BMW X3 and X4 passenger airbag may not deploy
high How serious is it? About this label
This is serious because a passenger could go unprotected in a crash; BMW has not told owners to stop driving, but consider keeping the front passenger seat empty until the repair is done.
What's wrong, in plain English
The front passenger seat has a sensor system built into the seat foam that tells the car whether someone is sitting there. On these vehicles that system may have been put together wrong, so the car can think the seat is empty when a passenger is actually in it. When that happens, the car switches off the front passenger airbag. In a crash, that airbag would not inflate to protect the person sitting there. Dealers replace the seat foam.
What you should do
2. Contact a BMW dealer, or BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417, to book the repair.
3. Have the seat foam and sensor replaced — there is no charge.
Affected vehicles (3)
Who to contact
BMW — official BMW recall lookup
Customer service: 1-800-525-7417
The bigger picture
- Why so many BMW airbag recalls, and is yours affected? · all 14 BMW recalls in this area
Official notice
- Component
- AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
- Summary
- BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2019 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i and 2019 X4 xDrive30i, and X4 M40i vehicles. The front passenger seat occupant classification system may have been improperly assembled, which could result in the misclassification of the seat as unoccupied, and deactivate the front air bag.
- Safety risk
- A deactivated front air bag will not deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the seat foam, which includes the occupant classification system, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 3, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Verify your specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov. Recall repairs are free of charge by law.