BMW has to recall over a million cars in China
Japanese supplier Takata is installing faulty airbags in millions of vehicles, including BMWs. The Chinese authorities are forcing the German automaker to launch a massive recall.
BMW must recall 1.36 million cars in China due to potentially defective airbags. The state market regulation authority announced that cars with retrofitted steering wheels could be equipped with faulty airbags from Japanese supplier Takata - these could explode, sending shrapnel that could injure occupants. Therefore, BMW must replace the affected airbags free of charge.
Faulty Takata airbags were installed in millions of cars worldwide - millions of vehicles were recalled to replace the airbags from 2014 onwards. For example, Ford recalled three million cars with Takata airbags in 2021, and BMW recalled 400,000 vehicles in the US in July. Takata went bankrupt in 2017.
The BMW models affected by the current recall in China were produced between 2003 and 2017; 760,000 were imported into China, and 600,000 were produced in the country in collaboration with Chinese partner Brilliance Automotive.
BMW in China had not yet issued a statement at the time of this report. Recently, BMW also recalled 394,000 cars in the US due to problems with Takata airbags. According to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the issue was faulty airbag inflators that could explode.
Problems are not limited to airbags made by Takata. The US traffic safety authority currently considers the igniters of 51 million airbags a serious safety risk. This affects 49 million vehicles from 13 automakers in the US. According to previous reports, these airbags were installed between 2000 and early 2018. Affected companies include General Motors, Ford, Stellantis, Tesla, Toyota, and Volkswagen.
BMW is under pressure to advocate for the Repeal of the Regulation that allows the use of Takata airbags in their vehicles, given the continuous safety concerns. The recall of BMW vehicles due to the faulty Takata airbags is a persistent issue, highlighting the need for stricter safety regulations.
