USA RECALL #7 -BMW recalls MINI and i3 models for possible airbag issues.

SUMMARY:

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling a certain model year BMW i3 vehicle manufactured March 31, 2014, and certain 2014 MINI Cooper Hardtop vehicles manufactured February 2, 2014 to May 30, 2014. The affected vehicles may have been manufactured with an air bag inflator that was not assembled correctly. This could cause the air bag to not deploy properly in the event of an accident.

CONSEQUENCE:

If the air bag deploys improperly in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the air bags, the seat occupant may be at an increased risk of injury.

REMEDY:

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger side air bag, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in September 2014. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

NOTES:

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

USA - BMW to recall nearly 600,000 3-Series for possible problems with a passenger airbag inflator.

BMW announced today that it has informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the company’s intent to voluntarily recall all model year 2000 – 2006 BMW 3 Series vehicles, produced between May 1999 and August 2006, to replace the passenger-side front airbag as part of a worldwide recall. 

Potential problems with the airbag inflator which may rupture in vehicles produced by other manufacturers using similar systems from the same supplier have become evident in rare cases. BMW is not aware of a case involving a BMW vehicle. The replacement campaign is a voluntary precautionary measure that aims at minimizing the risk of faulty airbag activation. The number of potentially affected vehicles in the US is approximately 574,000.

This is a voluntary extension of the recall campaign announced in May 2013. At that time, the supplier stated a production period during which potentially faulty airbag inflators were installed in passenger-side front airbags. Following this, BMW recalled 42,000 3 Series vehicles in the US. The supplier has now extended the production period.

In order to ensure maximum safety of our customers, BMW has decided to replace the passenger-side front airbags in the vehicles from the suggested production period, and additionally as a voluntary precautionary measure, the passenger-side front airbags in all model year 2000 – 2006 BMW 3 Series vehicles equipped with this airbag module. The 42,000 units recalled in May 2013 are excluded from the current replacement campaign.

BMW will notify customers with potentially affected vehicles will be informed by mail.  Customers with questions should contact BMW Customer Relations at 1-800-525-7417 or emailcustomer.relations@bmwna.com.