Germany's premier carmaker BMW is recalling at least 360,000 cars in China for fear of more deaths due to the defective Takata airbags were installed in its company-made automobiles. The recall has been confirmed by the Chinese vehicle regulators on Wednesday.
According to Channel News Asia, since 2013, at least 20 people were recorded to have died in accidents related to defective airbags that were supplied by the now-defunct Japanese automotive parts company, Takata Corporation. The deaths forced car manufacturers around the world to recall vehicles fitted with the said airbags. So far, over 100 million cars were ordered to be returned for parts replacement.
To break down the number of BMW car recall, China's State Administration for Market Regulation stated that it will affect around 273,000 unit models made by the German automaker's joint venture with Brilliance Automotive, a Chinese local manufacturer. The rest - which consists of over 87,000 BMW cars were imported. The recall was issued while BMW cars were on display at the 2019 Shanghai iAuto Show.
In related news, BMW just recalled some of its units last month. Via press release, BMW Brilliance Automotive and BMW (China) Automobile Trading announced that it filed a recall plan with the State Administration of Market Supervision for issues concerning its cars' cooling lubricant, tail lights, and seatbelt.
Meanwhile, Newsweek reported that the recalls for just last month alone, involving the Takata airbags, have reached a huge number of 1.7 million. The latest that was filed this month brought the number up to tens of millions recalls for the defective airbags.
As explained by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Takata airbags are dangerous when deployed. People can die because it can explode and eject sharpness and small fragments.
As of this time, the list of carmakers that issued recalls in the last few years for concerns on the Takata airbags include Land Rover, Mazda, Chevrolet, Audi, Acura, BMW, Cadillac, Daimler Vans USA LLC, Chrysler, Jaguar, Lincoln, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Tesla, Lexus, Mercedes Benz, Jeep, Volkswagen, Subaru, GMC, Pontiac, Honda and more.
Takata Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. and Japan in June 2017. It eventually closed down after 84 years in the business due to the airbag crisis. Before the company went out of business, it owns production facilities spread across four continents with Germany serving as its European headquarter base.
