMW 328IBuilt April 1999 to August 1999
What the defect is
On certain 4-DOOR passenger vehicles, the side air bag system could deploy in certain non-crash impacts, such as when contacting large potholes or curbs at substantial speeds.
What could happen
This could cause the side air bag and head protection system to deploy without an actual side crash or impact severe enough to cause significant visible damage to the vehicle. Unexpected deployment of the side air bag could cause serious injury if the occupant's head is resting near the side air bag.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL RECALIBRATE THE CENTRAL AIR BAG CONTROL MODULE TO REDUCE THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH A NON-CRASH DEPLOYMENT. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN OCTOBER 25, 2002.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtApril 1999 to August 1999
- Recall reported to NHTSA9 August 2002
- Owners notified25 October 2002
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 9 August 2002.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Manufacturer contact
Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- E46
- Recalling manufacturer
- BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE
- Recall initiated by
- ODI
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
Also, customers can contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.