NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Recall Query RQ99-018: INADVERTANT SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT
- No closing date on file
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Recall Query RQ99-018 on September 3, 1999; NHTSA's investigations file gives no closing date for it. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 1999 BMW M3 for it and links recall 99V063001 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- RQ99-018 (also written RQ99018)
- Investigation type
- Recall Query An investigation into whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or whether its remedy works, run much like a Preliminary Evaluation.
- Status
- Opened September 3, 1999; no closing date on file
- Opened
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- BMW of North America, LLC
- Component
- Air Bags — Side/Window
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 99V063001: BMW/SIDE DOOR AIR BAGS, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- 1999 BMW M3
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Recall Query RQ99-018.
ON MARCH 26, 1999, BMW OF NORTH AMERICAN, INC. RECALLED 32,500 1999 323I AND 328I MANUFACTURED UP TO APRIL 1999, FOR INADVERTENT DEPLOYMENT OF THE SIDE AIRBAG SYSTEM IN CERTAIN NON-CRASH IMPACTS SUCH AS CONTACTING LARGE POT HOLES OR CURBS AT SUBSTANTIAL SPEED.AS A REMEDY, BMW WILL RECODE THE AIR BAG CONTROL MODULE OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES WITH UPDATED SOFTWARE.THE RECALL WAS A RESULT OF AN ODI SAFETY DEFECT INVESTIGATION. ODI RECEIVED 1 CONSUMER COMPLAINT OF A 1999 MODEL YEAR M3 ALLEGING THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR AIRBAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT SIDE IMPACT TO THE VEHICLE CAUSING ONE INJURY.THE COMPLAINANT'S M3 USES THE SAMECHASSIS AS THE 3-SERIES AND WAS BUILT IN MARCH 1999. THE PURPOSE OF THIS RQ IS TO DETERMINE THE ADEQUACY OF THE SCOPE OF THE RECALL.CLOSING NOTE: BMW HAS DECIDED TO CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN UNDER SAFETY RECALL NUMBER 99V-063.001.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Recall Query RQ99-018. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to that page's NHTSA investigations section.
BMW
BMW M3
What an NHTSA investigation is
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) looks into possible safety defects in vehicles and equipment, often after owner complaints. An investigation usually starts as a Preliminary Evaluation, or as a Recall Query when it concerns whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or fixes the problem, and ODI can upgrade it to a more detailed Engineering Analysis. A Defect Petition asks NHTSA to open an investigation, and Audit and Equipment Queries are administrative investigations into whether companies complied with federal vehicle safety requirements, such as reporting, recall and certification rules.
An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.
To see whether a specific vehicle has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
BMW VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for RQ99-018
Investigation details come from NHTSA's investigations file, which try.vin imports once a day. The investigation types are described from the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General's May 2023 report on NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA's petition rules (49 CFR Parts 552 and 557) and NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation procedures. How try.vin reads NHTSA investigations.