BMW AG is expanding a recall of its most popular models to fix an air bag problem that is hitting much of the global auto industry.
The German automaker says it will recall 1.6 million 3-Series cars from model years 2000 to 2006 across the world, including 574,000 in the US.
The company on Wednesday said that it is a precaution because other automakers using similar systems have reported problems.
Photo: AFP
Air bag inflators in systems made by Takata Corp can rupture. If that happens, the bags might not work properly, and shards could fly out and cause injury.
The problem is responsible for millions of recalled vehicles during the past few years made by manufacturers such as Chrysler Group LLC, Ford Motor Co, Honda Motor Co, Mazda Motor Corp, Nissan Motor Co and Toyota Motor Corp. The recalls have mostly been of vehicles in states with hot and humid weather.
BMW said it has no reports of problems in its vehicles. Dealers will replace the passenger-side front air bags.
The new recall excludes 42,000 BMWs recalled in May last year for the same problem. The company says it is recalling all vehicles equipped with potentially faulty air bag systems regardless of where they were sold.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) last month began investigating air bags made by Takata, a Tokyo-based supplier of seat belts, air bags, steering wheels and other auto parts.
The agency said it received six reports of air bags rupturing in Florida and Puerto Rico. Three people were injured in those cases. It had estimated 1.1 million vehicles in the US could be affected, but the total is likely to climb.
The US government says it wanted to act quickly in warm states while it continues to investigate the issue.
“Based on the limited data available at this time, NHTSA supports efforts by automakers to address the immediate risk in areas that have consistently hot, humid conditions over extended periods of time,” the agency said in a statement.
Takata said in a statement on Wednesday that it is supporting the NHTSA investigation and its customers with technical analysis and replacement parts.
“Our objective is to do all that is possible to ensure the safety and well-being of the public,” the statement said.
Stephen Garrett, a 27-year-old graduate student, always thought he would study in China, but first the country’s restrictive COVID-19 policies made it nearly impossible and now he has other concerns. The cost is one deterrent, but Garrett is more worried about restrictions on academic freedom and the personal risk of being stranded in China. He is not alone. Only about 700 American students are studying at Chinese universities, down from a peak of nearly 25,000 a decade ago, while there are nearly 300,000 Chinese students at US schools. Some young Americans are discouraged from investing their time in China by what they see
MAJOR DROP: CEO Tim Cook, who is visiting Hanoi, pledged the firm was committed to Vietnam after its smartphone shipments declined 9.6% annually in the first quarter Apple Inc yesterday said it would increase spending on suppliers in Vietnam, a key production hub, as CEO Tim Cook arrived in the country for a two-day visit. The iPhone maker announced the news in a statement on its Web site, but gave no details of how much it would spend or where the money would go. Cook is expected to meet programmers, content creators and students during his visit, online newspaper VnExpress reported. The visit comes as US President Joe Biden’s administration seeks to ramp up Vietnam’s role in the global tech supply chain to reduce the US’ dependence on China. Images on
New apartments in Taiwan’s major cities are getting smaller, while old apartments are increasingly occupied by older people, many of whom live alone, government data showed. The phenomenon has to do with sharpening unaffordable property prices and an aging population, property brokers said. Apartments with one bedroom that are two years old or older have gained a noticeable presence in the nation’s six special municipalities as well as Hsinchu county and city in the past five years, Evertrust Rehouse Co (永慶房產集團) found, citing data from the government’s real-price transaction platform. In Taipei, apartments with one bedroom accounted for 19 percent of deals last
US CONSCULTANT: The US Department of Commerce’s Ursula Burns is a rarely seen US government consultant to be put forward to sit on the board, nominated as an independent director Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, yesterday nominated 10 candidates for its new board of directors, including Ursula Burns from the US Department of Commerce. It is rare that TSMC has nominated a US government consultant to sit on its board. Burns was nominated as one of seven independent directors. She is vice chair of the department’s Advisory Council on Supply Chain Competitiveness. Burns is to stand for election at TSMC’s annual shareholders’ meeting on June 4 along with the rest of the candidates. TSMC chairman Mark Liu (劉德音) was not on the list after in December last