BMW of North America is recalling 394,029 vehicles in the U.S. due to airbag inflators that can potentially explode and cause significant injuries or death.
The recalled vehicles may have non-original steering wheels, sport or M-sport steering wheels, equipped with Takata inflators, The Associated Press reported Wednesday.
Should the Takata inflator explode, shards of metal could hit the driver or others in the vehicle causing injuries or death, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Honda Recalls 750,000 Vehicles Over Safety Concerns)
The car manufacturer has not had any reports of car accidents related to the faulty airbag inflator, AP reported.
Chairman of the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Bill Nelson, D-FL, holds up a defective airbag with holes torn through it on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, November 20, 2014, during a hearing on Takata airbag defects and the vehicle recall process. (Photo: JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Chairman and CEO of Japanese airbag maker Takata Corp., Shigehisa Takada (top 3rd L), answers questions during a press conference in Tokyo on June 26, 2017. Japan’s crisis-hit car parts maker Takata said it filed for bankruptcy protection on June 26, after deadly faults in its airbags triggered the auto industry’s biggest ever safety recall. (Photo by KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images)
BMW stated that the recall was issued for certain 2006-2011 3 Series Sedan models, 2006-2012 3 Series Sportswagon models and a 3 Series Sedan model manufactured from 2009-2011.
Any BMW owner can take their vehicle to their local BMW dealership and have the airbag part replaced for free.
Notification letters will be mailed to affected owners Aug. 23. Owners are also encouraged to contact BMW customer service or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s hotline.
The latest recall from BMW isn’t the first time the Takata Corporation, which filed for bankruptcy in 2o17, has been attached to this issue. In January of 2024, Toyota issued a recall for some of its vehicles with Takata inflators. In 2017 and 2019, Honda issued massive recalls due to its vehicles containing Takata manufactured parts as well.
