The defect
BMW IS RECALLING 200,000 MY 2006 3 SERIES SPORT SEAT, MY 2004-2006 5 SERIES STANDARD AND SPORT SEAT, AND MY 2004-2006 X3 PASSENGER VEHICLES. DEPENDING ON THE MANNER AND FREQUENCY OF THE FRONT PASSENGER'S ENTRY AND EXIT, SMALL CRACKS HAVE DEVELOPED IN THE MAT. IF THIS OCCURS, THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAGS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE HEAD PROTECTION SYSTEM, WILL BE DEACTIVATED AND THE AIR BAG WARNING LAMP AS WELL AS THE PASSENGER AIR BAG "ON-OFF" LAMP WILL BE ILLUMINATED.
The risk
IN THIS SITUATION THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY EVEN IF A SUFFICIENTLY SEVERE ACCIDENT WOULD OCCUR AND OCCUPANT PROTECTION PROVIDED BY THE SYSTEM WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REWORK THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR MAT SO THAT EXTERNAL FORCE APPLICATION TO THE SEAT DOES NOT CAUSE A CRACK TO THE MAT. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 6, 2008. BMW WILL ALSO EXTEND THE WARRANTY ON THESE VEHICLES TO 10 YEARS FROM FIRST REGISTRATION WITHOUT ANY MILEAGE LIMIT. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-525-7417.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by ODI
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| BMW 3 Series | 2006 |
| BMW 5 Series | 2004, 2005, 2006 |
| BMW X3 | 2004, 2005, 2006 |
Components: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| BMW 3 Series | 2006 | 202 | 3 |
| BMW 5 Series | 2004 | 64 | 6 |
| BMW 5 Series | 2005 | 21 | 4 |
| BMW 5 Series | 2006 | 85 | 7 |
| BMW X3 | 2004 | 138 | 1 |
| BMW X3 | 2005 | 103 | 1 |
| BMW X3 | 2006 | 143 | 2 |
Other air bags recalls in 2008
12 of the 683 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2008 concerned the air bags; BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC filed 89 campaigns in all.
| 08V690000 29 Dec 2008 | NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 08V582000 5 Nov 2008 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
| 08V532000 14 Oct 2008 | HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY |
| 08V533000 14 Oct 2008 | HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY |
| 08V517000 6 Oct 2008 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
| 08V178000 17 Apr 2008 | VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC |
| 08V161000 10 Apr 2008 | Hyundai Motor Company |
| 08V082000 25 Feb 2008 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2008