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Recall: '93 & '94 325i & is

This was news to me, so I thought it might be to many of you as well.  From
the January 1995 Automobile Magazine:
________________________________________

        As we go to press, BMW is recalling all 1993 and 1994 325i sedans
and 325is coupes because of their failure to pass a government mandated
safety test.  Four cylinder models and convertibles are not effected,
although BMW will voluntarily modify the four-cylinder coupes and sedans
later.  The M3, the Automobile Magazine Automobile of the Year, has not
been recalled, but it will be modified as well.
        In head-on 30-mph barrier crashes using unbelted dummies, chest
g-loads for the driver were too high, as were left femur loads for the
front passenger in automatic transmission cars.
        Few cars fail to pass this test, so one question remains: What
changed after 1992 that caused the problem?  No simple answer presents
itself.  "There were changes to the body structure," said a BMW
spokesperson, "but no one figured that the changes made to improve one area
would affect something else in a negative way."  In all, sixteen minor
changes were made after 1992.
        The repair includes swapping a steering column bearing for a
Teflon-lined one that allows the steering column to collapse more easily,
thereby lessening the deploying airbag's impact.  New braces will be added
under the knee bolster to better protect the driver.  To protect the
passenger's femurs, automatic gearbox cars will receive a new transmission
brace designed to redirect impact forces.  The work will take about two
hours; BMW will cover the costs.  Some 57,000 cars will be recalled.  In
contrast to the test with unbelted dummies, the 3-series scored well within
the bounds of safety in NHTSA's 35-mph barrier test, which involves nearly
40 percent more force but uses belted dummies.  Cars are actually not
required by law to pass this test, but it is yet another indicator of a
car's safety margin.

- -Rich Ceppos and Mark Schirmer,  Automobile; January 1995.

____________________________________

Jimmy Shrake
Current: '93 318is
Previous: '85 325e (KIA @ 150k)

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