The 2000 BMW 330CI has 3 recalls, all centered on Takata airbag inflators that can rupture or explode during deployment, sending metal fragments into the cabin and potentially causing serious injury or death.
Both the driver and front passenger airbag inflators are affected. On the driver side, two separate campaigns cover vehicles where a Takata non-azide inflator may be present, either as original equipment or as a replacement installed during a prior repair. In either case, the inflator can rupture when the airbag fires, scattering sharp metal fragments toward the driver. There is also a risk that the airbag deploys underinflated, leaving the driver without adequate cushioning in a crash. The front passenger side carries the same core danger: a Takata inflator using phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate propellant can explode rather than deploy normally, again sending metal shards through the cabin at anyone seated in the front.