A little under 2,000 BMW X5, X6, X7, and new XM SUV models are being recalled in the United States due to a knee airbag issue that could increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
A recall notice from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that BMW was alerted to a potential issue on June 23 by a supplier after a test anomaly resulted in the knee airbag not deploying correctly. BMW commenced an engineering review and during its investigation, found a knee airbag that had its fabric clamped because it may have been installed incorrectly.
The car manufacturer has concluded that faulty parts may have been produced at a single supplier station by a specific machine operator over a short period of time at the supplier’s Mexican facility.
Read: BMW Recalls iX EVs Over Cruise Control Issue That Can Cause Unintended Acceleration
A total of 1,981 vehicles are involved. These include the BMW X5 sDrive40i, X5 xDrive40i, X5 M60i, and X5 M models built between May 23, 2023 and June 27, 2023. The recall also impacts BMW X5 xDrive50e hybrids made from May 23, 2023 to June 27, 2023, BMW X6 xDrive40i, X6 M60i, and X6 M models produced between the same dates, and BMW X7 xDrive40i, X7 M60i, and Alpina XB7 models also built from May 23, 2023 and June 27, 2023. A total of nine BMW XM models produced from May 23, 2023 to May 24, 2023 are also involved in the recall.
BMW started to inform dealerships of the recall on July 10 and will notify owners through first-class mail from September 1. Owners will be instructed to take their vehicle to a dealership where the knee airbag (driver and/or passenger) will be replaced free of charge.
