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Recall · 20V018000

BMW of North America recalled 15 models over air bags

Do not drive until repaired. NHTSA issues this where it considers the risk immediate, and it stands until the repair is done.

292,948

Vehicles covered

15

Models

95

Model years

January 15, 2020

Filed with NHTSA

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2000-2005 323iT, 325iT, 325xiT, 320i, 323i, 325i, 325xi, 328i, 330i and 330xi and 2000-2006 323Ci, 325Ci, 328Ci, 330Ci, M3 Coupe, 323Cic, 325Cic, 330Cic, and M3 Convertible vehicles equipped with non-desiccated frontal Takata PSAN inflators and PSPI passenger frontal air bag inflators containing phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant that were used as interim remedy parts for previous Takata recalls. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
What it can cause
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
What the dealer does
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger's front air bag, free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
NHTSA's note
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.

The repair is free, whatever the age or mileage of the vehicle, and whether or not you are the original owner.

Which vehicles

A recall reaches a range of VINs inside these model years, not every car built in them. Yours may not be covered even if it is listed here, and the only way to find out is NHTSA's own VIN lookup .

VehicleModel yearsSafety record
BMW320I2000 to 2005Not published here
BMW323CI2000 to 2006Not published here
BMW323I2000 to 2005Not published here
BMW323IT2000 to 2005Not published here
BMW325CI2000 to 2006Not published here
BMW325I2000 to 2005Not published here
BMW325IT2000 to 2005Not published here
BMW325XI2000 to 2005Not published here
BMW325Xit2000 to 2005Not published here
BMW328CI2000 to 2006Not published here
BMW328I2000 to 2005Not published here
BMW330CI2000 to 2006Not published here
BMW330I2000 to 2005Not published here
BMW330XI2000 to 2005Not published here
BMWM32000 to 2006Not published here

How this campaign compares

At 292,948 vehicles this is a bigger campaign than 96% of the 19,818 vehicle recalls filed since 1995 whose size NHTSA published. The middle campaign on file covers 472. It covers model years 2000 to 2006, so the oldest vehicles on it were 20 model years old when the defect was reported to NHTSA.

BMW vehicles have been recalled over the air bags 44 times before this, most recently in November 2019 as 19V853000. That is not evidence the earlier repair failed.

This site holds the complaint record for 43 of the 95 model years the campaign names. Their owners have filed 2,654 complaints with NHTSA, 2,506 of them before this campaign was filed. 892 of those name the air bags, the system this recall is about — a count of complaints, not of this defect. The earliest of them reached NHTSA in November 1999, 20 years before this filing.

The vehicles on this campaign carry 2 other recalls published here: 21V401000 (air bags), 20V017000 (air bags).

Check your own car

A VIN check is the only answer for a specific vehicle, and it also shows every other open recall on it, which is usually the reason it is worth doing rather than reading one campaign.

Check a VINSee the latest recalls Every BMW of North America recall

Filed by BMW of North America, LLC with NHTSA on January 15, 2020 as campaign 20V018000. Every word of the defect, consequence and remedy above is NHTSA's published record of that filing, not a summary of it.

Compiled and maintained by . Data last checked 2020-01-15.
Independent developer and analyst