RECALL - BMW Front Airbags (not just X models)

[X5Sport]

Morning All,

I took my X6 in for an oil/fuel filter service this morning and was told that it also needs both the driver and passenger front airbags replaced under a recall notice.

Includes X5, X6, X5M and X6M. Press data says from 2013 but it seems to have gone much wider now and covers up to 2015 as well as before 2013. Affects all BMWs other than 7-series so if you have another model use the recall check website below. It may not appear on the DVSA site.

I’ve not seen a letter from BMW about this and the Service Team thought it might be very new……press release says May ‘23.

Worth checking with your dealer to see whether or not you are affected. My car is a MY2011 (built Oct 2010) if that helps.

Seems it’s at least 100,000 vehicles are affected. It’s due to ‘over aggressive’ air bag gas generators caused by degradation of the explosive used! You can check your vehicle using the complete VIN here:

https://www.bmw.co.uk/en/footer/quick-l ... calls.html

Or:

https://vehiclerecall.bmwgroup.com/inde ... anguage=en

If I get any more info I’ll add it to the thread.

[sapphireblack]

Thanks for the HU, but neither link is working

[sapphireblack]

However DVLA website shows a recall.

[X5Sport]

Thanks for the HU, but neither link is working

Odd, they’re both working for me (on iPadOS).

[sapphireblack]

Well alternately i get enter a valid registration, it doesn't recognise mine, or site is undergoing maintenance

[X5Sport]

Hmmm..it was working and now it’s ‘Down for Maintenance’.

This is the main BMW UK site: https://www.bmw.co.uk/recall

As of 11:45BST 24/Aug some parts are offline as above. No idea why, all I can suggest is keep trying.

[StuBeeDoo]

Thanks for the heads-up. I'll check mine later.

[sapphireblack]

Booked the cars recall visit now, and looked at the dash passenger side. Imagine the dash has to be removed or the top if its detachable. I hate such work as things never get refitted quite as they were originally

[X5Sport]

Just been looking at the instructions for replacing the passenger airbag, and it is as you say, the dash assembly has to be removed. Don’t know about yours, but that’s a lot of work if you have a HUD and disc-changer option fitted.

Dealer has had the car since 08:00 today and have just called me to say they need it until tomorrow because of the time needed to remove and refit the dash assembly in order to get to the airbag unit. Be prepared!

The E46 had both changed a few years ago as part of the Takata recall (covered more than 53 million vehicles). I think this is part of the same issue. Gas generator cartridge can explode lobbing high speed metal shrapnel at driver and passenger. 35 deaths worldwide have been linked to this. The original manufacturer was bankrupted by it. At £200/hr labour rates, someone’s getting a large bill.

[sapphireblack]

Hmm. My car has CD multiplayer and HUD. Think I'd best check , i can't be carless for two days.

[StuBeeDoo]

The E46 had both changed a few years ago as part of the Takata recall (covered more than 53 million vehicles). I think this is part of the same issue.

I wondered the same when I read your original post. "E46/Takata all over again??"
........And, as has been mentioned many times on various platforms around the 'net, all airbags have a service life of 10 years. Who is going to have all the 'bags in their 10 year old car replaced? What are you going to do?.......... Scrap the car?....... Hope you're not one of the unlucky ones?
Seems to me that the worst case scenario is Russian Roulette every time you get into your 10+ year old car. Unless you/we/I have to have airbags replaced under a recall programme, it's probably best that you/we/I don't think about it too much. For example, all the cars in my household are at the point where they were built at least 10 years ago. I don't suppose any of them will have ever had airbags replaced. OK, so the F25 may be a part of this latest recall, but I doubt if PSA will recall either of our Citroens.

[X5Sport]

I wondered about that too. From the late 1990s airbags started to get lifetime ratings, meaning that they should last the life of the vehicle. Prior to then, they were supposed to be replaced at 15 year intervals. I suppose the industry has learned over the years that (apart from what still appears to be the current ongoing Takata issue) they are actually reliable. Unfortunately there’s really only one way to find out! It was only one of the factories (in Mexico) that had the issue (cheaper and incorrectly stored explosive) and, so far, no injuries through incorrect deployment in the UK. BMW switched to German made units several years ago once the scale of the problem was identified. The E70/71 along with several other X cars are made in Spartanburg SC so more likely to have dodgy devices installed. There’s also a huge BMW car factory in Mexico.

[sapphireblack]

Well, for me, good news, kind of, is I've rebooked the car to include a courtesy car for 48 hrs.

The thought of dashboard removal is quite horrific to me, i hope i get good technicians on the day.

FWIW i recall a LR Disco2 i owned back in the day, had an airbag expiry date notice somewhere, in the handbook i think.

[StuBeeDoo]

Still can't get an answer from the BMW pages linked above, but DVLA's recall tool shows nothing outstanding for my car.

[X5Sport]

DVLA for mine also clear but BMW’s system says the recall is open…..or it did when it was working. I’ve been using my VIN but the site just says down for technical maintenance as it has since mid-morning! You might just have to phone a dealer