The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2000-2003 525i Sedan, 530i Sedan, 540i Sedan, 2001-2003 525i Sports Wagon and 540i Sports Wagon vehicles, and 2000-2004 X5 SAV 3.0i, X5 SAV 4.4i, and X5 SAV 4.6is vehicles. This recall affects certain vehicles where the original steering wheel has been replaced with the optional sports steering wheel. The sports steering wheel has a frontal air bag inflator that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
The risk
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The remedy
Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the vehicle has been remedied. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle for an optional sports steering wheel with an affected inflator. Dealers will replace the air bag module as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 14, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by ODI
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| BMW 525i | 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 |
| BMW 530i | 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 |
| BMW 540i | 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 |
| BMW X5 SAV | 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 |
Components: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
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 525i | 2000 | 0 | 1 |
| BMW 525i | 2001 | 22 | 4 |
| BMW 525i | 2002 | 29 | 4 |
| BMW 525i | 2003 | 32 | 2 |
| BMW 530i | 2000 | 0 | 1 |
| BMW 530i | 2001 | 25 | 4 |
| BMW 530i | 2002 | 29 | 4 |
| BMW 530i | 2003 | 46 | 2 |
| BMW 540i | 2000 | 31 | 2 |
| BMW 540i | 2001 | 15 | 4 |
| BMW 540i | 2002 | 12 | 2 |
| BMW 540i | 2003 | 7 | 2 |
| BMW X5 SAV | 2000 | 0 | 1 |
| BMW X5 SAV | 2001 | 0 | 1 |
| BMW X5 SAV | 2002 | 0 | 1 |
| BMW X5 SAV | 2003 | 1 | 1 |
| BMW X5 SAV | 2004 | 0 | 1 |
Other air bags recalls in 2019
76 of the 880 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2019 concerned the air bags; BMW of North America, LLC filed 347 campaigns in all.
| 19V910000 19 Dec 2019 | Subaru of America, Inc. |
| 19V892000 16 Dec 2019 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. |
| 19V885000 12 Dec 2019 | Chrysler (FCA US LLC) |
| 19V868000 6 Dec 2019 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. |
| 19V862000 4 Dec 2019 | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. |
| 19V852000 26 Nov 2019 | BMW of North America, LLC |
| 19V853000 26 Nov 2019 | BMW of North America, LLC |
| 19V851000 26 Nov 2019 | BMW of North America, LLC |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2019