July 17 (Reuters) - BMW is recalling 1,145

vehicles in the United States over a potential issue that may

cause the driver's airbag to explode during deployment, the U.S.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on

Wednesday.

The recall includes the 2015 6 Series Gran Coupe, 2014 5

Series Gran Turismo and 2014 5 Series sedans, among others which

are equipped with airbag inflators manufactured by Japanese

automotive parts maker Takata Corp.

Since 2009, more than 30 deaths - including at least 26 in

the U.S. - and hundreds of injuries have been attributed to

Takata airbags fitted to vehicles of various automakers.

The NHTSA said the issue, caused by a manufacturing defect,

may potentially result in sharp fragments striking the driver or

other occupants.

The driver's front airbag will be replaced free of charge,

the U.S. auto safety regulator said.

Last week, the German automaker recalled 394,000 vehicles in

the U.S. over a similar issue in its 3 Series sedans and

Sportswagon models from the 2006 to 2012 model years.

In 2020, NHTSA said it had identified a U.S. death tied to a

Takata airbag inflator rupture in a BMW crash in Arizona.

(Reporting by Nathan Gomes in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna

Chandra Eluri and Varun H K)