BMW recalls SUVs after Takata air bag inflator blows apart, hurling shrapnel and injuring driver

By TOM KRISHER
AP Auto Writer

DETROIT (AP) — BMW is recalling a small number of SUVs in the U.S. because the driver’s air bag inflators can blow apart in a crash, hurling metal shrapnel and possibly injuring or killing people. U.S. auto safety regulators say in documents Saturday that the recall covers 486 X3, X4 and X5 SUVs from 2014 with air bags made by Takata Corp. The company used ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion to inflate air bags in a crash. But the chemical can deteriorate over time when exposed to high temperatures and humidity and explode with too much force, blowing apart a metal canister and spewing shrapnel. The inflators are among about 30 million made by Takata that are under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration but had not been recalled.