— A BMW airbag class action alleges vehicles are equipped with ARC airbag inflators at risk of exploding.
The lawsuit alleges BMW has known about the allegedly dangerous airbag inflators since at least July 2015 based on a federal investigation.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened the 2015 investigation following reports of two injuries from the airbag inflators. Both injuries occurred in non-BMW vehicles.
NHTSA upgraded the investigation following the death of a Canadian woman in a 2009 Hyundai Elantra.
According to the BMW airbag class action, the ARC airbag inflators in these BMW vehicles are the same inflators involved in deaths and injuries in vehicles built by other automakers.
- 2014-2017 BMW i3
- 2014-2017 MINI Cooper 2-Door
- 2015-2017 MINI Cooper 4-Door
- 2016-2017 MINI Cooper Convertible
- 2016-2017 BMW X1
- 2014-2017 BMW X5
- 2015-2017 BMW X6
The lawsuit says the BMW vehicles are equipped with ARC driver’s hybrid toroidal inflators CADH/DH-7 single-stage and DCADH dual-stage inflators. The passenger-side contans ARC PH7-90 or PH7-120 single stage inflators and PH7-120 or DPH7 dual stage inflators.
The BMW airbag class action lawsuit was filed by South Carolina plaintiff Ryan Charles Clark who purchased a 2015 BMW X5 in November 2019.
The plaintiff says the ARC airbag inflators have significantly diminished the value of the vehicles.
The BMW airbag class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina (Charleston Division): Ryan Charles Clark v. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC, et al.
The plaintiff is represented by Motley Rice LLC.