BMW is recalling 394,000 vehicles in the United States due to defective airbag inflators that could cause serious or fatal injuries. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced this recall on Wednesday, highlighting the potential risk posed by the faulty airbags.
The faulty airbag inflators can explode, sending sharp metal fragments into the vehicle, and posing a deadly threat to drivers and passengers. This issue affects vehicles with airbag inflators that were previously recalled but may have had defective replacements installed during steering wheel replacements.
BMW is urging owners to bring their vehicles to dealers for inspections. If a recalled airbag is found, it will be replaced. So far, BMW has reported no crashes or injuries related to this new recall.
The faulty inflators, manufactured by Japanese company Takata Corp, are part of the largest and most complex recall in automotive history. Since 2009, over 30 deaths, including at least 26 in the United States, and hundreds of injuries have been linked to Takata airbags across various automakers.
In 2020, NHTSA confirmed a fatality in Arizona due to a Takata airbag inflator rupture in a BMW. Over the past decade, more than 100 million vehicles with Takata inflators have been recalled worldwide.
This latest recall affects certain BMW 3 Series Sedans and Sportswagon models from 2006 to 2012.
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