1999 BMW 323i

The 1999 BMW 323i has 4 recalls, all centered on the same serious defect: a Takata-manufactured driver airbag inflator that can rupture during deployment and send metal fragments into the cabin.

All four recalls address the same underlying problem with the driver airbag inflator. The inflators in question were made by Takata using a non-azide propellant formulation, and over time these inflators can fail violently when the airbag fires in a crash. Instead of inflating the bag normally, the inflator can burst apart and scatter metal shards toward the driver and anyone else in the front of the vehicle. In some cases the bag may also underinflate, meaning it fails to cushion the driver even without a rupture. The recalls cover vehicles that left the factory with these inflators as well as vehicles that may have received one as a replacement part during prior service work, so a car that has already had airbag work done is not necessarily clear of the issue. Prior repair attempts did not fully resolve the problem across all affected vehicles, which is why multiple recall campaigns exist for what is functionally the same defect.