2006 BMW 3 SERIES Seat Belts Problems

PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM FAULT. RECEIVED WARNING MESSAGE WHEN PASSENGER SITS IN FRONT SEAT. LIGHT STAYS ON MOST OF TIME.

Mileage: 130,000

GETTING A HARD WARNING FOR "PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION". APPARENTLY THIS HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH A SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SEAT GOING BAD. THIS CAN CAUSE INJURY OR FATALITY AS THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY CORRECTLY. THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL FOR THIS BUT MY VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED.

Mileage: 118,000

FAULTY FRONT PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR MAT ALWAYS BREAKS

THE AIR BAG AND SEATBELT SENSOR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE IS ON WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE INDICATOR LIGHTS ARE ALWAYS ON. *TR

Mileage: 89,000

CAR STARTED SHOWING "PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION". I RESEARCHED THE MATTER, AND FOUND THAT THERE IS A RECALL. WHEN I CALLED BMW AND GAVE THEM MY VIN, THEY CLAIMED THAT THERE IS NO RECALL. ALMOST EVERY OTHER BMW FROM THAT SERIES/MODEL WAS RECALLED AND GOT THE ISSUE RECTIFIED UNDER THE RECALL. PLEASE ADVISE. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

Mileage: 80,000

I AM AN OWNER OF 2006 BMW 330I SEDAN WITH SPORTS SEAT (MANUFACTURE DATE: 5/2005). RECENTLY, THE PASSENGER AIRBAG SENSOR BECAME MALFUNCTION, AND THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG IS INDICATED AS 'PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF' AS THE RESULT. AFTER RESEARCHING ON NHTSA WEBSITE, I NOTICED THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE, AND BMW IS ISSUING A RECALL ON AFFECTED VEHICLES. HOWEVER, IN FURTHER REVIEWING THE RELATED DOCUMENTS ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE, ALTHOUGH BMW HAS RECALLED 2006 330I SEDAN WITH SPORT SEATS, THE MANUFACTURE DATE OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL ARE FROM DEC 2005 TO SEPT 2006, AND BECAUSE OF THIS, IT EXCLUDES MY VEHICLE. WITH OTHER COMPLAINTS LISTED, IT IS CLEAR THAT THE SAME ISSUE HAS IMPACTED A LOT OF OWNERS OF 2006 330I SEDAN WITH SPORT SEAT PRIOR TO THE MANUFACTURE DATE THAT BMW HAS SPECIFIED ON THE RECALL. DUE TO THIS REASON, THE RECALL SHOULD HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED TO INCLUDE EARLIER MANUFACTURE DATE OF THE MODEL CONSIDERED THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED ISSUE. *TR

Mileage: 144,000

THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT/AIR BAG LIGHT WENT ON INTERMITTENTLY FOR MONTHS, FINALLY THE DEALERSHIP WAS ABLE TO GET THE ERROR CODE. IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THIS AND BMW HAS KNOWN ABOUT IT SINCE 2008. PER THEIR WEBSITE THEY WERE GOING TO SEND OUT RECALL NOTICES TO OWNERS, WE NEVER RECIEVED ANYTHING. BMW NEEDS TO MAKE THIS RIGHT AND FIX THE PROBLEM AT NO COST TO OWNERS. *TR

Mileage: 115,500

FOR NO REASON THE PASSENGER AND REAR DRIVER SIDE SEATBELT AND AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON WHILE DRIVING AND STAYED ON FOREVER. MY 2006 BMW 325I HAS STANDARD SEAT. *TR

Mileage: 61,500

WHEN A PASSENGER SITS IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT THE AIRBAG FAILURE LIGHT ILLUMINATES, THE SEAT BELT LIGHT ILLUMINATES AND REMAINS LIT, AND THE PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF LIGHT ILLUMINATES. THIS IS APPARENTLY DUE TO MICRO-CRACKING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY DETECTION MAT, HOWEVER BMW ONLY INCLUDES A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF AFFECTED CARS IN THE 2008 RECALL. BMW NA REFUSES TO FIX THIS SAFETY DEFECT FOR ALL 2006 BUILD YEAR 330I MODELS WITH SPORT SEATS. THE SAME SEATS WHICH ARE AFFECTED BY THE IDENTICAL ISSUE FOR 2005 BUILD YEAR. IT SEEMS GIVEN THE NUMBER OF CARS AFFECTED BY THE SAME ISSUE THAT THE DEFECT WAS NOT CORRECTED FOR THE 2006 BUILD YEAR. THIS COULD RESULT IN THE PASSENGER AIRBAG NOT DEPLOYING IN A COLLISION WHICH IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. *TR

Mileage: 49,000

THE OC3 MAT (PASSENGER OCCUPANCY SENSOR MAT) HAS FAILED. THIS ISSUE, AS DESCRIBED IN MORE DETAIL BELOW (4.), INVOLVES THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT OF CERTAIN BMW VEHICLES, AND HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF NHTSA PE07-045 AND EA08-001. IN SHORT, A FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE MAT CAN OCCUR AND WOULD CONSEQUENTLY LEAD TO THE DEACTIVATION OF THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAGS WITH EXCEPTION OF THE HEAD PROTECTION SYSTEM. THE AIR BAG WARNING LAMP AS WELL AS THE PASSENGER AIR BAG "ON-OFF" LAMP WOULD ILLUMINATE IN SUCH CASE. BMW STATES THAT MY VEHICLE DOES NOT FALL UNDER THIS RECALL SINCE IT WAS PRODUCED AFTER 11/2005. YET, THE PROGNOSIS OF THE FAILURE IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS OF THE RECALL. *TR

THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHTS AND SEATBELT WARNING LIGHTS ARE LIT IN RED. AFTER DIAGNOSIS FROM THE DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT, IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT THE SENSOR EMBEDDED IN THE PASSENGER SIDE IS MALFUNCTIONING AND MUST BE REPLACED. THERE WAS A RECALL IN 2008 FOR THE SAME MODEL YEAR WITH A SIMILAR MALFUNCTION OF THE AIRBAG SENSOR (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 08V384000) ALSO, IN THAT RECALL IT STATES: " BMW IS EXTENDING THE WARRANTY TO 10 YEARS FROM FIRST REGISTRATION WITHOUT ANY MILEAGE LIMIT TO THE FOLLOWING VEHICLES: MY 2006 6-SERIES, 3-SERIES (STANDARD SEAT), MY 2004-2005 Z4, MY 2004-2006 7-SERIES, MY 2006 X5, AND MY 2004-2006 5-SERIES (COMFORT SEAT). UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY PROGRAM, THE OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT IN A VEHICLE THAT EXPERIENCES THIS SPECIFIC ISSUE WILL BE REPLACED AT NO CHARGE TO THE CUSTOMER" HOWEVER, THE LOCAL BMW DEALER SAYS THEY CANNOT HONOR THAT WARRANTY. *TR

THIS COMPLAINT IS IN REGARDS TO NHTSA ID #08V384000. THE AIR BAG WARNING LAMP, SEAT BELT LAMP AND THE PASSENGER AIR BAG "ON-OFF" LAMP WILL NOT TURN OFF . I CONTACTED BMW VIA THE PHONE NUMBER PROVIDED BY YOUR DEPARTMENT AND ALSO VISITED MY LOCAL BMW DEALER AND THEY BOTH SAY THAT MY CAR DOESN'T FALL UNDER SAID RECALL. MY CAR IS A BMW 2006 330I WITH SPORTS SEATS, WHICH IS ONE OF THE CARS LISTED AS BEING DEFECTIVE BY YOUR DEPARTMENT. HOWEVER, BMW STATED THAT THE RECALL IS FOR A SPECIFIC NUMBER OF AIRBAG SENSOR MATTS THAT WERE DAMAGED DURING SHIPPING AND THAT MY CAR'S MATT WAS NOT PART OF THIS BATCH. SINCE MY CAR IS EXPERIENCING THE SAME SYMPTOMS AS THOSE UNDER THE RECALL, AND IS ACTUALLY ONE OF THE CARS LISTED IN YOUR REPORT, IT'S SAFE TO SAY THAT THE FAULTY AIRBAG SENSOR ISSUE GOES BEYOND JUST THE BATCH BMW IS CLAIMING WERE DAMAGED. EVEN IF THIS IS TRUE, AND THAT SPECIFIC BATCH OF AIR BAG SENSORS WERE DAMAGED DURING SHIPPING, THEN WHAT'S TO SAY THAT MY AIR BAG SENSOR WASN'T ALSO DAMAGED DURING SHIPPING EVEN IF IT WAS PART OF ANOTHER BATCH. THE LOGICAL CONCLUSION, HOWEVER, WOULD INDICATE THAT THE SENSORS BEING DAMAGED DURING SHIPPING IS FALSE AND THAT THERE IS IN FACT A FLAW WITH THE SENSOR ITSELF. THIS IS EVIDENT IN THE FACT THAT BMW PRODUCED AN UPDATED VERSION OF THE SENSOR AND THAT MY SENSOR THOUGH NOT PART OF THE SO CALLED DAMAGED BATCH IS ALSO EXPERIENCING THE SAME EXACT SYMPTOMS. IF THE CAUSE OF THE FAULTY SENSORS WERE DUE TO BEING DAMAGED DURING SHIPPING THEN WHY NEED TO CREATE AN UPDATED VERSION. THE LOGICAL THING TO DO WOULD BE TO ENSURE THE SAFE DELIVERY OF THE SENSORS, NOT CREATE A NEW VERSION. I'VE OWNED MANY VEHICLES WITH THIS SAME FEATURE AND HAVE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS. BMW CLAIMING THAT THE SYMPTOMS OF MY SENSOR HAVING THE SAME SYMPTOMS AS THE DAMAGED BATCH IS JUST A COINCIDENCE IS A FAR CRY. AT THE VERY LEAST A NEW INVESTIGATION SHOULD BE DONE. THANK YOU.

Mileage: 95,000