Defective Airbags Result In BMW Recall of 200,000 Vehicles
Defective airbags have led to a massive recall of 200,000 BMW cars and small sport utility vehicles, according to an article in Consumeraffairs.com. The article reports that the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has warned that the front passenger side airbags in these vehicles may not deploy even in the case of a severe auto accident.
The recalled BMWs include the 2004 to 2005 5-Series standard and sport seat models, the 2004 to 2006 X3 and the 2006 3-Series with sport seats. According to NHTSA, the passenger-side airbags can deactivate because of “wear associated with a passenger getting in and out of the vehicle.” This wear causes small cracks in the car’s sensor mat, thereby deactivating the airbags.
When the auto product recalls begins in late September, BMW officials say they will extend the warranty for airbags on the recalled vehicles to 10 years from the first registration without any mileage limit. The defective detection mat in the vehicle that causes the problem for the airbags will also be replaced at no cost to the consumer. NHTSA started its investigation of the defective BMW airbags earlier this year. No injuries were reported because of these defective airbags. For more information, BMW owners are asked to contact the manufacturer at 1-800-525-7417 or NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236.
Any product defect in an automobile can be deadly. But a defective airbag, which does not properly deploy is down right scary. My wife drives a 2007 X5 due to its safety rating. I hate to think that we spent the extra money on a BMW for safety reasons and the airbags might not activate when we need them.
Safety agencies started requiring airbags in vehicles because they soften the impact and reduce the possibility of blunt force trauma during an auto accident. But when airbags fail to deploy, the injuries can be catastrophic or even fatal.
I’m glad BMW is recalling these defective vehicles. Hopefully, the auto maker can get the word out to all owners of these vehicles with the defective airbags before anyone suffers major injuries.
We handle more serious injury and fatal air bag failure to deploy cases than you want to hear about. None of them have been European made cars.
