The Recall Desk
SevereNHTSA·16V071000·Announced 2016-02-05

BMW Recalls Vehicles Due to Driver Air Bag Inflator Rupture Risk

BMW is recalling approximately 840,000 vehicles because the driver's frontal air bag inflator may rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious injury or death.

What this means for you

Illness, injury, or structural failure has been reported. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.

Our severity reasoning: The source text explicitly states that the defect can result in 'serious injury or death' due to metal fragments striking occupants, which aligns with the rubric criterion for 'significant injury/property-damage reports' or structural vehicle defects involving serious harm.

Plain-English summary

BMW of North America, LLC is recalling certain model year 2008-2015 BMW vehicles, including 1 Series, 3 Series, X1, X3, X5, X6, and M3 models. The recall involves approximately 840,000 vehicles affected by a defect in the driver's frontal air bag inflator module.

Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module or inflator depending on the vehicle model, free of charge. The recall began on March 9, 2018. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

The recalled product

Product
BMW 128I, X6 SAC, X5 SAV, 135I
Brand
BMW
Manufacturer
BMW of North America, LLC
Category
Vehicle — Air Bag
Hazard
Affected units
840,000

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 (13)

  • 128I
  • X6 SAC
  • X5 SAV
  • 135I
  • 325
  • 328
  • 330
  • 335
  • 1 SERIES M
  • M3
  • X1 SAV
  • X3 SAV
  • X6 ACTIVEHYBRID SAC

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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