BMW of North America, LLC: Air Bags
BMW of North America, LLC reported this defect to federal regulators on May 2, 2013 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 43,204. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
Do not drive
NHTSA attached a do-not-drive advisory to this campaign. It applies to specific production runs, so check your own VIN with the manufacturer or at nhtsa.gov/recalls before driving the vehicle.
The defect
BMW is recalling certain model year 2002-2003 325i, 325xi, 330i, 330xi sedans; 325Ci and 330Ci coupes and convertibles; 325iT and 325xiT Sports Wagons; and M3 coupes and convertibles to address a safety defect in the passenger side frontal air bag which may produce excessive internal pressure causing the inflator to rupture upon deployment of the air bag.
The risk
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking and potentially seriously injuring the passenger seat occupant or other occupants.
The remedy
Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until they have been repaired. BMW intends to issue initial notifications to owners informing them of the safety defect in June 2013. Once replacement parts are available, estimated for July, BMW will notify owners again to contact their dealers and schedule a replacement of the passenger air bag, free of charge. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or email BMW at [email protected].
18 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 BMW 325Ci | 27 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 2003 BMW 325i | 199 | 8 | 11 | 7 |
| 2003 BMW 325It | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 BMW 325Xi | 31 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 2003 BMW 325Xit | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 BMW 330Ci | 18 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 2003 BMW 330i | 77 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| 2003 BMW 330Xi | 33 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| 2003 BMW M3 | 54 | 5 | 1 | 3 |
| 2002 BMW 325Ci | 30 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 2002 BMW 325i | 162 | 7 | 19 | 7 |
| 2002 BMW 325It | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 BMW 325Xi | 68 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| 2002 BMW 325Xit | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 BMW 330Ci | 46 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| 2002 BMW 330i | 45 | 7 | 1 | 3 |
| 2002 BMW 330Xi | 20 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| 2002 BMW M3 | 40 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 13V172000.
Full record for the 2003 BMW 325Ci → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →