Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | ||||||
| EA08001 | BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC | 01/04/2008 | 12/31/2008 | BMW AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATION | 08V384000 | |
| Bmw is conducting a safety recall campaign on approximately 200,000 my04 through my06 subject vehicles built through 11/30/05 to correct the front passenger seat air bag occupant detection mat. the specific vehicles included in the recall aremy04- 06/ 5-series with standard and sport seats, my04-06/ x3-series and my06/ 3-series with sport seats. in addition, bmw will extend the warranty coverage of the passenger seat air bag occupant detection mat to 10-year/unlimited mileage on approximately 120,000 remaining my04-06 subject vehicles built through 11/30/05. the specific vehicles included in the extended warranty are my 06/ 6 series, my 06/ 3-series with standard seats, my04-05/ z4, my04-06/ 7 series, my 06/ x5, and my04-06/ 5-series with comfort seats.the average frequency of failures among the extended warranty groups was less than 1/7th of the recall vehicle groups.please see bmw's 08v-384 recall notification for further detailsdepending on seat configuration and vehicle geometry, the occupant detection mat can fatigue during use depending on the manner and frequency of the front passenger's entry and exit.specifically, over time, micro-cracks could develop in the side flanks of the mat causing a broken circuit.a brokencircuit can lead to the deactivation of the passenger air bag and the illumination of both the air bag warning light and the passenger air bag light. | ||||||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL | ||||||
| EA08001 | BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC | 01/04/2008 | 12/31/2008 | BMW AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATION | 08V384000 | |
| Bmw is conducting a safety recall campaign on approximately 200,000 my04 through my06 subject vehicles built through 11/30/05 to correct the front passenger seat air bag occupant detection mat. the specific vehicles included in the recall aremy04- 06/ 5-series with standard and sport seats, my04-06/ x3-series and my06/ 3-series with sport seats. in addition, bmw will extend the warranty coverage of the passenger seat air bag occupant detection mat to 10-year/unlimited mileage on approximately 120,000 remaining my04-06 subject vehicles built through 11/30/05. the specific vehicles included in the extended warranty are my 06/ 6 series, my 06/ 3-series with standard seats, my04-05/ z4, my04-06/ 7 series, my 06/ x5, and my04-06/ 5-series with comfort seats.the average frequency of failures among the extended warranty groups was less than 1/7th of the recall vehicle groups.please see bmw's 08v-384 recall notification for further detailsdepending on seat configuration and vehicle geometry, the occupant detection mat can fatigue during use depending on the manner and frequency of the front passenger's entry and exit.specifically, over time, micro-cracks could develop in the side flanks of the mat causing a broken circuit.a brokencircuit can lead to the deactivation of the passenger air bag and the illumination of both the air bag warning light and the passenger air bag light. | ||||||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL - SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE | ||||||
| EA08001 | BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC | 01/04/2008 | 12/31/2008 | BMW AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATION | 08V384000 | |
| Bmw is conducting a safety recall campaign on approximately 200,000 my04 through my06 subject vehicles built through 11/30/05 to correct the front passenger seat air bag occupant detection mat. the specific vehicles included in the recall aremy04- 06/ 5-series with standard and sport seats, my04-06/ x3-series and my06/ 3-series with sport seats. in addition, bmw will extend the warranty coverage of the passenger seat air bag occupant detection mat to 10-year/unlimited mileage on approximately 120,000 remaining my04-06 subject vehicles built through 11/30/05. the specific vehicles included in the extended warranty are my 06/ 6 series, my 06/ 3-series with standard seats, my04-05/ z4, my04-06/ 7 series, my 06/ x5, and my04-06/ 5-series with comfort seats.the average frequency of failures among the extended warranty groups was less than 1/7th of the recall vehicle groups.please see bmw's 08v-384 recall notification for further detailsdepending on seat configuration and vehicle geometry, the occupant detection mat can fatigue during use depending on the manner and frequency of the front passenger's entry and exit.specifically, over time, micro-cracks could develop in the side flanks of the mat causing a broken circuit.a brokencircuit can lead to the deactivation of the passenger air bag and the illumination of both the air bag warning light and the passenger air bag light. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | |||
| 07/01/2012 | 60000 | 1 | |
| Passenger side seat sensor has failed, leaving airbag in permanently deactivated state. this defect was previously subject of recall in other vehicles in same model year, but not particular month of manufacture of mine according to vin. have reported to bmw dealer and bmw na; customer service agent at bmw na initially indicated they might cover it but then request was denied by management. i have requested they simply deactivate the sensor and leave the airbag on, which would seem to be a low-cost repair. they have stated there is no safety issue in doing so. the stated purpose of the sensor is to prevent unnecessary cost for airbag replacement after an accident. this seems to be a clear design defect: if the sensor fails, the airbag should be left in the active condition, not a disabled condition. the dealer is requesting $1276 to replace the defective seat sensor. bmw knows they are making money off this repair and has no incentive to find a low cost repair that would save lives. software deactivation of the sensor would increase safety since some will be unable to afford a repair of this expense and driving without a passenger side srs puts occupants at significant risk. i am a university professor and i have notified bmw na of this and if bmw continues to refuse to provide a low-cost repair for this condition i will be willing to testify at trial attesting to the fact that bmw was informed of this issue and advised of their possible liability if anyone has an accident in a 2006 x5 and the passenger airbag does not deploy resulting in increased passenger injury; contact me at [xxx]. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr | |||
| 07/01/2012 | 60000 | ||
| Passenger side seat sensor has failed, leaving airbag in permanently deactivated state. this defect was previously subject of recall in other vehicles in same model year, but not particular month of manufacture of mine according to vin. have reported to bmw dealer and bmw na; customer service agent at bmw na initially indicated they might cover it but then request was denied by management. i have requested they simply deactivate the sensor and leave the airbag on, which would seem to be a low-cost repair. they have stated there is no safety issue in doing so. the stated purpose of the sensor is to prevent unnecessary cost for airbag replacement after an accident. this seems to be a clear design defect: if the sensor fails, the airbag should be left in the active condition, not a disabled condition. the dealer is requesting $1276 to replace the defective seat sensor. bmw knows they are making money off this repair and has no incentive to find a low cost repair that would save lives. software deactivation of the sensor would increase safety since some will be unable to afford a repair of this expense and driving without a passenger side srs puts occupants at significant risk. i am a university professor and i have notified bmw na of this and if bmw continues to refuse to provide a low-cost repair for this condition i will be willing to testify at trial attesting to the fact that bmw was informed of this issue and advised of their possible liability if anyone has an accident in a 2006 x5 and the passenger airbag does not deploy resulting in increased passenger injury; contact me at tjd@tjd.org. | |||
| 04/04/2011 | 59862 | 1 | |
| The sensor in the passenger's seat failed so the airbags light stayed on as well as the fasten seatbelt. transport canada issued a recall # 2008307 aug. 26, 2008 confirming the problem and thatthe occupant detection mat will be granteda warranty extension of 10 years bmw will not honor this. i had to enter washington state as canada is not listed. city is surrey, british columbia, v4a8c1. *tr | |||
| 04/04/2011 | 59862 | ||
| The sensor in the passenger's seat failed so the airbags light stayed on as well as the fasten seatbelt. transport canada issued a recall # 2008307 aug. 26, 2008 confirming the problem and thatthe occupant detection mat will be granteda warranty extension of 10 years bmw will not honor this. i had to enter washington state as canada is not listed. city is surrey, british columbia, v4a8c1 | |||
| 10/11/2011 | 68166 | ||
| I noticed that the airbag light was on, i called bmw and they scheduled me for a appointment the following week. on the day of the appointment the vehicle was diagnosed and showed that the front seat mat was faulty. i paid $1400 to have it fixed. five months since the vehicle was serviced by the dealer, the airbag light was on again which means the airbag won't deploy when it's needed. | |||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL | |||
| 02/15/2011 | 54000 | ||
| My 2006 x5 bmw 4.4i has recently experienced a failure in the passenger side airbag sensor which fails to identify a passenger in the front passenger seat and thus does not activate the passenger side airbag. | |||