The Recall Desk
SevereNHTSA·21V401000·Announced 2021-05-27

BMW Recalls 3 Series Vehicles for Air Bag Inflator Defect

BMW is recalling 1999-2001 3 Series vehicles because the driver-side air bag inflator may explode or underinflate, posing a risk of serious injury.

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 recall involves a structural vehicle defect (air bag inflator) where the source text explicitly states the scenarios increase the risk of serious injury or death, aligning with the 'Severe' criteria for significant injury reports or structural defects.

Plain-English summary

BMW of North America, LLC is recalling certain 1999-2001 BMW 3 Series vehicles, including the 323Ci, 325Ci, 328Ci, 330Ci, 323i, 328i, 330i, 330xi, and 323i/328i station wagons. This recall affects 4,511 vehicles equipped with Non-Azide Driver air bag Inflators (NADI) manufactured by Takata. These specific vehicles were previously inspected but not replaced under earlier recall campaigns (19V-851, 19V852, or 19V-853).

Due to a manufacturing issue, the NADI inflator may absorb moisture. This can cause the inflator to explode during air bag deployment or result in the air bag cushion underinflating. An exploding inflator can send metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, while an underinflated air bag may fail to properly protect the occupant. Both scenarios increase the risk of serious injury or death.

Dealers will replace the driver-side air bag inflator with a newly designed inflator free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 12, 2021. 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 325CI, 323CI, 328CI, 323I
Brand
BMW
Manufacturer
BMW of North America, LLC
Category
Vehicle — Air Bag
Hazard
Affected units
4,511

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 (9)

  • 325CI
  • 323CI
  • 328CI
  • 323I
  • 328I
  • 330I
  • 330XI
  • 330CI
  • 3 SERIES

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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