http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/23/business/bmw-joins-in-expansion-of-takata-airbag-recalls.html 2014-12-23 02:48:46 BMW Joins in Expansion of Takata Airbag Recalls BMW joined four other automakers in making nationwide recalls, saying it would replace airbags in 140,000 3 Series vehicles, === On Monday The German automaker said in a statement that it would replace driver-side airbags in approximately 140,000 BMW 3 Series vehicles in the United States, produced between January 2004 and August 2006. BMW Defective airbag inflaters can overpressurize and rupture when they are deployed in an accident, shooting hot metal fragments into the car’s cabin. The defect has been linked to at least five deaths — four in the United States and one in Malaysia — and dozens of injuries. Eleven automakers worldwide have recalled almost 20 million cars over the defect. The Since then, Honda, Ford, Takata maintains, however, that the evidence so far does not support such a wide-ranging recall of either the driver- or passenger-side airbags. It has also questioned federal regulators’ authority to compel a supplier like Takata to take such action, prompting a standoff with the auto safety agency. Identifying the cars at risk has been complicated by the fact that the supplier has not yet identified the root cause of more recent airbag ruptures. In earlier cases, the automaker pointed to specific problems with the manufacture of its airbag propellant. BMW said that none of the reported rupture cases involved a BMW vehicle. “But with so many issues at play,” said David Buchko, a BMW spokesman, “our approach is to use an abundance of caution.” In a statement, Takata said that it respected BMW’s decision and that it was “committed to support any decisions our customers make” regarding safety recalls. David J. Friedman, the deputy administrator of the He did not respond to questions on whether the agency would continue to press Takata to acknowledge that a nationwide recall was necessary, or whether the agency would extend its demand for wider recalls to include passenger-side airbags.