BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke AG) is a German manufacturer of luxury vehicles and motorcycles, with its headquarters in Munich, Germany. The company has an extensive history that dates back to 1916 when it was founded as an aircraft engine manufacturer. Today, it markets its automobiles under the BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce brands, and motorcycles under the BMW Motorrad franchise.
BMW recently issued a warning to the owners of approximately 90,000 older vehicles in the United States, advising them to limit the use of their cars due to an increased risk of airbag explosion during a crash. According to NPR, the warning is applicable to BMW vehicles from model years 2000 through 2006 3 Series, the 2000 through 2003 5 Series and the 2000 through 2004 X5, all fitted with airbag inflators manufactured by Takata.
Takata Corporation was a global automotive parts company with production facilities across four continents, including Germany. The company faced a major crisis in 2013 following reports of deaths and injuries caused by defective airbag inflators manufactured at its plant. As a result, Takata recalled 3.6 million cars equipped with the faulty airbags.
However, further incidents involving the defective airbags led to a massive recall of more than 42 million cars across the United States. This recall, ordered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), is the largest automotive recall in U.S. history. This scandal eventually led to Takata filing for bankruptcy in June 2017.
The repair of this defect comes at no cost to the owner(s) of the vehicle.
