FRANKFURT, GERMANY – BMW will recall around 150,000 vehicles in North America to fix a possible defect that may keep the front passenger airbag from opening in a crash. The voluntary recall concerns the front passenger airbag seat sensor mat in certain 2004-2006 model year vehicles, according to www.reuters.com.

U.S. traffic safety regulators had referred to 200,000 such vehicles, but the spokesman said 50,000 of them had already received new mats that function properly. Models affected include certain 2006 3-Series, 2004-06 5-Series and 2004-06 X3 vehicles.

BMW said it would start sending letters to customers in late-September and that affected owners could continue to drive their vehicles unless the airbag warning lamp and the passenger airbag ‘on-off’ lamp illuminated simultaneously.

The spokesman said BMW procured the sensor mats from the VDO automotive electronics business that Continental AG bought last year from Siemens.