1999 323i and 328i sedans made from July of
1998 through January of 1999. Spokesman Oleg
Satanovsky said those cars have inflators that
were made at a Takata factory and are known
to be faulty because they were manufactured
before production improvements.
The company also is recalling another 34,000
323i and 328i sedans from 1999-2000 and 323Ci
and 328Ci coupes from the 2000 model year.
These cars were made from March of 1998
through March of 2000 and have inflators made
at two Takata plants that could be defective.
Satanovsky says these cars will be inspected and
some could get new inflators.
A third group of cars, just over 74,000, is being
recalled. This group includes 323i, 325i, 328i,
330i sedans from the 1999 through 2001 model
years. They were produced from May 1999
through July of 2000 and may have had air bag
inflators replaced by defective ones. They also
will be inspected.
BMW is still developing a remedy for the
problem, but the company intends to replace
faulty inflators with new ones. The company says
owners will be notified when parts are available.
The recall is another in a long saga of problems
with Takata inflators that sent the company
into bankruptcy.
Nineteen automakers are recalling about 70
million inflators in what has become the largest
string of automotive recalls in U.S. history.
The company is recalling about 100 million
inflators worldwide.
Most of the recalled inflators use ammonium
nitrate to create a small explosion and inflate
the air bags. But the chemical deteriorates when