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NHTSA campaign 21V521000

BMW Recall 21V-521: Occupant Classification System Malfunction

NHTSA recall 21V521000 was reported by BMW of North America, LLC on July 8, 2021, with 138 vehicles potentially affected (per NHTSA). NHTSA's record lists the BMW X3 and BMW X4 for model years 2018–2019. Owners were notified on September 3, 2021, per NHTSA.

Updated daily from NHTSA's recall files

Is my vehicle included?

This page lists, by model year, the vehicles NHTSA's recall record names for campaign 21V521000 in the model years try.vin imports (1995 and later); NHTSA's own record can list more. A model year on the list doesn't mean every vehicle of that year is included, and some may already have been repaired.

To see whether a specific vehicle is included and still needs the repair, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

BMW VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.

Key facts

NHTSA campaign
21V521000 (also written 21V-521 or 21V521)
Filed by
BMW of North America, LLC
Report received
Potentially affected
138 vehicles (per NHTSA)
Component
Air Bags — Frontal
Owners notified

Repair completion: 94.2% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated October 21, 2026)

NHTSA cautions against comparing completion rates across recalls or manufacturers. How try.vin reads them.

Vehicles listed for this recall

NHTSA's recall record lists these vehicles for recall 21V521000. try.vin imports model years 1995 and later, so NHTSA's own list can be longer. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to it. Build dates are NHTSA's range for a model year (per NHTSA); a vehicle built in that range is not necessarily included.

BMW

All BMW recalls

NHTSA's recall notice

As NHTSA's recall record states it for campaign 21V521000.

Defect description

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2019 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i and 2019 X4 xDrive30i, and X4 M40i vehicles. The front passenger seat occupant classification system may have been improperly assembled, which could result in the misclassification of the seat as unoccupied, and deactivate the front air bag.

Safety consequence

A deactivated front air bag will not deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Manufacturer remedy

Dealers will replace the seat foam, which includes the occupant classification system, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 3, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Sources

Official NHTSA notice for recall 21V521000

Campaign details come from NHTSA's recall files, which try.vin imports once a day. The plain-language subject and the completion rate come from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Recalls Data dataset. How try.vin reads recall data.