Park your ride if you have one of these Bimmers…
Recalls can be annoying since you have to make an appointment with a dealership and deal with the whole service department process, but sometimes they can be lifesaving. BMW has recently upgraded one of its recalls for about 90,000 cars made in the early 2000s to a do not drive order because they pose a life-threatening risk.
See vintage Chrysler crash tests here.
You probably have already heard about the Takata airbag recalls which have impacted so many brands for years. A defect in the inflators can cause them to rupture when the airbag is deployed, shooting shrapnel into you. In one case involving a Honda, police who responded to the car accident believed the driver had been stabbed repeatedly. Let’s just say this isn’t a recall you should blow off.
So far, 33 people have been killed by Takata airbags worldwide, 24 of them in the US. Approximately 400 injuries have resulted in this country, some of them quite serious.
While there are Takata airbag recalls for many more BMWs, the automaker has issued a do not drive warning for 2000-2006 3 Series (E46) which do include the M3, 2000-2003 5 Series (E39) which includes the M5, and 2000-2004 X5s (E53). If you or someone you know has one of those cars, driving it could cause serious injury or worse, so park it until you can get it to a dealer.
Since this is a recall, owners can get the airbags swapped out for new ones free of charge. If you contact BMW, there’s a chance they’ll send a technician to wherever the car is parked. That or the company will pay for the vehicle to be picked up and returned once the work is done. It doesn’t get easier than that.
Images via BMW
