2004 BMW 545I Air Bags Problems

MY CAR HAS THE PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM WARNING EVERYTIME I START MY CAR. THE AIR BAG RECALL IS BY TAKATA IS FOR THE 2003 545I MODEL. MY CAR WAS MANUFACTURED IN SEP OF 2003 WITH THOSE TAKADA AIRBAGS.

IN 10/17 I BOUGHT THE ABOVE VEHICLE FROM PRIVATE OWNER. FROM THE TIME I STARTED DRIVING IT TO CURRENTLY, THE CONTROL DISPLAY HAS BEEN SHOWING A PASSENGER AIRBAG AND/ORSEATBEIT WARNING. THE CURRENT WARNING READS: "PASS. RESTRAINT SYSTEM. FAULT IN PASSENGER-RESTRIANT SYSTEM AFFECTING AIRBAG, BELT TENSIONER OR BELT FORCE LIMITER." THE DISPLAY BETWEEN THE SPEEDOMETER AND TACHOMETER SHOWS A RED AIRBAG SYMBOL AND A RED FASTEN SEATBELT SYMBOL, WHICH DO NOT GO OFF WITH OPERATION OF VEHICLE. THESE 2004/2005 BMW 545I HAD A NHTSA SAFETY RECALL (08V384000) BUT CERTAIN VINS, INCLUDING MINE WERE NOT INCLUDED. I CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY, BECAUSE CLEARLY NOT KNOWING WHETHER YOUR AIRBAG & BELT TENSIONER & BELT FORCE LIMITER ARE WORKING PROPERLY IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS CONCERN, PLEASE SEE AT LEAST 10 OTHER PEOPLE LISTING THIS PROBLEM WITH "WWW.CARPROBLEMZOO.COM" UNDER BMW 545 I SEATBELT PROBLEMS. MY MECHANIC HAS TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO RESET THESE WARNINGS, BUT THEY ALWAYS COME BACK. NHTSA'S JOB IS TO PROTECT CAR OWNERS RE REAL SAFETY CONCERNS; I ASK THAT YOU PLEASE DO THIS. HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE A PASSENGER IN THE FRONT SEAT AND NOT KNOW IF AIRBAGS AND SEATBELTS WILL OPERATE PROPERLY IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH?20 THANK YOU. *JS *JS

IN 10/17 I BOUGHT THE ABOVE VEHICLE FROM PRIVATE OWNER. FROM THE TIME I STARTED DRIVING IT TO CURRENTLY, THE CONTROL DISPLAY HAS BEEN SHOWING A PASSENGER AIRBAG AND/ORSEATBEIT WARNING. THE CURRENT WARNING READS: "PASS. RESTRAINT SYSTEM. FAULT IN PASSENGER-RESTRIANT SYSTEM AFFECTING AIRBAG, BELT TENSIONER OR BELT FORCE LIMITER." THE DISPLAY BETWEEN THE SPEEDOMETER AND TACHOMETER SHOWS A RED AIRBAG SYMBOL AND A RED FASTEN SEATBELT SYMBOL, WHICH DO NOT GO OFF WITH OPERATION OF VEHICLE. THESE 2004/2005 BMW 545I HAD A NHTSA SAFETY RECALL (08V384000) BUT CERTAIN VINS, INCLUDING MINE WERE NOT INCLUDED. I CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY, BECAUSE CLEARLY NOT KNOWING WHETHER YOUR AIRBAG & BELT TENSIONER & BELT FORCE LIMITER ARE WORKING PROPERLY IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS CONCERN, PLEASE SEE AT LEAST 10 OTHER PEOPLE LISTING THIS PROBLEM WITH "WWW.CARPROBLEMZOO.COM" UNDER BMW 545 I SEATBELT PROBLEMS. MY MECHANIC HAS TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO RESET THESE WARNINGS, BUT THEY ALWAYS COME BACK. NHTSA'S JOB IS TO PROTECT CAR OWNERS RE REAL SAFETY CONCERNS; I ASK THAT YOU PLEASE DO THIS. HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE A PASSENGER IN THE FRONT SEAT AND NOT KNOW IF AIRBAGS AND SEATBELTS WILL OPERATE PROPERLY IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH?20 THANK YOU. *JS *JS

SAME PROBLEM EVERYONE ELSE HAS WITH PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG MALFUNCTION. $1500+ REPAIR, BUT WILL DO IT AGAIN, AS IT IS FAULTY PARTS. SOMEONE SITS DOWN IN THE PASSENGER SEAT TOO HARD, AND IT SETS OFF THE WARNING.

Mileage: 190,000

TAKADA RECALL. MY CAR'S MAKE CRACKING NOISE OR GROANED NOISES AS SOME OTHER E60 OWNERS DESCRIBED. THE NOISES SOUNDED AS THE CAR START ROLLING AT LOW SPEED WHETHER GO STRAIGHT OR TURN A LITTLE TO LEFT OR RIGHT. IT'S HAPPENED EVERY TIME. THE AIRBAG LIGHT COME ON DURING DRIVE AND IT IS OFF WHEN I SHUT OFF THE ENGINE. THE NEXT TIME I START THE CAR IS STILL REMAIN STAYED ON, AND IT'S GOES OFF DURING DRIVE. THE STEERING WHEEL SEEMS NOT FIRM UNLIKE E39 IS MORE FIRM. I FOUND A FORUM WHERE THE E60 OWNERS HAD SIMILAR PROBLEM AND THE DEALER SOLVED THE PROBLEMS I MENTIONED ABOVE BY JUST REPLACE THE TAKATA AIRBAG AND MAYBE AN UPDATE OF SOFTWARE INVOLVED. IN CONCLUSION TO MY COMPLAINT REGARDING TAKADA AIRBAG THE BMW SHOULD OPEN A RECALL FOR MY CAR OR ADD MY CAR TO THE RECALL LIST AS IT'S NOT SAFE FOR ME AND MY FAMILY. PLEASE HELP, THANK YOU.

Mileage: 15,000

I CAME BACK FROM MY SUMMER HOLIDAY, AND RESTARTED MY CAR. A LOT OF WARNINGS APPEARS ON THE ODOMETER. ABOUT ENGINE, AIRBAGS, STEERING, TIRE PRESSURE, AND SEAT BELT. (I HAVE CHECKED THE TIRE PRESSURE, IT IS NORMAL. AND I ALWAYS LOCK THE SEAT BELT BEFORE DRIVING). IN ADDITION, THE NAVIGATION SCREEN AND RADIO DIED. FURTHERMORE, THE CAR LOSE ELECTRICITY AFTER IT SHUTS DOWN. AFTER MORE THAN 3 HOURS OF SHUT DOWN, IT WON'T HAVE ENOUGH POWER TO RE-IGNITE. I CHECK ON NHTSA WEBSITE THAT THERE ARE THREE RECALL ISSUES THAT MY CAR WAS INCLUDED, AND RELATED TO THE ISSUES I AM REPORTING RIGHT NOW. ABOUT AIR BAGS (08V384000), ENGINE (12E029000), AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (12V126000). BUT I CANNOT FIND OUT ANY INFORMATION BY MY VIN NUMBER ON NHTSA. IT IS A USED CAR, I AM NOT SURE WHETHER THE FORMER USER RESPONDED THE RECALL BEFORE. EVEN IF THIS CAR WAS RECALLED BEFORE, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER IT WAS FIXED PROPERLY, AND THE SIMILAR ISSUES WOULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN.

Mileage: 106,590

AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON. I AM VERY SURE THAT IT IS THE FLOOR MAT PRESSURE SENSORS FOR THE AIRBAG SYSTEM.

DRIVE MODERATELY KEEPS POPPING UP AN SERVICE ENGINE AFTER GETTING BMW TO CHECK IT AN FIX IT ALSO IT WON'T CRANK SOMETIMES BUT THE BATTERY AN ALTERNATOR IS BRAND NEW BUT AFTER IT SIT FOR HOURS IT FINALLY CRANK UP, MAYBE IT'S AN SECURITY ISSUE BUT IT'S UNNECESSARY

Mileage: 220,000

NOT TOO LONG AGO I HAD MY CAR PARKED ON A STREET ON A SUNNY DAY. I GOT IN THE VEHICLE AND STARTED IT AND RECEIVED A MESSAGE ON MY IDRIVE SAYING THAT THERE IS A PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION AND A AIRBAG LIGHT ALONG WITH THE SEATBELT LIGHT LIT UP ON THE DASH. DEALER SAYS THAT THERE IS NO RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE YET ONLINE I'VE READ THAT MY MODEL DOES IN FACT HAVE A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE.

Mileage: 91,200

THE AIR BAG WARNING CAME ON IN THE INFORMATION CENTER ABOUT A MALFUNCTION ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. DEALER SAID SENSOR WOULD NEED REPLACEMENT.

Mileage: 63,000

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW 545I. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE AIR BAG AND PASSENGER SEAT BELT WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED CONSTANTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 181,500.

Mileage: 181,500

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW 545I. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED CONTINUOUSLY. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 08V384000 (AIR BAGS). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 81,520. ....UPDATED 12/30/15 *BF UPDATED 2/23/2016*JS *CN

Mileage: 81,520

LOW SPEED CRASH IN FEBUARY 2015 AIRBAG MALFUNCTION LIGHT CAME ON BUT DIDN'T DEPLOY. THIS ITEM HAD BEEN REPLACED DUE TO RECALL IN 2011 AND BMW SAID I HAD TO PAY FOR SEAT MAT THAT MALFUNCTIONED AND TO BE PUT IN. NO PASSENGER IN CAR DURING IMPACT I WAS ALONE. I DON'T FEEL THAT THIS SHOULD BE MY PROBLEM OR THAT I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR SAID PROBLEM. I BELIEVE THIS IS A FAULTY PART AND SHOULD BE COVERED BY BMW AND RECALL DIDN'T FIX PROBLEM.

Mileage: 161,000

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2004 BMW 545I. ON THE SECOND TIME HAVING A PASSENGER IN THE CAR, WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, I WAS ALERTED BY A CHIME AND MESSAGE THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG / SAFETY RESTRAINT SYSTEM HAD FAILED. ALSO NOTICED WAS THAT WHEN TURNING ON THE DRIVER'S SEAT HEATER, THE SEAT GOT VERY HOT IN ONE PARTICULAR SPOT- ON THE LEFT SIDE NEAR MY HIP (HOT ENOUGH THAT I RECEIVED A MINOR BURN ON MY LEG THROUGH A PAIR OF JEANS). I CONTACTED BMW CUSTOMER SERVICE ABOUT THE PROBLEM, AS I WAS MADE AWARE THAT THERE WERE RECALLS ON OTHER MODELS FOR THE SAME REASONS, AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WERE NO OPEN RECALLS FOR EITHER ISSUE ON MY MODEL. THE REPRESENTATIVE SIMPLY EXPLAINED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THAT FIXING THE ISSUES WOULD BE AT MY EXPENSE. I BELIEVE THAT THESE ARE VERY SERIOUS DEFECTS THAT COULD AFFECT MY SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF MY PASSENGERS. *TR

Mileage: 91,636

CUSTOM ORDERED 545I IN 2004 AS STILL ORIGINAL/EXISTING OWNER. HAVE HAD REPEATED ELECTRICAL ERRORS ON I DRIVE "DYNAMIC DRIVE FAILURE PROCEED WITH CAUTION AS THE STEERING HAS BEEN EFFECTED AND SEE YOUR BMW AUTHORIZED REP," "ELECTRICAL FAILURE SEE YOUR BMW AUTHORIZED REP. IMMEDIATELY PROCEED WITH CAUTION, "PASSENGER RESTRAINT FAULT PROCEED WITH CAUTION EFFECTING BELT AND BELT FORCE LIMITER, STALLING AT VERY LOW AND AS HIGH RATES OF SPEED AS HIGH AS 70 MPH WITHOUT ANY WARNING." SOMETIMES THE CAR LOGS THE ERRORS AND MANY TIMES IT DOESN'T FULLY THAT IT TAKES BMW NA'S COMPUTER TO ACCESS THE EXTENDED RAM IN THE CAR TO RETRIEVE PER BMW NA THAT THE DEALERSHIPS CAN'T. I EVEN HAVE PICTURES OF THE ERRORS THE CAR DOESN'T LOG SO THEY CLAIM THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING. BMW ENGINEERS IN GERMANY HAVE BEEN INVOLVED AS THE CAR REFUSED TO REPROGRAM TWICE FOR THE DEALERSHIP. THIS CAR IS COMPLIANT W/ALL RECALLS PER THE DEALER AND HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP OVER 16 TIMES W/ONLY 70K MILES. THE DEALER AND BMW NA CAN'T DETERMINE THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE PROBLEMS EXCEPT TO SAY THEY THINK THEY'RE BEING TRIGGERED BY LOW VOLTAGE AND ITS HAD 3 BATTERIES AT LESS THAN 70K MILES, ISN'T DRIVEN MUCH, AND BMW NA NOR THE DEALERSHIP CAN PERMANENTLY RESOLVE THE ERRORS AND STALLING AND/OR STOP THEM. BMW NA AND THE DEALERSHIP HAVE REPLACED THE ENTIRE WIRING HARNESS AT 13K MILES, HAVE REFUSED TO TAKE THE CAR BACK AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS AFTER QUALIFYING AS A LEMON UNDER THE LEMON LAW SINCE BEFORE 10K MILES AND BEEN GIVEN MULTIPLE EXCUSES FOR ALL OF THE ERRORS THEY CAN'T RESOLVE. THEY KEEP TELLING US TO BRING IT BACK EVERY TIME, BUY AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AT $6K TO CONTINUALLY SERVICE ELECTRICAL AND STALLING/RUNNING ROUGH ISSUES THEY CAN'T FIX UNDER ORIGINAL FACTORY WARRANTY. THEY'RE NOT REPORTING SERVICE TRIPS TO CARFAX AND REFUSE TO RELEASE DOCUMENTATION ON THE CAR REGARDING THE PROBLEMS TO US OR OUR ATTORNEYS. *TR

Mileage: 71,487

BMW HAS REFUSED TO FIX THE ISSUE UNDER RECALL OF THE PASSENGER RESTRAINT DEALING WITH THE SEAT MAT/SENSOR THAT DEVELOPS CRACKS OVER TIME FROM REPEATED ENTRY AND EXIT OF THE VEHICLE. THIS ISSUE WAS A RECALL AND THIS CAR IS CLEARLY EFFECTED BY IT BUT BMW SAYS IT IS NOT. AS THE VEHICLE WAS JUST PURCHASED TO REPLACE ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT HAD ACTUALLY HAD AN ACCIDENT, THE SAFETY RELATED EQUIPMENT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. BMW ADMITS THERE IS A RECALL(ID# 76546) BUT CLAIMS THIS VEHICLE IS NOT COVERED. THIS COULD EFFECTIVELY END MY OWNERSHIP OF ANY BMW IF THIS ISSUE IS NOT FIX PROMPTLY. *TR

Mileage: 122,701

I PURCHASE THIS VEHICLE ON 2012, THREE DAYS AFTER THE PURCHASE, I COME BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP, BECAUSE "AIR BAG LIGHT ITS ON", TWO DAYS LATER WHEN I PICK UP MY CAR, AIR BAGS LIGHTS STILL ON, THE MECHANIC SAID ITS A SENSOR. A YEAR LATER BRING THE CAR TO ANOTHER MECHANIC, WHO SAID ITS "NO AIR BAG CONNECTED" WHICH SCARED ME BECAUSE ME AND MY ENTIRE FAMILY ARE ON RISK, WHAT HAPPENED IF WE CRASH? WHERE ITS THE AIR BAGS? THEY WAS DEPLOYED BEFORE IN A CAR ACCIDENT WITH A PREVIOUS OWNER, BUT DEALERSHIP DON'T TELL ME NOTHING ABOUT THIS, THEY SOLD ME THE CARS SAID "ITS NOT CAR ACCIDENT INVOLVED". NOW I TRY TO THEY TAKE HIS CAR AND PAY ME BACK WHAT I PAY OR JUST GIVE ME ANOTHER CAR, BUT ITS DIFFICULT TO TALK TO THIS PEOPLE. I FEEL AS VICTIM OF "FRAUD" IF I HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THIS CAR HAD A ACCIDENT BEFORE, I DON'T TAKE THIS VEHICLE. HAVE TO BE A RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS OUTLAW ACTION. THE DEALERSHIP NAME ITS "FLORIDA FINE CARS" LOCATED ON "21151 NW 2ND AVENUE- MIAMI GARDENS, FL 33169." PHONE "(305) 384-6400. I JUST NEED JUSTICE IN THIS CASE PLEASE, HELP ME PLEASE. *TR

Mileage: 66,627

WHEN I GOT UP OUT THE SEAT THE AIRBAG AND SEAT BELT INDICATOR CAME ON AND IS STILL ON. IT SAYS PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION. AND IT WILL NOT DEPLOY AIRBAGS. ALSO THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW OIL LEAKS IN THE ENGINE. *TR

Mileage: 104,000

THERE IS A BMW SERVICE BULLETIN SI B 65 75 06 WHERE THEY SAY THEY WILL FIX AN AIRBAG AND SEATBELT ISSUE ON E60, E61 (5 SERIES) VEHICLES PRODUCED UP TO 11/2005. THE BULLETIN SAYS IT IS DUE TO OC3 SEAT MAT FAULT. DUE TO PARTS DEFECT THEY ALSO COVER IT WITH AN ADDITIONAL 10 YEAR WARRANTY ACCORDING TO THE BULLETIN. MY BMW 5 SERIES WAS MANUFACTURED IN 08/04 AND CURRENTLY HAS THE EXACT SAME ISSUE OUTLINED IN THE SERVICE BULLETIN ACCORDING TO MY MECHANIC. HE SAID THAT I HAVE MICRO CRACKS IN MY OC3 SEAT MAT AND THATS WHY MY AIRBAGS ARE NOW OFF ALL THE TIME WHEN I DRIVE. I CURRENTLY DO NOT HAVE ANY RUNNING AIRBAGS IN MY VEHICLE BECAUSE THEIR COMPUTER SYSTEM DETECTS MICRO CRACKS IN MY OC3 SEAT MAT AND DISENGAGES THE AIRBAGS BECAUSE IT DETECTS THAT SOMEONE IS NOT SITTING IN THE SEAT. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE ANYMORE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE AND SINCE IT DISPLAYS IT ON THE MAIN SCREEN AT ALL TIMES I CANNOT EVEN SELL THE VEHICLE SINCE NO ONE WOULD WANT ONE WITHOUT AIRBAGS THAT WORK. BMW SAYS THEY WILL CORRECT THIS ISSUE ON A CUSTOMER COMPLAIN BASIS IN THE RECALL. WHEN I LET BMW DEALERSHIP KNOW ABOUT MY ISSUE THEY SAY THAT MY VEHICLE DOES NOT SHOW UP ON THE COMPUTER AND BMW IS REFUSING TO FIX THE ISSUE. I HAVE A 5 SERIES AS DESCRIBED IN THEIR BULLETIN. I AM WITHIN THE GUIDELINES ISSUED ON SI B65 75 06 DATED FEBRUARY 2009. FROM SEARCHING ON THE INTERNET THERE ARE OTHER CUSTOMERS WITH BMW 545'S WHO HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE RECTIFIED BY BMW. IT IS THE SAME PART AND SAME ISSUE (MICRO CRACKS) THEY NEED TO COVER THIS SO I HAVE WORKING AIRBAGS. *TT

Mileage: 88,000