BMW 1 Series, 3 Series Recall R/2009/065: Front Side Airbag Or Seat Belt Tensioner May Not Operate Correctly, Who Is Affected And What To Do
- Urgent
- How serious
- 30 Jun 2009
- Launched
- 1,756
- vehicles in the UK
- R/2009/065
- DVSA reference
BMW recalled 1 Series, 3 Series vehicles built between 23 May 2008 and 21 July 2008. Due to faulty crimping of the component parts of the airbag wiring harness and seat belt tensioner the side airbag or seatbelt tensioner may not trigger in the vent of a collision. The dealer will check the harness and repaired as necessary. You won't usually pay for it.1
What’s Wrong
Due to faulty crimping of the component parts of the airbag wiring harness and seat belt tensioner the side airbag or seatbelt tensioner may not trigger in the vent of a collision.
DVSA's Original Wording
Concern: FRONT SIDE AIRBAG OR SEAT BELT TENSIONER MAY NOT OPERATE CORRECTLY Defect: It has been identified that due to faulty crimping of the component parts of the airbag wiring harness and seat belt tensioner the side airbag or seatbelt tensioner may not trigger in the vent of a collision. Remedy: Recalled vehicles will have the harness checked and repaired as necessary.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
The Risk
The recall notice describes the concern as: front side airbag or seat belt tensioner may not operate correctly.
The Fix
The dealer will check the harness and repaired as necessary.
Are You Affected?
1 Series, 3 Series built between 23 May 2008 and 21 July 2008 may be included. BMW estimates 1,756 vehicles in the UK. Enter your registration to check, then confirm by VIN with BMW, because not every car in the date range may be included.
Which Car Is It?
Choose the make and model so we can match recalls to your car.
What To Do Now
- Check your car by registration above, then by VIN with BMW.
- Book with any franchised BMW dealer, quoting the DVSA reference R/2009/065. See how to get a BMW recall fixed.
- Follow the letter's instructions until the repair is done. See can you drive a car with a recall?.
Related Recalls
| Launched | Vehicle and fault | Severity | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Series, 3 Series, 3 Series Touring, 4 Series and 7 moreReplace the engine starter motor | Urgent | R/2026/054 | |
| 1 Series, 1 Series 3 Door Hatch, 1 Series 5 Door Hatch, 3 Series and 3 moreReplace the driver’s airbag: takata PSDI-5 | Urgent | R/2025/327 | |
| 1 Series, 1 Series 3 Door Hatch, 1 Series 5 Door Hatch, 2 Series and 22 moreTakata driver and/or passenger airbag recall (Global VINs) | Urgent | R/2025/349 | |
| 1 Series 3 Door Hatch, 1 Series 5 Door Hatch, 3 Series, 3 Series PHEV and 14 moreReplace the engine starter motor | Urgent | R/2025/405 | |
| 1 Series, 2 Series Gran, X1Seat belt rear outer seats | Urgent | R/2025/443 |
This is one of 275 BMW recalls in DVSA’s data. The BMW recall launched before it was R/2008/179 on 25 Nov 2008, for airbag may deploy inadvertently. The one launched after it was R/2009/074 on 21 Jul 2009, for brakes may fail. You can also see every BMW recall, all recalls launched in 2009 and airbag recalls across every make.
Source: DVSA recall R/2009/065, launched 30 June 2009. Data updated 15 October 2026. How we grade urgency.
Sources
- The Code does not itself say repairs are free. GOV.UK guidance says "You will not usually have to pay for any repairs or parts under a safety recall." gov.uk Checked 15 Oct 2026.