BMW to recall nearly 200,000 cars in China due to flawed airbags

German car manufacturer BMW will recall nearly 200,000 of its cars for servicing in China due to problems with their airbags, state media reported Monday, citing the Chinese quality control agency.

When activated, driver or passenger airbags could damage a gas generator which could cause debris injuries, the AQSIQ wrote on its website.

The company will replace the flawed gas generators in the airbags for free, it said.

The recall will affect 193,611 vehicles which had airbags made by Japanese car parts supplier Takata.

Takata's defective airbag inflators have forced carmakers to recall tens of millions of vehicles worldwide.

Its faulty airbags can potentially rupture explosively when deployed in a collision, spraying metal fragments at drivers as well as passengers.

At least 15 deaths and more than 150 injuries have been linked to the defect worldwide, Takata said in June.

Earlier this month, BMW China said they would recall some 22,543 imported BMW and Rolls-Royce vehicles also with flawed airbags.

The airbags in some imported BMW and Rolls-Royce cars produced between 2011 and 2012 might not deploy properly due to a programming error, the company said.