BMW issues SUV recall over airbag safety Iissues

BMW has issued a wide recall of various SUVs over an airbag safety issue the company believes could lead to fatalities if not properly addressed. A problem with the instrument panels, which originated at one of the company’s suppliers, has led officials to believe that millions of airbags may not properly deploy in the event of a collision. This, should it occur, could cause severe harm to those driving the vehicles in question.

50 models of certain variants of the 2019 BMW X3 and the 2019 BMW X4 have been recalled due to possible airbag issues. These issues seem to be caused by improper paneling which could be preventing them from deploying at the moment of a crash. According to reporting from CNET, the recall included variants of the sDrive30i, xDrive30i, and M40i amongst the X3 class of vehicles.

A report filed with the NHTSA claims that the adhesive used to put paneling into place in the vehicle was the improper kind, which could result in said paneling fail to break away so that an airbag can properly deploy. BMW was told by its supplier of the issue, which likely originated within its supply chain.

Those vehicles which have been recalled should be returned to dealerships so that technicians can replace the inappropriate paneling with correctly bonded pieces which won’t impede the airbags ability to save lives in the event of an accident. All replacements will be conducted free of charge.

Not the first time for BMW

According to BMW, those with the impacted vehicles should be receiving an email, in June, informing them if their SUV is being recalled. This isn’t the first time in recent years that BMW has been beset by a large recall problem, as the company recently had to expand a 2017 recall over possibly fatal engine fires.

According to Yahoo Finance, a 2017 recall is being expanded through an additional 185,000 vehicles being added to the recall effort, bringing the total number of impacted auto vehicles to over 900,000.

Similarly, the company was recently embroiled in the massive Takata airbag recall which impacted tens of millions of vehicles worldwide.

Issues with the Takata airbag

In China alone, BMW has issued a recall for 360,000 suspect vehicles which could have faulty Takata airbags installed. According to BMW’s website, the Takata airbags can unexpectedly explode, potentially injuring or killing drivers in the midst of transit.

Drivers who are seeking authoritative information regarding vehicle safety and vehicle recalls should consult the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s web page.It lists information on all US vehicles that have been recalled and advises on what to do if you own such a car.