Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | ||||||
| PE07045 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE | 09/04/2007 | 01/04/2008 | BMW AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATION | ||
| In certain my 2005 through my 2006 bmw vehicles, the occupant classification system (ocs) for the passenger frontal airbag may malfunction and render the passenger airbag inoperative.in june 2006, bmw issued a technical service bulletin (si b 72 02 06) regarding the illumination of the airbag warning light and the passenger airbag status lamp.illumination of these lights warn that an open electrical circuit may be present within the passenger seat mat sensor.when both of the lights are illuminated, the passenger frontal air bag will not deploy in a frontal crash.certain bmw vehicles in addition to the subject vehicles contain the same seat mat sensor.these are the my 2004 5-series, 7-series and x3, the my 2004 through 2006z-4 series and my 2006 3-series, 6-series and x5 vehicles.an improved seat mat sensor was introduced in december 2005 for the mid-my 2006 production.in response to odi's information request letter, bmw provided 1,172 owner reports and 28,238 warranty claims.initial review of the data indicate that 280 non-duplicating owner reports and 13,051 non-duplicating warranty claims may be related the subject defect issue on the subject vehiclesthis preliminary evaluation is being upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea08-001). | ||||||
| EA08001 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE | 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 | ||||||
| PE07045 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE | 09/04/2007 | 01/04/2008 | BMW AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATION | ||
| In certain my 2005 through my 2006 bmw vehicles, the occupant classification system (ocs) for the passenger frontal airbag may malfunction and render the passenger airbag inoperative.in june 2006, bmw issued a technical service bulletin (si b 72 02 06) regarding the illumination of the airbag warning light and the passenger airbag status lamp.illumination of these lights warn that an open electrical circuit may be present within the passenger seat mat sensor.when both of the lights are illuminated, the passenger frontal air bag will not deploy in a frontal crash.certain bmw vehicles in addition to the subject vehicles contain the same seat mat sensor.these are the my 2004 5-series, 7-series and x3, the my 2004 through 2006z-4 series and my 2006 3-series, 6-series and x5 vehicles.an improved seat mat sensor was introduced in december 2005 for the mid-my 2006 production.in response to odi's information request letter, bmw provided 1,172 owner reports and 28,238 warranty claims.initial review of the data indicate that 280 non-duplicating owner reports and 13,051 non-duplicating warranty claims may be related the subject defect issue on the subject vehiclesthis preliminary evaluation is being upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea08-001). | ||||||
| EA08001 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE | 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 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE | 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. | ||||||
| PE07045 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE | 09/04/2007 | 01/04/2008 | BMW AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATION | ||
| In certain my 2005 through my 2006 bmw vehicles, the occupant classification system (ocs) for the passenger frontal airbag may malfunction and render the passenger airbag inoperative.in june 2006, bmw issued a technical service bulletin (si b 72 02 06) regarding the illumination of the airbag warning light and the passenger airbag status lamp.illumination of these lights warn that an open electrical circuit may be present within the passenger seat mat sensor.when both of the lights are illuminated, the passenger frontal air bag will not deploy in a frontal crash.certain bmw vehicles in addition to the subject vehicles contain the same seat mat sensor.these are the my 2004 5-series, 7-series and x3, the my 2004 through 2006z-4 series and my 2006 3-series, 6-series and x5 vehicles.an improved seat mat sensor was introduced in december 2005 for the mid-my 2006 production.in response to odi's information request letter, bmw provided 1,172 owner reports and 28,238 warranty claims.initial review of the data indicate that 280 non-duplicating owner reports and 13,051 non-duplicating warranty claims may be related the subject defect issue on the subject vehiclesthis preliminary evaluation is being upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea08-001). | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | |||
| 12/22/2012 | 90000 | ||
| There is a recall for this year bmw. for the seat mat that activates the airbag, but my dealership tells me that our car does not qualify . i am also having the same problem with airbag and the seat mat not functioning. why does this recall not cover my car. | |||
| 09/20/2012 | 110000 | 1 | |
| Much like the other complaints, i just copied and pasted this from another complainant. the passenger restraint system malfunction alarm came on the idrive. the dealer says that the vehicle is not covered under recall. however, the recall id #73368 exactly matches the description of my problem. therefore, we believe that our vehicle should be covered. please advise how to get this resolved as soon as possible so that i can get the car fixed. we are concerned because it's a serious safety issue when the front air bags will not come on in case of an accident. i went as far as to speak with bmw directly and they said it only goes to the 2004 models, and then to the 2006 models....yea, whatever. it's a safety recall, they should honor it, and bmw is completely inflexible when it comes to their customers. it's a shame not only will they not help, they want to charge over $1000 to the customer for a recall part. i'm trading my other bmw in on anything but another bmw and will drive my affected 530i until it reaches the scrap yard. *tr | |||
| 09/20/2012 | 110000 | ||
| Much like the other complaints, i just copied and pasted this from another complainant. the passenger restraint system malfunction alarm came on the idrive. the dealer says that the vehicle is not covered under recall. however, the recall id #73368 exactly matches the description of my problem. therefore, we believe that our vehicle should be covered. please advise how to get this resolved as soon as possible so that i can get the car fixed. we are concerned because it's a serious safety issue when the front air bags will not come on in case of an accident. i went as far as to speak with bmw directly and they said it only goes to the 2004 models, and then to the 2006 models....yea, whatever. it's a safety recall, they should honor it, and bmw is completely unflexible when it comes to their customers. it's a shame not only will they not help, they want to charge over $1000 to the customer for a recall part. i'm trading my other bmw in on anything but another bmw and will drive my affected 530i until it reaches the scrap yard. | |||
| 09/11/2012 | 57900 | 1 | |
| The passenger restraint system malfunction alarm came on the idrive. the dealer says that the vehicle is not covered under recall. however, the recall id #73368 exactly matches the description of my problem. therefore, we believe that our vehicle should be covered. please advise how to get this resolved as soon as possible so that i can get the car fixed. we are concerned because it's a serious safety issue when the front air bags will not come on in case of an accident. *tr | |||
| 10/14/2009 | 40000 | 1 | |
| Thanks to your organization, bmw usa agreed to extend the warranty for the bmw passenger seat occupancy sensor mat airbag to 10 years. however, bmw usa is not honoring this commitment for my vehicle, a 2005 bmw 530i. is there any way to ask bmw usa to honor this commitment? this part of my vehicle is affected by this problem, in the manner described by the recall, for the reasons described in the recall, and it is one of the vehicles covered by this recall--based on model and year information published. *tr | |||
| 10/14/2009 | 40000 | ||
| Thanks to your organization, bmw usa agreed to extend the warranty for the bmw passenger seat occupancy sensor mat airbag to 10 years. however, bmw usa is not honoring this commitment for my vehicle, a 2005 bmw 530i. is there any way to ask bmw usa to honor this commitment? this part of my vehicle is affected by this problem, in the manner described by the recall, for the reasons described in the recall, and it is one of the vehicles covered by this recall--based on model and year information published. | |||
| 07/01/2006 | 40000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2005 bmw 530i. the contact noticed the air bag warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic. there was a recall under nhtsa campaign id number: 08v384000 (air bags:frontal) but the contact was advised by the dealer that the vin was not included in the recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 40,000. | |||
| 07/01/2006 | 40000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 bmw 530i. the contact noticed the air bag warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic. there was a recall under nhtsa campaign id number: 08v384000 (air bags:frontal) but the contact was advised by the dealer that the vin was not included in the recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 40,000. kmj | |||
| 07/01/2006 | 40000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 bmw 530i. while parked the contact noticed the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic. there was a recall under nhtsa campaign id number: 08v384000 (air bags:frontal) that may be related to the failure. the dealer was made aware of the failure and stated the vin was not included in the recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 40,000. da | |||
| 04/10/2012 | 100400 | ||
| My car is saying that the passenger restraint system has a fault and the seat belt or air bags may be damaged for no absolute reason. | |||
| 08/15/2011 | 100000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 bmw 530i. while parked, the air bag warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician stated that the front passenger side air bag sensor occupancy detection mat would have to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 100,000. kmj | |||
| 08/15/2011 | 100000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 bmw 530i. while parked the air bag light illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic. the technician stated the front passenger side air bag sensor occupancy detection mat would have to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 100,000. ds | |||
| 11/24/2011 | 74000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 bmw 530i. the contact started the ignition when the front passenger restraint default warning light and the air bag warning indicator began to illuminate. the warning indicators remained illuminated until the engine was turned off. the dealer was notified and they stated the front passenger seat sensor mat would need to be replaced. there was a recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 08v384000 (air bags: frontal). the vin was not included in the recall defect. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 74,000. the vin was unavailable. kmj | |||
| 11/24/2011 | 74000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 bmw 530i. while the contact started the ignition, the front passenger restraint default and the air bag warning indicator began to illuminate. the warning indicators remained illuminated until the engine was turned off. the dealer was notified and they stated the front passenger seat sensor mat would need to be replaced. there was a recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 08v384000 (air bags: frontal). the vin was not included in the recall defect. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 74,000. the vin was unavailable. js | |||
| 12/01/2011 | |||
| My air bag/srs lights are both illuminated on my car's dashboard and there are no codes of any kind listed. there is currently a recall for my vehicle but my car's vin is not on bmw's list. i purchased my vehicle in germany while stationed overseas in the military and wonder if that is having a bearing on my status? i am experiencing exactly what is listed in nhtsa campaign id number: 08v384000 nhtsa action number: ea08001 but nobody is trying to assist me because my vin is not listed in the recall. any assistance you are able to provide would be much appreciated. | |||
| 11/24/2008 | 50000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2005 bmw 530i. the contact stated that the front passenger seat sensor was illuminated. the dealer repaired the defect but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was contacted and advised that the vin was not associated with the recall under nhtsa campaign id number: 08v384000 (air bags:frontal). the failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 102,000. | |||
| 11/24/2008 | 50000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 bmw 530i. the contact stated that the front passenger seat sensor was illuminated. the dealer repaired the defect but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was contacted and advised that the vin was not associated with the recall under nhtsa campaign id number: 08v384000 (air bags:frontal). the failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 102,000. kmj | |||
| 11/24/2008 | 50000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 bmw 530i. the contact stated that the passenger seat sensor for the air bag warning light would illuminate on the instrument panel of the vehicle. the dealer repaired the defect previous, but the failure recurred. the manufacturer stated that the vin was not associated in the nhtsa campaign id number: 08v384000 ( air bags:frontal) recall. the failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 102,000. nw | |||
| 02/22/2008 | 48000 | 1 | |
| First, the battery. second, the module that controls the radio, cd, controls on the steering wheels, info screen, almost everything stopped working. third, right after i had this fixed, an error message came up that the passenger restraint system failed and may effect airbags. all this in a five month period. *tr | |||
| 08/26/2007 | 30000 | 1 | |
| Error fault with seat belts and air bags. *tr | |||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL | |||
| 06/10/2011 | 89700 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 bmw 530i. the contact stated the air bag light illuminates on the instrument panel. the contact checked for recalls on the vehicle and then took the vehicle to the dealer. the dealer stated that the vehicle was experiencing the failure of the occupant detection on the front passenger seat, but was not included in nhtsa recall campaign number: 08v384000 (air bags: frontal) and would not be covered under the recall. the failure mileage was 89,700 and the current mileage ws 89,800. tlb | |||
| 06/10/2011 | 89700 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 bmw 530. the contact stated the air bag light illuminates on the dashboard. the contact checked for recalls on the vehicle and then took the vehicle to the dealer. the dealer stated the vehicle was experiencing the failure of the occupant detection on the front passenger seat, but was not included in nhtsa recall campaign number: 08v384000 (air bags: frontal) and would not be covered under the recall. the failure mileage was 89,700 and the current mileage ws 89,800.rl | |||
| 02/28/2011 | 100000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 bmw 530i. while driving approximately 45 mph the contact noticed the passenger malfunction air bag light illuminated on the dash board. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technicians indicted the front passenger seat mat sensor needed to be replaced. the technicians stated there was a recall nhtsa campaign id number: 08v384000 (air bags:frontal) but the vin was not included. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 100,000. ds | |||
| 10/16/2010 | 65985 | ||
| Bmw north america denied my recall reference to your campaign #08v384000. the problem described at your campaign is exactly what my problem occured on my 05 bmw 530i. the dealer wants to charge me $1200 for the repair and i have fought with bmw customer relation and i go no where. help!!! | |||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL - SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE | |||
| 10/10/2007 | 1 | ||
| Passenger air bag sensor is defective, since is costs %1500 dollars to replace sensor i cannot afford to do this. i was also told it defaults in the do not fire mode which again is stupid. *tr | |||
| 05/26/2005 | 5 | 01/07/2005 | |
| I bought a 2005 bmw 530i in january of 2005. a few months later, i noticed that the passenger air bag off light would illuminate when a passenger of the correct height and weight requirement would be seated in the car. i took the car into irvine bmw and explained the problem. the vehicle has since been in four times for this issue (3 times according to the dealership because they combined invoices). on one occasion (when i picked up my car) a bmw service technician told me, even if the light is on and there is a passenger in the vehicle, don't worry about it, the airbags will most likely go off anyway. (clearly, this type of comment leads me to believe that bmw lacks serious concern for the safety of their clients). i have contacted bmw of north america on several occasions, they finally got involved on the fourth service attempt in which they claim to have replaced the passenger sensory mat with an old-style mat. now the light does not activate at all, which leads me to believe that they have disconnected the light. i have been told by another bmw dealership that the computer is clearly not reading whether or not a passenger is in the car, and that it is a serious safety issue; and that if the airbag system is malfunctioning, the driver's side airbags may not go off as well (in an accident). i have requested that i be given a new vehicle of equal value, but my requests have been denied. bmw seems to expect me to continue using an un-safe lemon, placing myself as well as my passengers in danger. i have since contacted a lemon-law attorney, but i feel as though this serious safety issue should be brought to the attention of the public. | |||