- Vehicles
- 43,204
- Built between
- Jan 2002 – Dec 2002
- Models
- 9
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 9 August 2013
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Safety advisories
Do not drive this vehicle
NHTSA and the manufacturer advise that affected vehicles should not be driven until the recall repair has been completed. Contact your dealer to arrange the repair, and ask about transport in the meantime.
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between January 2002 and December 2002. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2002-2003 BMW 325CIBuilt February 2002 to December 2002
- 2002-2003 BMW 325IBuilt January 2002 to December 2002
- 2002-2003 BMW 325ITBuilt January 2002 to December 2002
- 2002-2003 BMW 325XIBuilt January 2002 to December 2002
- 2002-2003 BMW 325XITBuilt January 2002 to December 2002
- 2002-2003 BMW 330CIBuilt February 2002 to December 2002
- 2002-2003 BMW 330IBuilt January 2002 to December 2002
- 2002-2003 BMW 330XIBuilt January 2002 to December 2002
- 2002-2003 BMW M3Built February 2002 to December 2002
What the defect is
BMW is recalling certain model year 2002-2003 325i, 325xi, 330i, 330xi sedans; 325Ci and 330Ci coupes and convertibles; 325iT and 325xiT Sports Wagons; and M3 coupes and convertibles to address a safety defect in the passenger side frontal air bag which may produce excessive internal pressure causing the inflator to rupture upon deployment of the air bag.
What could happen
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking and potentially seriously injuring the passenger seat occupant or other occupants.
What gets fixed
Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until they have been repaired. BMW intends to issue initial notifications to owners informing them of the safety defect in June 2013. Once replacement parts are available, estimated for July, BMW will notify owners again to contact their dealers and schedule a replacement of the passenger air bag, free of charge.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJanuary 2002 to December 2002
- Recall reported to NHTSA2 May 2013
- Owners notified9 August 2013
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 2 May 2013.
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 may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or email BMW at CustomerRelations@bmwusa.com.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- BMW of North America, LLC
- 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
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
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.