BMW Announces Do Not Drive Order for Older Vehicles with Takata Airbags
- Jay Hanson
- Alexander Schmuck
- Affects approximately 90,000 vehicles built between 2000 and 2006 already under recall.
- The vehicles remain unrepaired despite intense customer outreach efforts since 2016.
- Owners of these vehicles should park them immediately and contact BMW for more information.
Woodcliff Lake, NJ – May 4, 2023… In the interest of customer safety, BMW of North America has pro-actively issued an immediate Do Not Drive warning for approximately 90,000 2000-2006 BMW 3 Series (E46) including M3, 2000-2003 5 Series (E39) including M5, and 2000-2004 X5s (E53) equipped with certain driver’s front airbag inflators manufactured by Takata. These vehicles have already been included in several Takata-related recalls; however, despite intense customer outreach efforts by BMW since 2016, they remain unrepaired and, as the airbag inflators age further, the risk of serious injury or death increases. Therefore, to reemphasize the seriousness of the situation, the decision was made to escalate the recall to a Do Not Drive order. Owners of affected BMWs that have not had their vehicles inspected and repaired should not consider them safe to drive.
Notification emails will be sent to owners of these vehicles starting in May with letters to follow in June.
These vehicles were manufactured with airbag inflators that contain a propellant that breaks down after long-term exposure to temperature fluctuations and humidity. If the vehicle is involved in a crash and the driver’s airbag deploys, the metal airbag inflator can rupture, sending razor-sharp shrapnel towards the occupants. As these unrepaired vehicles continue to age, the chemicals will continue to degrade, increasing the odds of a disastrous rupture.
“We cannot state strongly enough just how urgent it is for our customers to take this warning seriously. We know these airbags only become more dangerous over time, which is why we are taking yet another step to get these parts out of our vehicles. Customers must park these vehicles immediately and take a few moments to check if their vehicle is safe for them and their family members to drive”, said Claus Eberhart, Vice President of Aftersales BMW NA, “Repairing these vehicles is quick, easy to arrange, and is completely free of charge.”
Since the recall was first announced, BMW has aggressively and continuously engaged in a wide variety of customer outreach campaigns to compel owners of these vehicles to have this critical safety repair completed – at absolutely no charge – as soon as possible. These have included contacts by phone, text, email, letters and postcards, and social media. BMW has coordinated with its dealer network, collision centers, and independent retailers and repair facilities to identify affected vehicles and facilitate repairs. These efforts and many others have resulted in the repair of hundreds of thousands of vehicles – addressing about 87% of all of BMW’s recalled airbag inflators.
There are no restrictions whatsoever preventing customers from having the airbag in their vehicle replaced immediately. The parts are available, and the repair costs them nothing. In many cases, the replacement can be done remotely – technicians can be sent wherever the vehicle is located and complete the repair on site. If remote repair cannot be done, the vehicle can be picked up at the customer’s home or office free of charge, repaired, and returned when the service is complete. Typically, the airbag replacement takes less than an hour.
To learn if their vehicle requires repair right now, owners may:
BMW Group In America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy based in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley, and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is the BMW Group global center of competence for BMW X models and assembles the X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7 Sports Activity Vehicles as well as the BMW XM. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 350 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 144 BMW motorcycle retailers, 104 MINI passenger car dealers, and 38 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
www.bmwgroup.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BMWGroup
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BMWGroup
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/BMWGroupview
Google+: http://googleplus.bmwgroup.com
Journalist note: Information about BMW Group and its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwusanews.com, www.miniusanews.com and www.press.bmwna.com.
Notification emails will be sent to owners of these vehicles starting in May with letters to follow in June.
These vehicles were manufactured with airbag inflators that contain a propellant that breaks down after long-term exposure to temperature fluctuations and humidity. If the vehicle is involved in a crash and the driver’s airbag deploys, the metal airbag inflator can rupture, sending razor-sharp shrapnel towards the occupants. As these unrepaired vehicles continue to age, the chemicals will continue to degrade, increasing the odds of a disastrous rupture.
“We cannot state strongly enough just how urgent it is for our customers to take this warning seriously. We know these airbags only become more dangerous over time, which is why we are taking yet another step to get these parts out of our vehicles. Customers must park these vehicles immediately and take a few moments to check if their vehicle is safe for them and their family members to drive”, said Claus Eberhart, Vice President of Aftersales BMW NA, “Repairing these vehicles is quick, easy to arrange, and is completely free of charge.”
Since the recall was first announced, BMW has aggressively and continuously engaged in a wide variety of customer outreach campaigns to compel owners of these vehicles to have this critical safety repair completed – at absolutely no charge – as soon as possible. These have included contacts by phone, text, email, letters and postcards, and social media. BMW has coordinated with its dealer network, collision centers, and independent retailers and repair facilities to identify affected vehicles and facilitate repairs. These efforts and many others have resulted in the repair of hundreds of thousands of vehicles – addressing about 87% of all of BMW’s recalled airbag inflators.
There are no restrictions whatsoever preventing customers from having the airbag in their vehicle replaced immediately. The parts are available, and the repair costs them nothing. In many cases, the replacement can be done remotely – technicians can be sent wherever the vehicle is located and complete the repair on site. If remote repair cannot be done, the vehicle can be picked up at the customer’s home or office free of charge, repaired, and returned when the service is complete. Typically, the airbag replacement takes less than an hour.
To learn if their vehicle requires repair right now, owners may:
- Visit www.bmwusa.com/recall
- Visit www.nhsta.gov/recalls
- Call BMW Customer Relations Recall Services at 1-866-835-8615
- Contact their preferred BMW service center by means other than driving their BMW to the facility
BMW Group In America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy based in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley, and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is the BMW Group global center of competence for BMW X models and assembles the X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7 Sports Activity Vehicles as well as the BMW XM. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 350 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 144 BMW motorcycle retailers, 104 MINI passenger car dealers, and 38 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
www.bmwgroup.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BMWGroup
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BMWGroup
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/BMWGroupview
Google+: http://googleplus.bmwgroup.com
Journalist note: Information about BMW Group and its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwusanews.com, www.miniusanews.com and www.press.bmwna.com.