Have you just been enjoying a warm cup of coffee – wonderful on such a cold morning as now – the airbag spontaneously ignites. You startle it leplazarus, and everything is covered. This scenario is more realistic than you think. A lawsuit has been filed against BMW in the United States. The cup holders in the X7 would not be completely waterproof, allowing moisture to get to the airbag wiring.
A cup holder that should not get wet. That sounds weirder than painting eggs at Christmas. Yet this is exactly what the prosecution alleges. The cup holders in the BMW X7 would not be sufficiently resistant to liquids, and possibly leak. However, under these cup holders is the wiring for the airbag module (SRS module). It goes without saying that these electronics don’t like to get wet.
Directly to the dealer
According to the prosecutor, the problem can already occur with a minimal amount of liquid. Courthouse News Service tells the story of an X7 rider who spilled only a tiny amount of soda because the lid wasn’t quite right. 95% of the soft drink was still in the cup. “But… the car immediately made an emergency stop on the left lane of the highway and was unable to drive any further.” The machine would have immediately shot into the parking position, while the dashboard told that the car had to go ‘directly to the dealer’. Once there, the driver received a bill of 2,900 dollars (converted 2,561 euros) brushed under his nose. According to BMW, this repair was not part of the warranty.
No injuries
And this driver is not alone. Several similar stories are circulating on internet forums. None of the X7 drivers has actually spontaneously received an airbag in his face, but according to the Americans, this is also a possibility. Fortunately none of the stories were injured.
A lot of uncertainty
There is still a lot of uncertainty about the problem. Although the prosecution expects thousands, an exact number of cars with defective cup holders has not been determined. It is also unclear whether the problem is limited to the X7, or whether several BMWs are struggling with it. No comparable cases are known in the Netherlands. The cup holder problem cannot be found in the recall register of the RDW either.