BMW recalls 200,000 vehicles due to front passenger air bag issues

  • Posted on: 13.08.2008
  • Author: Horatiu B.
  • Comments: 11

In an unexpected event, BMW just announced a recall on 200,000 vehicles due to concerns regarding the front passenger air bags. It is suspected that in an accident case, the front passenger air bags might not deploy. The affected models are the following:

  • 2006 3 Series
  • 2004-2006 5 Series
  • 2004-2006 X3

In addition to the vehicles listed above,  there is one more investigation taking place on the 2004-2006 Z4, 2006 X5, 2006 6 Series and some 2004-2006 7 Series vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation back in September 2007 and a few months later, the recall decision was sent to BMW.  The Munich based manufacturer had received 23,739 warranty claims over the air bag system issue by early January.

If you were affected by one of the recalls and have more questions, you can contact BMW at (800) 525-7417.

Here is the full report from CNN

[Source: CNN via Bimmerfile ]

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11 Responses to “BMW recalls 200,000 vehicles due to front passenger air bag issues”

  1. adood84 says:
    August 13, 2008 at 5:29 pm

    my cousin has a 2005 5er , but we live in Saudi do you think we are affected by teh recall or is this only a US based thing

    Reply
  2. Horatiu B. says:
    August 13, 2008 at 9:20 pm

    @adood84: I think so. I’m assuming you car was manufactured in Germany, so you will most likely be affected by the recall. I will also call your local dealer who can get in touch with BMW and find out more.

    Reply
  3. Gunnar says:
    August 13, 2008 at 11:35 pm

    That’s a damn shame. But recalls happen to everybody sometime.

    Reply
  4. Mark says:
    August 14, 2008 at 9:29 am

    This is very unfortunate indeed….but at least for BMW, the number of recalls is lower than say, other car companies…

    Cheers,

    Reply
  5. Horatiu B. says:
    August 14, 2008 at 9:52 am

    @Mark:

    It proves no one is perfect. All the manufacturers make mistakes, but I’m glad they take a step forward and are fixing them.

    Reply
  6. Lance says:
    August 14, 2008 at 2:03 pm

    Of course they have to fix them, or else they will loose more money when customers take them to court! The other thing I have noticed is that the seat occupancy sensor may also be defective, which means that the airbag will not deploy even when there is a passenger sitting there. I know of a few people, incluing myself who experienced this problem on the 1 and 3 Series. It seem like they only last for about 2 years. This recall should cost BMW a lot, further knocking them away from their cost cutting strategy and profits.

    Reply
  7. Feco says:
    August 14, 2008 at 5:43 pm

    Mine BMW is on the list.. 5 series 2005. Gonna cal to my local dealer tomorrow

    Reply
  8. George says:
    August 14, 2008 at 5:53 pm

    @Lance: R u sure about the 1-series, because the article doesn’t mention it? BMW should fix these problems even if the car is not under warranty. Why should the customer pay for something that was faulty from the beginning?

    Reply
  9. Lance says:
    August 15, 2008 at 11:18 am

    @George: The article did not mention it but it is what I experienced and what some of my friends experienced. We didn’t have to pay as it was under Motorplan and Warranty, but we had a look at the invoice when we got the car back and BMW was charged about 80euros for the sensor mat excluding labour to strip the seats. We didn;t have to pay. But what worries me is that if these mats only lasts for about 2 years, this means that the running costs will be extremely high for owners after the plan has expired. The only way to test it is to take the passenger seat belt off while travelling and see if warning does come on. BTW, the 1 Series I’m talking about is the hatch, but the coupe in US should use the same mat. But again, this is only what some of my friends and I have experienced, maybe it is not that common, but it is a serious safety issue.

    Reply
  10. George says:
    August 15, 2008 at 1:29 pm

    @Lance: Thanks for responding! I will have to check it out because I have the hatch. This could be a massive recall way over the 200,000 figure mentioned. Because BMW car sales from 2004-2006 for the models mentioned are more than 1 million.

    Reply
  11. george pillari md says:
    October 8, 2008 at 7:28 am

    Suffered hearing loss and balance disorder (meniere’s disease) following deployment of BMW airbag.

    Has this been reported and where can I find such reports.
    2004-2005 SUV.

    thanks,
    g.pillari md

    Reply

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