BMW Recalls 140,000 Vehicles Over Takata Airbag Defect

Takata, the airbag manufacturer based out of Japan, has made hundreds of headlines for their potentially deadly products. A representative from the company was asked to appear before Congress and answer questions about why they won’t issue a more comprehensive recall. The answer given by the Vice President of Global Quality Assurance, Hiroshi Shimzu, was the data suggests that a recall focused in areas of higher humidity is sufficient.

The National Highway Traffic Safety administration tried to force Takata to issue a nationwide recall on vehicles with potentially hazardous airbags. They declined. We reported previously after Takata’s refusal to expand the recall, NHTSA has decided to pursue legal action. However, the actions by Takata haven’t stopped certain automakers from taking the situation into their own hands. BMW and Chrysler are the latest automakers to announce their first or second expanded airbag recall. Honda, Mazda and Ford are among the other automakers that have expanded their recall efforts without the support of Takata. The decision for automakers to recall vehicles when Takata will not is advantageous to them from a public image perspective.

As we reported back on December 9th, the Deputy Chief of the NHTSA, David Friedman, told reporters he was glad both Honda and Mazda (among other automakers) “did the right thing.” That right thing was to initiate brand specific national recall efforts. While Takata took a beating in the national and international press, automakers that launched their own recalls were seen as companies who put consumer safety first.

Among the most recent is BMW. The German automaker has decided to expand their previous regional recall efforts to a national level. This means recalling the driver-side front airbags for about 140,000 BMW 3-Series vehicles created from 2004 to 2006. BMW is apparently following some of its competitors into the national recall realm despite not having a confirmed Takata airbag incident in one of their vehicles. BMW reportedly told Reuters none of their vehicles have been involved in improper airbag deployments. As BMW and other automakers expand their recall efforts, supplies will continue to shrink.

It’s not known just how long it would take to for airbag inflator makers to properly stock a national Takata airbag recall. However, it’s possible that it could impact dealerships. The question is, for better for for worse. How has your store handled the Takata airbag recall requests? Have you experienced a high volume of inquiries? What will you do when that happens?