BMW has recalled a small number of vehicles — just 51 in total — for a scary reason. Their seats may not be properly constructed and might collapse in an accident.
The recall affects just 10 examples of the 3 Series sedan from model years 2019 through 2021, 36 examples of the X3 SUV from model years 2020 through 2021, and five examples of the X4 SUV from model year 2021.
BMW tells federal safety regulators that a customer brought a car in to a dealership complaining that “the driver seat had some play.” An investigation revealed that a supplier may not have properly welded some seats.
Engineers found that “under certain load conditions,” the seats’ “structural integrity may not be maintained” — a particularly bureaucratic way of noting that the seat meant to protect you in an accident might crumple instead.
BMW is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the problem. The company notes that owners might notice “front seat vibration and/or noise” if a seat has poor welds.
Dealers will replace the seat frame and backrest to correct the problem. By law, recall repairs are always free.
Many cars are recalled to fix safety defects, sometimes more than once. While automakers try to reach every owner to ask them to bring the vehicle in for repair, they rarely reach them all. Millions of vehicles on American roads need free recall repairs. To find out if your car is one of them, check the easy VIN tool at our recall center.
