BMW recalling over 1,100 vehicles in US over airbag concern, NHTSA says

(Reuters) - BMW is recalling 1,145 vehicles in the United States over a potential issue that may cause the driver's airbag to explode during deployment, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Wednesday.

The recall includes the 2015 6 Series Gran Coupe, 2014 5 Series Gran Turismo and 2014 5 Series sedans, among others which are equipped with airbag inflators manufactured by Japanese automotive parts maker Takata Corp.

Since 2009, more than 30 deaths - including at least 26 in the U.S. - and hundreds of injuries have been attributed to Takata airbags fitted to vehicles of various automakers.

The NHTSA said the issue, caused by a manufacturing defect, may potentially result in sharp fragments striking the driver or other occupants.

The driver's front airbag will be replaced free of charge, the U.S. auto safety regulator said.

Last week, the German automaker recalled 394,000 vehicles in the U.S. over a similar issue in its 3 Series sedans and Sportswagon models from the 2006 to 2012 model years.

In 2020, NHTSA said it had identified a U.S. death tied to a Takata airbag inflator rupture in a BMW crash in Arizona.

(Reporting by Nathan Gomes in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri and Varun H K)