BMW Air Bags: Inflator Module

BMW is recalling about 74,185 vehicles over a problem with the air bags. In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, an inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants.

Campaign
19V853000
Manufacturer
BMW of North America, LLC
Reported
26 November 2019
Vehicles
74,185
Built between
May 1999 – Jul 2000
Models
10
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
10 November 2020
Repaired
9%
Unrepaired
66,407

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between May 1999 and July 2000. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2000-2001 BMW 323CIBuilt May 1999 to June 2000
  • 1999-2001 BMW 323IBuilt May 1999 to July 2000
  • 2000-2001 BMW 323ITBuilt September 1999 to May 2000
  • 2000-2001 BMW 325CIBuilt May 1999 to June 2000
  • 1999-2001 BMW 325IBuilt May 1999 to July 2000
  • 2000-2001 BMW 325ITBuilt September 1999 to May 2000
  • 2000-2001 BMW 328CIBuilt May 1999 to June 2000
  • 1999-2001 BMW 328IBuilt May 1999 to July 2000
  • 2000-2001 BMW 330CIBuilt May 1999 to June 2000
  • 1999-2001 BMW 330IBuilt May 1999 to July 2000

Repair progress

66,407 of 74,185 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q3 2022.

9% repaired — 6,905 of 74,185 reported

Scrapped or exported
873

Manufacturers file these figures with NHTSA each quarter. Vehicles the manufacturer could not trace, or that have been scrapped or exported, are counted separately and are not included in the unrepaired figure.

What the defect is

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 1999-2001 323i, 325i, 328i and 330i and 2000-2001 323Ci, 325Ci, 328Ci, 330Ci, 323iT, and 325iT vehicles equipped with Non-Azide Driver air bag Inflators (NADI) manufactured by Takata. These vehicles may have received a replacement driver air bag as part of a vehicle repair. Due to a manufacturing issue, the replacement NADI inflator may absorb moisture, causing the inflator to rupture or the air bag cushion to underinflate.

What could happen

In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, an inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants. An underinflated air bag may not properly protect the occupant. These scenarios increase the risk of serious injury or death.

What gets fixed

BMW notified owners, and Dealers will replace the driver air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began November 10, 2020.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtMay 1999 to July 2000
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA26 November 2019
  3. Owners notified10 November 2020
  4. Latest repair reportQ3 2022 — 9% repaired

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 26 November 2019.

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.

Official source

Recalling manufacturer
BMW of North America, LLC
Recall initiated by
MFR

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.

Same component

Same brand