- BMW is recalling a further 1,145 cars because an airbag inflator explosion could send metal shards into the driver’s face.
- Models affected include the 2014 5-Series, 2015 6-Series Gran Coupe, 2013-14 X3 and 2014 X5 and M4.
- Earlier this month BMW recalled almost 400,000 3-Series sedans and wagons fitted with M Sport steering wheels potentially containing defective Takata airbags.
It’s now more than seven years since auto component supplier Takata imploded, but the company’s infamous airbags are still wreaking havoc across the auto industry. BMW has announced it’s recalling 1,145 cars to have their airbags inspected, having already issued a recall for almost 400,000 vehicles earlier this month.
The previous recall was focused on various models of 3-Series sedan and wagon built between 2005 and 2012 and fitted with M Sport steering wheels, but while the new campaign also affects 3-Series owners, it also targets more expensive BMWs built in the years since, including the 4-Series, 5-Series, 6-Series, M4, X3 and X5.
Related: Nearly 400,000 BMW 3-Series May Have An M Steering Wheel That Could Explode
BMW identified these cars as potentially being equipped with a PSDI-X inflator that was also the subject of recall in 2023. The automaker says an inflator explosion could result in metal fragments launching out of the steering wheel and striking the driver or passenger.
Owners can continue to drive their cars until BMW contacts them, which won’t happen until early September. Once they’ve received an invite they’ll be able to schedule an appointment at their local dealership to have the unsafe airbag replaced free of charge.
BMW airbag recall
Takata once held an estimated 20 percent of the airbag market and many other automakers including Chrysler, Ford, Honda Nissan and Toyota were caught up in the disaster that is believed to have resulted in more than 100 million cars being recalled around the world.
In total, 33 people have died as a result of faulty Takata airbags, including 24 in the US. The most recent fatality occurred in 2022 when the airbag in a 2002 Honda Accord ruptured, hurling shrapnel into the face of the driver in Kentucky. The car in question had been under recall for 11 years at that point and Honda says it had made over 300 attempts to contact the owner via phone, email and post.
