Bayerische Motoren Werke: Air Bags › Knee Bolster
Bayerische Motoren Werke reported this defect to federal regulators on Apr 10, 1991 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 13,500. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
DURING TESTING, INCORRECTLY INSTALLED DRIVER-SIDE KNEE BOLSTER PREVENTED STEERING COLUMN FROM MOVING FORWARD AS DESIGNED TO ABSORB IMPACT ENERGY FROM DRIVER DUMMY.
The risk
CHEST DECELERATION EXCEEDS MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE LIMIT WHICHRESULTS IN INCREASED RISK OF OCCUPANT INJURY IN A SUDDEN STOP OR ACCIDENT.
The remedy
REPAIR THE KNEE BOLSTER TO ALLOW CLEARANCE AND AVOID IMPEDANCE OF STEERING COLUMN MOVEMENT DURING FRONTAL IMPACT.
2 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 BMW 318i | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1991 BMW 318Is | 6 | 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 91V054000.
Full record for the 1991 BMW 318i → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →