2001 BMW 5 Series

Issue: Some vehicles may contain a replacement sport steering wheel with a Takata driver-front air bag module. Certain conditions, including long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, may eventually degrade the propellant contained in the driver-front airbag. This could cause the airbag to deploy with more force than normal. If the airbag inflator ruptures, fragments could be propelled toward vehicle occupants or cause damage to the airbag assembly, preventing its proper function. Safety Risk: If the vehicle is involved in a crash requiring an airbag deployment, the airbag inflator could rupture and create a risk of injury. Corrective Action: The company will notify owners by mail. Owners will be instructed to take their vehicle to a dealer to have an inspection performed. If a Takata airbag inflator is found, then the driver-front airbag module will be replaced. Note: The Canadian climate results in the propellant degrading slowly. This recall is being conducted as a precaution to address future risk. It is expected that all airbag inflators will be replaced before their function would be affected.

On certain vehicles, a microprocessor in the airbag control module could cause one or more airbag(s) to deploy when placing the key in the ignition ON position, or when starting the vehicle. In this case, unexpected deployment of the airbag(s) could cause serious injury if an occupant is too close to the deploying airbag(s). In addition, the Battery Safety Terminal (BST) may also be activated. It this happens, the starter cable would become disconnected from the battery, and the engine could not be restarted. Correction: Dealer will replace the airbag control module.