The Recall Desk
CriticalNHTSA·15V318000·Announced 2015-05-28

BMW Recalls 2002-2006 Models for Driver Air Bag Inflator Rupture Risk

BMW is recalling specific 2002-2006 models because moisture can cause the driver's air bag inflator to rupture, potentially sending metal fragments into the cabin during a crash.

NHTSA safety advisory

Do not drive this vehicle

NHTSA advises owners to stop driving this vehicle until the recall repair has been completed.

This is the agency’s own advisory, not our assessment. Contact the manufacturer or a dealer, and see the official NHTSA notice for the current guidance.

What this means for you

Highest-severity recall. Risk of serious injury or death is documented or strongly suspected. Stop using the product now and follow the agency's instructions.

Our severity reasoning: The source text explicitly states that the defect could result in 'serious injury or death,' which aligns with the NHTSA criterion for Critical severity involving death or serious injury.

Plain-English summary

BMW of North America, LLC is recalling certain model year 2002-2005 325i, 325xi, 330i, and 330xi Sedans, 325xi and 325i Sportswagons, 2002-2006 330Ci, 325Ci, and M3 Convertibles and 325i, 330i, and M3 Coupes, 2002-2003 M5, 540i, 525i Sedan, and 530i Sedans, 540i and 525i Sportswagons, and 2003 X5 3.0i and 4.4i Sports Activity Vehicles. The 5-series and X5 vehicles are only included if equipped with the optional sports steering wheel. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the vehicle has been remedied.

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driver air bag module, free of charge. The recall began in August 2016. This recall supersedes recall 14V-348 in its entirety. Additionally, vehicles that have had their driver side frontal air bag replaced previously as part of a recall remedy need to have their air bag replaced under this recall as well. On December 17, 2015, BMW removed the model year 2004 X5 3.0i and 4.4i Sports Activity vehicle from this recall because they were mistakenly identified as including the air bags subject to this recall.

The recalled product

Product
BMW 325XI, 325I, 325CI, 330CI
Brand
BMW
Manufacturer
BMW of North America, LLC
Category
Vehicle — Air Bag
Hazard
Affected units
419,235

Is your product affected?

Check your packaging against the codes below. If any of them match, the product is part of this recall.

Model numbers (12)

  • 325XI
  • 325I
  • 325CI
  • 330CI
  • 330XI
  • 525I
  • 330I
  • M3
  • X5
  • 530I
  • M5
  • 540I

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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