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BMW has issued a do not drive warning to owners of 90,000 older model vehicles because of defective airbags that could explode in a crash.
The do not drive warning applies to the 2000–2006 3 Series, 2000–2003 5 Series, and 2000–2004 X5s.
The vehicles have previously been recalled due to issues with Takata airbag inflators, but the owners never brought them to get fixed.
The Takata airbag inflators have been at the center of numerous recalls over the past ten years because of a design flaw that could cause them not to inflate properly in a crash and send metal shrapnel throughout the vehicle. A total of 42 million cars have been recalled due to the issue.
The issue has caused at least 33 deaths and injured over 400 people worldwide.
"We cannot state strongly enough just how urgent it is for our customers to take this warning seriously," said Claus Eberhart, vice president of aftersales at BMW of North America. "We know these airbags only become more dangerous over time, which is why we are taking yet another step to get these parts out of our vehicles. Customers must park these vehicles immediately and take a few moments to check if their vehicle is safe for them and their family members to drive. Repairing these vehicles is quick, easy to arrange, and is completely free of charge."
BMW said that owners can reach out to a dealership to schedule a remote repair team to come to their home to replace the front airbags. However, if that is not an option, BMW will pick up the vehicle, fix it, and then return it free of charge.
You can check to see if your car is subject to a recall by going to nhtsa.gov/recalls and entering your 17-digit vehicle identification number.