BMW of North America, LLC: Air Bags › Frontal › Driver Side › Inflator Module
BMW of North America, LLC reported this defect to federal regulators on Jan 20, 2017 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 230,117. 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 of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2000-2002 BMW 320i, 323i, 325i, 325xi, 330i, 330xi, 323Ci, 325Ci, 330Ci, M3, 323iT, 325iT and 325xiT vehicles, 2001-2002 525i, 530i, 540i, M5, 525iT and 540iT vehicles, and 2001-2003 X5 3.0i, X5 4.4i, and X5 4.6is vehicles. These vehicles may have had a driver-side air bag module installed as replacement equipment such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bag, or as a remedy part for a prior recall. These replacement modules contain an air bag inflator that may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to lower absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
The risk
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The remedy
Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the vehicle has been remedied. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver side air bag module, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 15, 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
26 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 BMW X5 | 99 | 3 | 13 | 4 |
| 2002 BMW 320 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 BMW 323 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 BMW 325 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 2002 BMW 330 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 BMW 525 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 BMW 530 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2002 BMW 540 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 BMW M3 | 40 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| 2002 BMW M5 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 BMW X5 | 102 | 3 | 7 | 3 |
| 2001 BMW 320 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2001 BMW 323 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 BMW 325 | 31 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| 2001 BMW 330 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 BMW 525 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2001 BMW 530 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2001 BMW 540 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 BMW M3 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 2001 BMW M5 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 BMW X5 | 160 | 12 | 16 | 4 |
| 2000 BMW 320 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 BMW 323 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 BMW 325 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 BMW 330 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 BMW M3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
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 17V047000.
Full record for the 2003 BMW X5 → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →