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Car Safety DB

NHTSA Campaign Number

03V421000

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE-INACTIVE

Reported to NHTSA: October 24, 2003

Key Takeaways

  • Recall 03V421000 currently maps to 1 tracked vehicle-year page across 1 make.
  • This page summarizes the official defect description, safety consequence, and remedy text published by NHTSA for this campaign.
  • This is a campaign-level lookup, not a VIN-level clearance result. Use a VIN lookup before assuming your specific vehicle is still open.

Useful Next Steps

Check a VIN for an open recallRead what to do after a recall noticeBrowse more air bags recallsOpen an affected vehicle page

Defect Description

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, A MICROPROCESSOR IN THE AIR BAG CONTROL MODULE, WHICH ACTIVATES THE FRONT AIR BAGS, THE SIDE AIR BAGS, THE FRONT SEAT SAFETY BELT PRETENSIONERS, AND THE BATTERY SAFETY TERMINAL, MAY HAVE A MALFUNCTION THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UNINTENDED ACTIVATION OF ONE OR MORE OF THESE COMPONENTS.

Safety Consequence

UNEXPECTED DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIR BAG(S) COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY IF AN OCCUPANT IS TOO CLOSE TO THE DEPLOYING AIR BAG(S). IN ADDITION, THE BATTERY SAFETY TERMINAL MAY ALSO BE ACTIVATED. IF THAT HAPPENS, THE STARTER CABLE WOULD BECOME DISCONNECTED FROM THE BATTERY, AND THE ENGINE COULD NOT BE RESTARTED.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AIR BAG CONTROL MODULE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN NOVEMBER10, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-831-1117.

What This Recall Page Shows

This page summarizes a single NHTSA recall campaign, including the defect description, safety consequence, and manufacturer's remedy. The affected vehicles listed below are the make/model/year combinations tracked in our database — this is not a VIN-specific result. To check whether your individual vehicle is covered by this recall, enter your 17-digit VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Click any vehicle below to view its full safety profile.

VIN recall lookup guideWhat to do after a recallMore air bags recalls

Affected Vehicles (1)

YearMakeModel
2001BMWM5

Browse Affected Vehicles

Affected Models

BMW M5

Affected Make + Year Views

2001 BMW

Affected Years

2001

Related Air Bags Campaigns

These campaigns share the same broad recall component family, so they are useful if you want to compare how similar issue types appeared across other vehicles and time periods.

26V254000AIR BAGSHyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025 Elantra N, 2026 Tucson, Tucson Hybrid, Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), and Elantra vehicles. The B-pillar impact se…2 tracked vehicle pages · Apr 21, 202626V230000AIR BAGSNissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2009-2010 Cube vehicles. The driver’s air bag inflator may detach from the steering wheel during air bag deployment.2 tracked vehicle pages · Apr 10, 202626V227000AIR BAGSHonda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Odyssey vehicles. A software programming error can cause the side and side curtain air bags to deploy unexpectedly.5 tracked vehicle pages · Apr 9, 202626V201000AIR BAGSFord Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Bronco Sport and Maverick vehicles. The Occupant Classification Sensor (OCS) unit may fail to correctly detect the presence…4 tracked vehicle pages · Mar 31, 2026

This recall information is from NHTSA campaign 03V421000. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA. Contact your dealer or call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 for more information.

Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026