Campaign 23V-797

Driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect

Defect summary

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2014 X3 xDrive28i, X3 xDrive35i, X5 sDrive35i, X5 xDrive35i, and 2015 X4 xDrive35i vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect.

Consequence

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the driver's front air bag, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 19, 2024. 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.

Source: NHTSA ODI recalls file, campaign 23V797000. Text as published by NHTSA.

Vehicles covered

3 product lines are covered

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA about airbags on these vehicles: 17, of which 5 involved a crash, fire, injury or death. Complaints are not verified by NHTSA.

Vehicles covered by campaign 23V-797
Make	Model	Model years	Complaints on this component
BMW	X3	2014	9
BMW	X4	2014 to 2015	2
BMW	X5	2014	6

Source: NHTSA ODI recalls and complaints files. Equipment, tire and child-seat campaigns list products, not vehicles.

Investigation

No NHTSA investigation is linked to this recall

Most recalls are started by the manufacturer. This one lists "Manufacturer" as its origin.

Before the recall

3 service bulletins on this component came first

Distinct manufacturer communications on the same component group, make, model and model year in the 24 months before the report date.

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications file.

Service bulletins

25V-871 Dec 17, 2025
Head air bag inflator may fail at the weld joint, which can cause gas to leak from the inflator or result in an inflator rupture
25V-837 Dec 4, 2025
Instrument panel may have been manufactured incorrectly and prevent the passenger-side air bag from deploying properly
25V-748 Oct 31, 2025
Inflator may explode during deployment due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature,…
24V-910 Dec 5, 2024
Inner-left roof frame near the head air bag may have a crack that can damage the head air bag during deployment
24V-870 Nov 19, 2024
Air bag control unit may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in the air bags not deploying as intended
24V-856 Nov 12, 2024
Gas generator in the right-side head curtain air bag may have been assembled incorrectly