Seat Belt Retractor Malfunction Prompts BMW Recall for 21,000 Vehicles
By Patrick Masterson
August 2, 2021
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2021 BMW M440i convertible | Cars.com photo by Christian Lantry
Seat belts are the focus of BMW’s latest recall, its largest of the year. For more than 21,000 cars and SUVs, the passenger seat belt automatic locking retractor may deactivate early and jam the webbing before it fully retracts. Such is the extent of the recall, however, that both its subsidiary Mini and Rolls-Royce brands as well as the Supra it jointly developed with Toyota are affected.
Included in the recall are model-year 2021 BMW 2 Series, M2, 4 Series and M4 coupes; 3 Series, M3 and 5 Series sedans; X1 and X2 SUVs; Z4 sports cars; model-year 2021 Mini Clubman, Convertible, Hardtop and SE Hardtop hatchbacks; Countryman and SE Countryman SUVs; model-year 2021 Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUVs and Ghost and Phantom sedans; and model-year 2021 Toyota Supra sports cars. In the event of a crash, a seat belt retractor not functioning as intended increases the risk of injury.
To resolve the problem, dealers will inspect the seat belt retractors, including the seat belts, and replace the retractors, as necessary, for free. BMW will begin notifying owners Sept. 13; owners with additional questions can call the automaker at 800-525-7417, Mini at 866-825-1525, Rolls-Royce at 877-877-3735, Toyota at 888-270-9371, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s vehicle-safety hotline at 888-327-4236 or visit its website to check their vehicle identification number and learn more.
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Patrick Masterson
Patrick Masterson is Chief Copy Editor at Cars.com. He joined the automotive industry in 2016 as a lifelong car enthusiast and has achieved the rare feat of applying his journalism and media arts degrees as a writer, fact-checker, proofreader and editor his entire professional career. He lives by an in-house version of the AP stylebook and knows where semicolons can go.