The defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020 X3 xDrive30e, X4 xDrive30i, X4 M40i, X4M, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, 840i Gran Coupe, 840i xDrive Gran Coupe, M850i xDrive Gran Coupe, M8 Gran Coupe, X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, X3M, and 840i xDrive Convertible vehicles. The sensors in the front seat belt buckles may inaccurately detect a belted occupant as unbelted, possibly causing the air bag and seat belt pretensioners to deploy improperly in the event of a crash.
The risk
If the air bag and/or seat belt pretensioners deploy improperly in the event of a crash, there is an increased risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
The remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the front seat belt buckles, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 18, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| BMW 330i | 2020 |
| BMW 840i | 2020 |
| BMW M340I | 2020 |
| BMW M8 Gran Coupe | 2020 |
| BMW M850I | 2020 |
| BMW X3 | 2020 |
| BMW X4 | 2020 |
Components: SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WARNING LIGHT/DEVICES | AIR BAGS | SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | SEAT BELTS:PRETENSIONER
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 330i | 2020 | 53 | 11 |
| BMW 840i | 2020 | 4 | 6 |
| BMW M340I | 2020 | 53 | 10 |
| BMW M8 Gran Coupe | 2020 | 0 | 2 |
| BMW M850I | 2020 | 1 | 4 |
| BMW X3 | 2020 | 110 | 16 |
| BMW X4 | 2020 | 15 | 10 |
Other seat belts recalls in 2020
38 of the 782 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2020 concerned the seat belts; BMW of North America, LLC filed 347 campaigns in all.
| 20V811000 23 Dec 2020 | General Motors, LLC |
| 20V792000 17 Dec 2020 | General Motors, LLC |
| 20V793000 17 Dec 2020 | Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC |
| 20V724000 20 Nov 2020 | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. |
| 20V697000 12 Nov 2020 | Lion Electric Company |
| 20V671000 30 Oct 2020 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. |
| 20V659000 27 Oct 2020 | Winnebago Industries, Inc |
| 20V661000 27 Oct 2020 | Braun Ambulances |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2020