BMW recalls more than 390,000 cars over air bags that could explode

• The faulty BMW airbags are also in danger of partially inflating 
• The Fiat airbag failure relates to a faulty connection between with the belt buckle

BMW is recalling nearly 400,000 cars in the US due to faulty airbag inflators that could potentially explode, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration  said on Wednesday.

Separately, Stellantis, the parent company of Fiat, has announced that a further 300,000 vehicles are being recalled due to airbag failure. 

An explosion of the inflator can result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other car occupants, potentially leading to injury or death, said the NHTSA.

In addition, a faulty inflator can also only partially inflate the airbag. 

The recall affects certain sedans and sportswagon vehicles. The sedans in question are cars that had their original steering wheels replaced with an M-sport wheel. 

According to a notification, car dealers will replace the air bags free of charge.  

The Stellantis cars suffer from a different issue relating to a an improperly connected seat belt buckle censor. 

This faulty connection can prevent the air bag from deploying. 

Just days before this announcement, BMW announced the recall of 44,000 SUVs in Canada over faulty airbag inflators.

Those inflators were made by the Takata Corporation.  

Carfax says that its vehicle history data indicates 6.4 million vehicles still have Takata airbags. 

The airbags were used by most car brands – including Ford, Nissan and Toyota – and have lead to recalls of 19 models. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says 27 people in the US have been killed by these airbags and at least 400 have been injured.

More than 67 million airbags in more than 40 million vehicles have been recalled in models from 19 automakers.

Extended exposure to heat and humidity can cause Takata airbag inflators to deploy far more explosively than expected.

That excessive force can launch pieces of metal surrounding the inflator into a vehicle’s cabin like shrapnel, posing a high risk to occupants.

That is why the NHTSA highlights certain states known to be hot and humid as Zone Z – as they ‘pose the highest threat to safety’

In May, BMW was forced into recalling around 400,000 vehicles in Germany over a faulty integrated braking system.