Vehicle recall R/2016/252

BMW 5 Series and others recall: Drivers airbag may deploy incorrectly

DVSA recall R/2016/252 names the BMW 5 Series, BMW 3 Series and BMW X5. It was launched 1 November 2016. It covers vehicles built 1 January 2002 to 31 August 2006.

Recall data updated 22 September 2026

Recall: R/2016/252
Launched: 1 November 2016
Issued by: BMW
Manufacturer reference: 0032260200
Vehicles: 218,559 across the whole recall

What can go wrong

The driver's air bag inflator may rupture during deployment. Metal shards may pass through the air bag material and cause injury to occupants.

The fix

On affected vehicles replace air bag and inflator assemblies.

Models and build dates

As listed in the DVSA recall file. DVSA gives one vehicle number for the whole recall: 218,559.
Model	Built
BMW 3 Series	1 March 2002 to 31 December 2003
BMW 5 Series	1 January 2002 to 31 August 2006
BMW X5	1 February 2002 to 31 October 2003

Is a specific car affected? A recall lists models and build dates, not individual vehicles, so these pages cannot tell you whether one car is included. Enter the registration on the DVSA vehicle recall checker on GOV.UK, or give the vehicle identification number (VIN) to the manufacturer or one of its dealers. Buying used? Ask the seller for proof that any recall work was done.

Other recalls for these models

R/2016/265 Front airbags and seat belt tensioners may fail to deploy when needed 16 November 2016, BMW 5 Series, BMW 7 Series
R/2016/224 Possible loss of control 4 October 2016, BMW 2 Series, BMW 3 Series, BMW 4 Series
R/2016/300 Power steering may not perform correctly 21 December 2016, BMW X3, BMW 2 Series, BMW 1 Series and others
R/2017/001 Engine may cut out 31 December 2016, BMW X5
R/2017/011 Airbags may not deploy 10 January 2017, BMW M4, BMW 4 Series, MINI Cooper and One and others
R/2017/114 Plug in contact cable may malfunction 10 April 2017, BMW 1 Series, BMW M3, BMW 3 Series and others

Found one you might buy?

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Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA vehicle recall records (RecallsFile.csv), recalls launched 1992 to 2026. Recall data updated 22 September 2026.

Recall wording is DVSA's, with capitals and punctuation tidied and American spellings such as tire, center and windshield given in British English. We list a recall when its make and model match a car or van family with at least 1,000 DVSA MOT tests from 2022 to 2025, and when the maker of the vehicle issued it.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. Methodology · Data sources