Several hundred BMW X3, X4, and X5 models need to be repaired in the United States because they are equipped with Takata airbag inflators that could rupture, adding them to the seemingly never-ending tally of vehicles that have been recalled due to faulty Takata parts.
The company has revealed that approximately 486 of its vehicles have been equipped with a Takata PSDI-X inflator that may have a production anomaly. BMW received a customer complaint on November 6, 2023, from the owner of a 2014 X3 who had the driver airbag inflator rupture.
An analysis of the problem is still in its preliminary stages and as such, an official cause for why the inflator may rupture has yet to be determined. Preliminary indications suggest a manufacturing error at Takata’s plant in Monclova, Mexico is to blame.
Involved in the recall are 457 examples of the 2014 BMW X3 xDrive28i and X3 xDrive35i produced between February 22, 2014, and March 7, 2014, a single 2014 X4 xDrive35i that was built on March 3, 2014, and 28 units of the 2014 X5 sDrive35i and X5 sDrive35i assembled from March 1, 2014 to March 5, 2014.
Read: BMW Issues Do Not Drive Order On 90,000 Older Models Still Fitted With Takata Airbags
Owners of impacted vehicles will be alerted to the recall from January 16, 2024, while dealers have already been made aware of it. Owners will be notified by first-class mail and asked to schedule an appointment with a BMW dealership to have the driver’s front airbag replaced free of charge. Any owner who has already paid to have the issue fixed will be reimbursed.
This recall comes just six weeks after BMW initiated a recall for more than 9,000 7-Series and 5-Series models in the United States because a manufacturing error had allowed the driver-assistance systems to function without requiring drivers to keep their hands on the wheel.
