BMW Recalls SUVs After Takata Air Bag Inflator Explodes, Injuring Driver

The incident raises questions about the safety of about 30 million Takata inflators under investigation, following a history of fatal malfunctions.

U.S. auto safety regulators are monitoring a group of mostly unrecalled Takata air bag inflators after one exploded in a BMW, seriously injuring a driver in Chicago.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been investigating the batch of about 30 million inflators since 2021 to see if they exhibit the same traits that forced Takata to recall 67 million of the devices since 2001.
BMW is recalling 486 SUVs after the Chicago driver was hurt. The inflator on a 2014 X3 exploded, shooting a large gold-colored metal disc that a surgeon had to remove from the driver’s lung.
At least 26 people have been killed in the U.S. by Takata inflators since May 2009, and at least 30 have died worldwide including people in Malaysia and Australia. In addition, about 400 people have been injured.
The investigation opened in 2021 covers more than 30 million inflators in over 200 models from 20 car and truck makers, including Honda, Stellantis, General Motors, Ford, Nissan, Tesla, BMW, Toyota, Jaguar Land Rover, Daimler Vans, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, McLaren, Porsche, Mazda, Karma, Fisker, Spartan Fire vehicles.