2019–2021 BMW 3 Series and 3 other BMW models: seats recall
An improperly welded seat frame may not properly restrain the occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
What was reported
Source: manufacturer filing, 49 CFR Part 573Reported to NHTSA Mar 29, 2023 by BMW of North America, LLC, owners notified May 22, 2023.
Which vehicles are covered
Source: NHTSA campaign 23V211000| Model year | Class | Safety Signal | Recalls on file |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 BMW 3 Series | Compact Sedan | F | 9 |
| 2020 BMW 3 Series | Compact Sedan | F | 11 |
| 2021 BMW 3 Series | Compact Sedan | F | 9 |
| 2020 BMW M | Compact Sedan | F | 15 |
| 2021 BMW M | Compact Sedan | F | 12 |
| 2020 BMW X3 | Compact SUV | F | 16 |
| 2021 BMW X3 | Compact SUV | F | 11 |
| 2021 BMW X4 | Compact SUV | F | 8 |
Those are the model years inside WhichTrim's range, 2016 onward. The campaign may cover others outside it, and the only thing that settles whether one specific vehicle is included is its VIN.
How much of it has been fixed
Source: manufacturer quarterly report, 49 CFR 573.7of the campaign
The final figure: the six quarters of reporting that 49 cfr 573.7 requires have closed.
This is the manufacturer's own cumulative count of vehicles it has inspected and repaired, divided by the vehicles the campaign covers. It files that count with NHTSA every quarter for six consecutive quarters, starting from the quarter in which owners were told a remedy was ready, and then the obligation ends — so a figure on an older campaign is where the count stopped, not where it stands today.
It rarely reaches 100%, and not because the work was not done. The same report asks manufacturers to count vehicles they could not reach at all — exported, stolen, scrapped, or simply never located — and those stay in the denominator. A low number means a lot of these vehicles are still out there unrepaired; it does not tell you which ones.
The federal paperwork
Source: nhtsa.govFiled documents
NHTSA has not published the scanned filings for this campaign, or has not published them yet. The campaign record itself is on their site.
Check one specific vehicle
A recall applies to a build range, so year, make and model cannot settle it. NHTSA checks a VIN against the manufacturer's own list and tells you whether the repair is still outstanding on that vehicle.
NHTSA VIN recall lookup →Campaign 23V211000
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR Part 573Does this recall repair cost anything?
No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to remedy a safety defect or a compliance failure at no charge, for vehicles up to 15 years old measured from the date of first sale. A dealer that asks you to pay for a recall repair is in the wrong.
How do I know whether my vehicle is included?
By VIN, not by model year. The manufacturer files a build range with NHTSA and only vehicles inside it are covered, so two identical-looking cars from the same year can differ. NHTSA's own lookup checks a VIN against the manufacturer's list.
What if the repair is not available yet?
It happens, and often. Manufacturers must notify owners when a defect is found even if the parts or the software are not ready, then notify them a second time once the remedy exists. The remedy filed for this campaign is described above.
What did the manufacturer say was wrong?
The problem, risk and fix quoted on this page are the manufacturer's own words as filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR Part 573. WhichTrim does not paraphrase them.
Who started this recall?
NHTSA's record credits the manufacturer. A recall can begin with the manufacturer's own testing, with a defect investigation, or with a compliance test against a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard.