BMW i3 Recall

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I believe only about 900 of the recalled cars are i3s and the balance are MINIs.

This specific issue is for the passenger airbag. The problem can only happen when there is a passenger and they aren't using a seatbelt.
 
http://www.autoblog.com/2015/10/20/bmw-recalls-6073-i3-mini-replace-airbag/

Looks like there is a problem with the passenger side airbag. Unknown if that's all 2014/2015 models or just a portion.
 
According to http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/jaxrs/download/doc/UCM487317/RCLRPT-15V628-3168.PDF "Approximately 923 vehicles are affected" so it is only a small fraction of i3s.
 
The 923 number is in the original link if you bother to read the entire thing. There's also a prior thread that points out the small number. No need to panic. If your car needs the module replacement, you'll get a letter next month. That's it. Go back to driving and enjoying your i3.
 
There is also a recall in Canada as well....


======================================

Transport Canada Recall # 2015446

Recall Date 2015/10/05
Notification Type Compliance Mfr
System Airbag
Manufacturer Recall Number
Units Affected The number of vehicles or components affected by the recall. 642
Category Car
Recall Details
Certain vehicles may not comply with the requirements of Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 208 - Occupant Protection in Frontal Impacts. The internal components of the passenger frontal airbag inflator may not have been assembled properly during manufacturing. The passenger frontal airbag’s first stage (only) deployment could be affected, delaying the deployment timing of the second stage. This could result in the right front occupant not receiving the intended protection from the frontal airbag in a low speed or out-of-position crash, increasing the risk of injury to the occupant where airbag deployment is warranted. Correction: Dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag module.
Make Model Model Year(s) Affected
BMW I3 2014
MINI 3 DOOR 2014
MINI 5 DOOR 2015
Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS)
Number Description
208 Occupant Restraint Systems in Frontal Impact
 
If you go to www.nhtsa.gov and input your i3's VIN, it will tell you if your specific car is affected. If you just put in the model type, the i3 pops up, but at least with mine, when I redo it with the VIN, it is not showing up as having an active recall. I suppose this could change, but I think they have identified all of the affected vehicles.

I was talking with the service manager earlier this week, and he said things can be very specific to an individual model...he got a call on one i3 that was unsold sitting on the lot to replace the passenger's side rear-view mirror. When he got out there and looked, the warning was in Korean verses English. One probably showed up in Korea with an English legend, and they were able to track down the affected vehicle.

If you have not had an opportunity to visit a BMW factory, it is an eye-opening experience. Gone are the days of a string of identical cars coming down the assembly line...each one can have a different set of options, colors, features. The staging of the parts to be installed is all carefully orchestrated so that they all come together at the proper place at the proper time...very little pull a part out of a bin, it's all prearranged. In the case of their ICE vehicles, one might be a sedan, the next a wagon, the next something else, all different colors with different features, and at the end, they all get the proper bits. Quite amazing once you see it in action. I've had the opportunity to see two BMW factories, one in Munich when I did Euro delivery, and one in the States when I retook delivery at the performance center of the same car.
 
I received my recall notice from BMW in the mail this weekend.

I find this hard to say, but I think on this one occasion (and this one occasion only) Tom has his facts wrong. The issue with the passenger airbag is NOT limited to just when the passenger has not buckled his/her seatbelt. The problem is instead that, because of some problem in the assembly of the passenger side airbag in certain units of the i3, that air bag may not deploy in low speed collisions, so the only protection offered to passengers in such accidents would come from the seatbelt. BMW doesn't say what the definition of "low speed" is, but my inference from the language of the notice is that you should not have a passenger in the front seat until you get the airbag fixed. I am scheduled to have mine fixed on 12/17.
 
High performance airbags often have the ability to inflate at more than one speed to account for the vehicle's speed and whether the occupant is wearing their seatbelt. If you're going slow, it inflates slower, while if you're going fast, there's less time, so it inflates faster. There's also a sensor to adjust this if you don't have your seatbelt on. Sounds like the thing is only using the fast inflate mode, which can act like a major punch, especially if you don't have your seatbelt on.

If I had to use that passenger seat, I'd move the seat back as far as possible and ensure the person was wearing a seatbelt to limit potential harm until the thing was fixed.
 
jadnashuanh said:
High performance airbags often have the ability to inflate at more than one speed to account for the vehicle's speed and whether the occupant is wearing their seatbelt. If you're going slow, it inflates slower, while if you're going fast, there's less time, so it inflates faster. There's also a sensor to adjust this if you don't have your seatbelt on. Sounds like the thing is only using the fast inflate mode, which can act like a major punch, especially if you don't have your seatbelt on.

If I had to use that passenger seat, I'd move the seat back as far as possible and ensure the person was wearing a seatbelt to limit potential harm until the thing was fixed.

I'm pretty sure from the way my recall notice is phrased that the issue is not that it is only inflating at the fast inflate mode -- the issue is that it is not inflating AT ALL in the low speed mode.
 
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