It is reported that the models involved in this recall are the 2000-2006 3 Series, the 2000-2003 5 Series and the 2000-2004 X5 models, including M3 and M5 models. BMW said in an official statement that it does not recommend affected BMW owners to continue to use vehicles before inspection and maintenance.

Takata airbags, also known as “death airbags”, mean that the airbags supplied by Takata Group in Japan will burst into metal fragments, posing a safety threat to front passengers. According to media reports, Takata Company’s “death airbags” have been used for 10 years. More than 100 people were killed and injured and hundreds of others were injured.

On February 28, 2018, the Australia government mandated car manufacturers and dealers to recall cars equipped with faulty airbags made by Japan’s Takata Company, totaling approximately 2.3 million vehicles, making it the largest car recall in Australia to date.

The outbreak of Takata’s quality problems began with a traffic accident. On May 16, 2009, an 18-year-old girl in the United States, Echili Paheim, drove a 2000 Honda Accord to pick up her brother from school. In the school parking lot, the car collided with another car. After the airbag was deployed, the girl was cut by a metal piece popped out of the airbag and died of blood.

In the report submitted to NHTSA, Takata listed several mistakes. First, there was no moisture-proof measures for the storage of propellants. The wetted propellants may cause the wafer packaging to rupture after many years; second, some wafers are put together. The pressure is too small. In some cases, for example, on some Honda models, Honda requires 7 discs per airbag, but actually 6 discs are installed, which is fraud.

Since Japan’s Takata Company is the world’s second largest manufacturer of automotive safety components, Takata Company’s main customers include Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Mitsubishi Motors, etc. in the Japanese camp, as well as Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, General Motors, Hyundai, Ford and many other well-known car companies.

Among them, Honda is the most affected car company. As of October 2014, it has recalled nearly 5.1 million vehicles worldwide. In the following years, there are still recalls one after another, including the Chinese market. BMW has also been implicated. Last year In March, BMW recalled 37 popular models such as 3 Series and X3 in China.