BMW Australia Ltd - BMW E46 3 Series MY1997-2000 Recall

⚠️ Buyer beware alert! Recalls
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A recall notice for BMW E46 3 Series MY1997-2000 supplied by BMW Australia Ltd due to faulty airbags.

BMW Australia Ltd - BMW E46 3 Series MY1997-2000

PRA No.

2019/17946

Date published

7 Nov 2019

Campaign number

0032950200

Product description

BMW E46 3 Series vehicles MY1997-2000
Production dates 21 November 1997 to 30 June 2000
Vehicles fitted with driver’s frontal airbag module equipped with a Takata non-azide driver inflator (NADI)

Affected sedan and coupe model variants :
sedans: 316i, 318i, 320i, 323i, 325i, 328i, 330i
coupes: 318Ci, 320Ci, 323Ci, 328Ci, 330Ci

12 663 affected vehicles

Identifying features

VIN (Vehicle identification number)

See attached VIN list

VIN list.pdf (1.69 MB)

What are the defects?

The airbag inflators in these vehicles could allow moisture to enter the unit and degrade the airbag propellant. If this occurs, the properties of the propellant may be changed so that the propellant does not react as intended during an accident, causing misdeployment of the airbag.

What are the hazards?

If a vehicle with an affected airbag is involved in a collision, the airbag inflator could rupture, causing sharp metal fragments to enter the vehicle cabin at high speed and potentially killing or injuring vehicle occupants.

There is also a potential risk that the airbag may underinflate in a collision and may not protect the driver as intended.

What should consumers do?

Owners of affected vehicles should stop driving their vehicle immediately and contact their local BMW dealership https://findadealer.bmw.com.au/ or call BMW Australia’s Takata Hotline directly on 1800 243 675 to organise their free urgent vehicle inspection.

Vehicles will be either towed to the place of inspection or a mobile technician will inspect the vehicle at the consumer’s home or the vehicle’s location. The vehicle should not be driven to the inspection place.

If the vehicle is affected, BMW will offer to arrange a loan or hire car or reimbursement for alternative transportation costs until parts are available for airbag replacement, or until other arrangements can be made. Alternatively, the consumer may discuss the vehicle being purchased by BMW.

Consumers who are unsure of whether they are affected by this recall can also use the BMW VIN look-up tool at https://www.recall.bmw.com.au, contact the BMW Takata Hotline directly on 1800 243 675 or contact their preferred BMW dealer. Dealer locations and contact details can be found at https://findadealer.bmw.com.au/.

We also recommend you visit www.productsafety.gov.au/newsletter/subscribe to subscribe to receive updates about current and future recalls as they are published.

Further information for consumers is available at www.productsafety.gov.au/recalls

Supplier

BMW Australia Ltd

Traders who sold this product

All Authorised BMW Group Dealers

Where the product was sold

Nationally

Dates available for sale

  • 21 November 1997 - 30 June 2000

Responsible regulator

Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development is the responsible regulator for this recall.

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Note on this recall the advice is to STOP DRIVING THE CAR IMMEDIATELY. The vehicles should not be driven, BMW will arrange a tow or they will send a technician out to check the vehicle where it is located. If a person owns one of the affected vehicles please don’t ignore the advice. BMW will supply a loan/hire car if needed or pay reimbursement for alternative transport costs.

The BMW Recall Search Tool has now been updated to include the Urgent Recall of 3 Series Vehicles. The pdf previously linked in this post is no longer required but I am leaving it linked as a historical reference about the issue. Thus the following paragraph and link are no longer required and can be ignored.

Currently the BMW VIN Search Tool has not been updated with VIN numbers of the affected vehicles. It is being done but in the meantime BMW drivers with possibly affected 3 Series vehicles should check their VIN number in the linked pdf file as per this BMW advice" This recall is not part of the current Takata Compulsory Airbag Recall . This new recall does not currently appear in the results of the BMW Recall Status tool"…

BMW Recall | Aftersales, Service and Recall

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20+ years ago? thats a long recall timeframe - good yes, but I wonder how much a precedent it sets, given for so-called ‘less serious’ problems they relax on the 12 months/20k rule, more in recent times, but still …

Maybe its time such a big investment was taken seriously wrt warranty etc …

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Are we now at a point in time where there is no such thing as a safe old airbag, Takata manufactured, or other?

We don’t expect tyres to last for ever. Driving on old tyres, even if they were the spare for ten years and never used is a risk of a blow out or worse. There are recommendations on how old is too old, because past a certain age the risk increases. Some say five years, others up to ten.

Interestingly the vehicle manufacturers in the past have never made any recommendation on the reasonable life, or probability of an air bag working incorrectly or not working at all.

There are so many safety related items around us we inspect or replace based on age as a matter of routine. Can airbags be considered to last indefinitely?

As an alternate and slightly more positive view, despite the tragic losses attributed to the Takata airbag defects so far, what is the statistic for lives saved or serious injury reduced where the airbags functioned as designed?

This is not a defence of Takata. Their product as it ages becomes an unacceptable risk.

It does seem that in striving for zero fatalities it is easy to focus on one negative. There are so many other causes of road deaths and injuries in comparison. When ABS braking was created, those vehicles so equipped must have contributed to improved outcomes. There was no move to take all non ABS equiped vehicles from the roads because they were at greater risk. A similar transition and scenario occurred with the introduction of seat belts and progressive updates to full three point and inertia reel designs.

What will happen in the future if on servicing a ten year old vehicle the ABS is not functioning due to a failed valve, or the seatbelt inertia reel will not retract/tighten? Are these to be free fixes?

It’s worth considering, for ABS braking all the early designs were flawed, when Australian conditions were considered. Emergency braking on a loose surface (EG dirt road) with ABS resulted in vehicle stopping distances increasing dramatically. They worked fine on a smooth European motorway. No recalls, no refunds that I can relate.

Perhaps the Takata saga will be a turning point?
For motorists and manufacturer accountability.

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