BMW urges users to park their cars over faulty airbags recall

BMW has issued a "do not drive" warning to owners of approximately 90,000 vehicles, urging them to park their cars if their Takata airbags have not yet been fixed.

The recall, which began in 2015, was the largest in US automotive history, involving faulty airbag inflators produced by the automotive supplier Takata.

The initial recall involved 32 million cars, but the number later increased to 67 million airbags in 42 million vehicles.

At least 24 people have died as a result of the defective parts.

The problem lies in the lack of a desiccant, or a chemical drying agent, that would prevent the ammonium nitrate propellant from absorbing moisture due to long-term exposure to heat and humidity. As the propellant ages and absorbs moisture, it can cause the airbag to fail to inflate properly during a crash, potentially hurling metal shrapnel around the vehicle interior.

Takata had knowledge of the problem as early as 2000, with the first US incident occurring in 2004. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched a formal defect investigation into the airbags in 2014, and the following year, Takata agreed with the NHTSA that its inflators were defective, earning $200 million in penalties in the process.

Despite the recall, many owners have yet to have their airbags replaced, leaving millions of cars on the road with increasingly dangerous airbags.

Last November, Stellantis issued a "do not drive" warning for approximately 276,000 Dodge Magnums, Chargers, and Challengers, as well as Chrysler 300Cs, all from model years 2005–2010. In February of this year, Honda issued a "do not drive" warning for about 8,200 model-year 2001–2003 Hondas and Acuras, noting that the airbags, which are now between 20 and 25 years old, have a 50 percent failure rate.

Now, BMW has warned owners of certain models that their airbags have yet to be replaced. The affected vehicles are model-year 2000–2006 3 Series (the E46 version, including the M3), model-year 2000–2003 5 Series (the E39, and the M5), and model-year 2000–2004 X5s (the E53).

Claus Eberhart, Vice President of Aftersales at BMW of North America, emphasized the urgency of the warning, stating that "these airbags only become more dangerous over time, which is why we are taking yet another step to get these parts out of our vehicles.

"Customers must park these vehicles immediately and take a few moments to check if their vehicle is safe for them and their family members to drive. Repairing these vehicles is quick, easy to arrange, and is completely free of charge."

NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman echoed Eberhart's statement, urging owners of model year 2000–2006 BMWs with recalled Takata airbags to "get it repaired immediately - for free." She added that "these inflators are two decades old now and, with every day that passes, they become even more dangerous as they can rupture even in a minor crash."