An EU Safety Gate alert covers vehicles built between 3 November 1998 and 24 August 2006. Whether an individual car is affected can only be determined from its vehicle identification number.
Key points
- Alert SR/03072/26 concerns the BMW/ALPINA B3 and names the production period 3 November 1998 to 24 August 2006.
- According to the alert, an airbag gas generator can deteriorate over time. If the airbag deploys, fragments could injure occupants.
- Whether a specific car is covered can only be confirmed by checking its 17-digit vehicle identification number (VIN).
A safety alert has been issued for certain older BMW/ALPINA B3 models: if an airbag deploys, fragments of the gas generator could injure the people inside the car. The model name alone does not tell owners whether their car is affected – what counts is the individual VIN.
The entry carries the reference SR/03072/26 and was published on 30 October 2026. RappelConso, the French government’s product recall database, lists it as BMW / ALPINA B3 and gives the production period as 3 November 1998 to 24 August 2006. RappelConso identifies the notice as an alert from the EU Safety Gate, the European Union’s rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products; the underlying information is marked there as automatically translated. View the official notice on RappelConso.
What is the risk?
According to the official notice, the gas generator in the driver and front passenger airbags can deteriorate over time. If the airbags deploy, fragments of the generator could enter the cabin and injure occupants. The notice lists injuries as the risk and advises consumers to contact a dealer. It therefore describes a possible risk of injury and does not state that every B3 is affected.
The notice gives neither the number of affected vehicles nor a list of registration numbers. It would therefore be misleading to conclude from the model year or model name alone that a car is affected.
Which vehicles are affected?
The recall notice refers to BMW / ALPINA B3 cars with production dates between 3 November 1998 and 24 August 2006. This period narrows down the group but does not replace a check of the individual vehicle. For its recall lookup, BMW explicitly states that model and engine designations alone do not reliably show whether a car is affected. BMW also says its lookup may be updated with a delay; if in doubt, a BMW partner should check the details. BMW Germany: recalls and technical updates (in German).
How owners can check their VIN
- Find the 17-digit VIN in the registration documents. In Germany, BMW names the registration certificate Part I or Part II (Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I/II) as the place to find it.
- Enter the VIN in the official BMW lookup for recalls and technical updates. The lookup refers to the specific vehicle.
- If there is an open entry or the result is unclear, contact a BMW partner. BMW points out that its partners have the relevant information and that recall work is free of charge.
ALPINA CLASSIC also offers a recall check by VIN. For older ALPINA vehicles, the matching BMW vehicle number can be determined there first. ALPINA CLASSIC states that recall work is free of charge. Owners who cannot check their vehicle online can present the VIN to a BMW partner. The next steps should follow from the vehicle-specific recall information.
BMW also notes that the online lookup may be updated with a delay in individual cases and that the result shown is provisional. An empty or unclear result should therefore be clarified with a BMW partner if there is any doubt.
Frequently asked questions
Is every BMW/ALPINA B3 from this period affected?
This cannot be concluded from the model and model year alone. BMW recommends checking the 17-digit VIN; the manufacturer also points to possible delays in updating its data.
What can happen with an affected airbag?
The alert says the gas generator can deteriorate over time. If the airbag deploys, fragments of the generator could injure occupants.
How much does the repair cost?
BMW states that recalls and technical updates are carried out free of charge. Owners should agree the specific steps with a BMW partner.
Where can I find the VIN?
BMW names the German registration certificate Part I or Part II as the place to find the 17-digit VIN.
Do you own a BMW/ALPINA B3 from this period? Check the VIN and let us know in the comments whether the recall lookup was easy to understand.
Sources and status
- EU Safety Gate: alert SR/03072/26
- RappelConso (French authorities): BMW / ALPINA B3, notice of 30 October 2026
- BMW Germany: recalls and technical updates
- ALPINA CLASSIC: recall check
Research and data as of: 1 November 2026.
Transparency: This article is a translation of the German original on NETZ-TRENDS.de. It was researched and written with the support of artificial intelligence and is intended for human editorial review. The featured image is an AI-generated symbolic image; whether a vehicle is affected must be checked separately for each car using its VIN.
