BMW of North America, LLC: Air Bags › Frontal › Driver Side › Inflator Module
BMW of North America, LLC reported this defect to federal regulators on May 27, 2021 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 4,511. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2000-2001 BMW 3 Series (323Ci, 325Ci, 328Ci and 330Ci), 1999-2001 323i, 328i, 330i, 330xi, and 2000 323i, 328i stationwagon vehicles equipped with Non-Azide Driver air bag Inflators (NADI) manufactured by Takata. These vehicles are equipped with driver-side air bag inflators that were previously inspected, but not replaced under recall numbers 19V-851, 19V852, or 19V-853. Due to a manufacturing issue, the NADI inflator may absorb moisture, causing the inflator to explode or the air bag cushion to underinflate.
The risk
The inflator could explode during air bag deployment, resulting in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants. An underinflated air bag may not properly protect the occupant. These scenarios increase the risk of serious injury or death.
The remedy
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.
23 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 BMW 3 Series | 36 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2001 BMW 323Ci | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 BMW 323i | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 2001 BMW 325Ci | 49 | 6 | 6 | 1 |
| 2001 BMW 328Ci | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 BMW 328i | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 BMW 330Ci | 82 | 6 | 3 | 6 |
| 2001 BMW 330i | 116 | 8 | 3 | 1 |
| 2001 BMW 330Xi | 11 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 2000 BMW 3 Series | 88 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 2000 BMW 323Ci | 31 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 2000 BMW 323i | 401 | 7 | 2 | 13 |
| 2000 BMW 325Ci | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 2000 BMW 328Ci | 15 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 BMW 328i | 112 | 7 | 2 | 6 |
| 2000 BMW 330Ci | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 BMW 330i | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 BMW 330Xi | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 BMW 3 Series | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 BMW 323i | 136 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| 1999 BMW 328i | 98 | 7 | 2 | 12 |
| 1999 BMW 330i | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 BMW 330Xi | 0 | 1 | 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 21V401000.
Full record for the 2001 BMW 3 Series → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →