2006 BMW 325I Seat belts Problems

Put a box of moderate weight into the passenger seat (hard drives) - probably 40 lbs. After driving for a few minutes and over a few bumps, the seat belt warning light came on because the seat sensor was tripped by the weight. Put the seat belt on to silence the warning. Shortly thereafter, both the seatbelt and passenger airbag warning lights showed on the dash, regardless of occupancy. Hooked up to scanning tool and cleared the codes but they always return. This is not a rare event from reading the online forums - it is likely due to the sensor mat in the seat for occupancy being defective, or a combination of that and the seat belt pre-tensioner being defective, for the passenger side only. The vehicle operates normally other than the warning lights. Obviously have not tested the airbag, but that is highly unlikely to be the actual problem from my investigation of the symptoms.

NHTSA ID

11530296

Incident

May 18, 2023

MY CAR IS LEAKING GAS AND I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT. I HAD TO TAKE IT OUT OF THE GARAGE BECAUSE OF THE GASOLINE SMELL. MY SEATBELT LIGHT IS ON AND MY MECHANIC SAID THAT I NEED NEW SEATBELTS.

NHTSA ID

11395176

Incident

Feb 5, 2021

Mileage

161,000 mi

PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM. (FAULT IN PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM AFFECTING AIRBAG, BELT TENSIONER, BELT FORCE LIMITER) WHILST DRIVING. AIR BAG RECALLED JUST TWO MONTHS AGO! AND NOW NEW ISSUE. WORRIED FOR SAFETY.

NHTSA ID

11253563

Incident

Sep 6, 2019

Mileage

133,000 mi

I AM FRIGHTENED TO DEATH THAT THE AFOREMENTIONED RECALL OF ALMOST THE ENTIRE SRS CONTROLS WAS NOT PROPERLY FIXED. DUPLICATED WARNINGS FOR BOTH HAVE BEEN A DAILY PROBLEM AND AN EXACT REPLICA OF THE SYMPTOMS PRIOR. NO ACCIDENT TO REPORT, YET A COMPLETELY VALID POTENTIAL CAUSE FOR BODILY HARM! MY OTHER CAR IS 16 YEARS OLD AND JUST WAS IN FOR A NEW AND ACTIVE RECALL AS THE BAGS WERE DEPLOYING SHRAPNEL AND PLASTIC....AND SHE'S 16 YEARS OLD! I APPRECIATE YOUR HELP AND CONSIDERATION! LOOKING FORWARD TO A PROMPT RESPONSE! I'LL BE DRIVING IT TO MY NEPHEW'S WEDDING AT FORT CAMPBELL ARMY BASE.

NHTSA ID

11099451

Incident

May 9, 2018

AIR BAG LIGHTS ON WITHOUT CRASH ALSO SEAT BELT LIGHT ON.

NHTSA ID

11063045

Incident

Jan 9, 2017

Mileage

90,000 mi

GETTING ERROR ON DASH THAT PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION.

NHTSA ID

10968572

Incident

Sep 15, 2016

Mileage

154,000 mi

PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION. THERE'S A RECALL FOR THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL OF MY CAR BUT FOR SOME REASON "MY VIN" DOESN'T FALL INTO THE RECALL.

NHTSA ID

10883572

Incident

Apr 1, 2016

Mileage

120,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 325I. AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 102,000.

NHTSA ID

10865549

Incident

May 14, 2016

Mileage

102,000 mi

PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION. MY VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL BUT ERROR IS SHOWING. ACCORDING TO TBE NHTSA DATA BASE UNDER VEHICLE DESCRIPTION (MAKE MODEL AND YEAR) THERES AN OPEN RECALL FOR MY MODEL.

NHTSA ID

10862341

Incident

Apr 20, 2016

Mileage

66,000 mi

PASS. RESTRAINT SYSTEM FAULT MESSAGE. FEW DAYS WENT BY WITH THIS FAULT MESSAGE COMING ON AND OFF. NOW ITS CURRENTLY STAYING ON. AFTER SEARCHING ON THE WEB, I'VE FOUND MANY OTHER BMW OWNERS WITH THE SAME ISSUE, BUT ONLY A FEW MODELS ARE COVERED UNDER RECALL (08V384000). AFTER SEARCH MY (VIN) SHOW NO CURRENT RECALLS. RECALL (08V384000) STATES 2006 YEAR 3-SERIES. HOW CAN THIS ONLY BE LIMITED TO SOME 2006 ,BUT NOT OTHERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS? VEHICLE HAS AROUND 86K MILES. THANKS

NHTSA ID

10860293

Incident

Nov 4, 2015

Mileage

86,000 mi

WAS DRIVING HOME AND THE SEAT BEAT AND AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON OUT OF NOWHERE WAS DRIVING NORMAL

NHTSA ID

10854566

Incident

Apr 9, 2016

Mileage

134,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 325I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE SEATED IN THE DRIVERS SEAT WITH THE SEAT BELT LATCHED, THE SEAT BELT WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED WHILE THERE WAS NO OTHER OCCUPANTS IN THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT WAS MADE AWARE OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V564000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 176,000.

NHTSA ID

10819309

Incident

Dec 21, 2015

Mileage

176,000 mi

THE PASSENGER SEATBELT/AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT WAS ON AND OFF FROM TIME TO TIME AFTER AROUND FOUR YEARS OF MY PURCHASE IN 2005. THE PROBLEM MIGHT HAVE EXISTED EARLIER; HOWEVER, AS MY VEHICLE USUALLY DID NOT CARRY ANY PASSENGERS, I DID NOT NOTICE THE PROBLEM WITHIN THE WARRANTY PERIOD. RECENTLY, THE LIGHT WOULD NOT EVEN GO AWAY. MY MECHANIC INFORMED ME ABOUT THE RECALL NUMBER 13V564000, STATING THE "OWNERS OF MODEL YEAR 2006-2007 3 SERIES WITH STANDARD SEAT ... WILL RECEIVE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THEIR FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT." I HAVE CONTACT BMW, BUT THEY SAID THE RECALL AND THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WOULD NOT BE APPLICABLE TO MY VEHICLE.

NHTSA ID

10806262

Incident

Nov 23, 2015

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 325I. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE AIR BAG AND SEAT BELT SENSORS REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE OCCUPANT SENSOR WAS FAULTY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 161,000.

NHTSA ID

10787593

Incident

Oct 22, 2015

Mileage

161,000 mi

MY 2006 BMW 325I HAS DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHTS THAT CONTINUE TO COME UP AFTER MUCH TIME & EFFORT HAS BEEN SPENT TO GET THEM FIXED. THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT, THE SEAT BELT WARNING LIGHT, & THE FLAT TIRE MONITOR WARNING LIGHT HAVE CAUSED MUCH STRESS & FRUSTRATION DUE TO THE ISSUES NOT BEING ADDRESSED AFTER MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS WITH THE DEALERSHIP AS WELL AS OTHER INDEPENDENT COMPANIES. I AM WORRIED THAT IF AN ACCIDENT DOES OCCUR THAT MY SAFETY WILL BE IN GREAT DANGER & THIS IS SOMETHING THAT EVERY CAR OWNER UNDERSTANDS. I AM AT A LOSS AT THIS POINT & DO NOT WANT TO CONTINUE TO SPEND COUNTLESS DOLLARS WHEN THE ENDS DO NOT JUSTIFY THE MEAN.

NHTSA ID

10762478

Incident

Aug 3, 2015

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A USED 2006 BMW 325I WITH THE INTENTIONS OF LETTING MY DAUGHTER DRIVE IT, DUE TO THE HIGH SAFETY RATINGS OF THESE AUTOMOBILES. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP ABOUT SOME ISSUES WITH THE TRANSMISSION, AND SOME WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASH INDICATING A PROBLEM WITH THE SEATBELTS AND AIRBAGS. WHEN I INQUIRED ABOUT THE WARNING LIGHTS, THE SERVICE WRITER OF THE DEALERSHIP IN MERIDIAN MS TOLD ME THAT IT SOUNDS LIKE THE SEAT MAT WAS FAULTY. LATER I GOOGLED INFO ABOUT THE SEAT MAT, AND I CAME ACROSS A LINK THAT SHOWS MY SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED DUE TO THIS ISSUE. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP BACK AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR THIS CAR. I CALLED NHTSC AND LEFT A MESSAGE ABOUT MY INQUIRY, AND I WAS CALLED BACK PROMPTLY BY MR. NATE HAYES. AFTER I EXPLAINED THE SITUATION TO MR. HAYES, HE DID SOME CHECKING AND FOUND THAT ALTHOUGH SOME 2006 325I'S WEREN'T RECALLED (THE ONES WITH MANUAL SEATS) MINE HOWEVER SHOULD'VE BEEN RECALLED DUE TO HAVING THE ELECTRICALLY ADJUSTED SPORTS SEATS. MR. HAYES INSTRUCTED ME TO CALL THE DEALERSHIP TO SEE IF MAYBE THIS WORK HAD ALREADY BEEN DONE ON MY VEHICLE. UPON CALLING THE DEALERSHIP BACK, I WAS TOLD THAT IT HADN'T BEEN DONE, BECAUSE MY VEHICLE WASN'T IN THE RECALL. AFTER QUESTIONING HIM MORE ABOUT IT, HE TOLD ME THAT HE WAS ABLE TO FIND THAT BMW HAS EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON MY CAR TO 15 YEARS WITH NO MILEAGE LIMITATIONS, IF THAT IS WHAT WAS WRONG WITH MY CAR, BUT IF NOT, I WOULD BE CHARGED FOR THE REPAIR. WHAT CONCERNS ME ABOUT THIS, IS THE FACT THAT BMW WAS MANDATED BY THE NHTSC TO RECALL A CERTAIN LIST OF AUTOMOBILES TO PREVENT INJURY, RATHER THAN WAIT TO SEE IF PROBLEMS OCCUR LATER THAT COULD RESULT IN INJURY AND/OR DEATH. I DON'T KNOW IF OTHERS THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED WERE PUT OFF BY BMW OR NOT, BUT THIS COULD HAVE SOME DEADLY CONSEQUENCES.

NHTSA ID

10761737

Incident

Sep 3, 2015

Mileage

220,000 mi

AIR BAG LIGHT STAYS ON, MODEL AND YEAR ID FOR RECALL, BUT NOT ID UNDER VIN NUMBER. *TR

NHTSA ID

10649535

Incident

Oct 20, 2014

Mileage

93,110 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 325I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SEATBELT AND AIR BAG WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED CONTINUOUSLY WHILE DRIVING FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO RESET THE SEATBELT SENSOR BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 13V564000 (AIR BAGS). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

NHTSA ID

10579137

Incident

Apr 7, 2014

Mileage

50,000 mi

COPSE:I1440005A. 2006 BMW 325I. CONSUMER STATED THE DRIVER SEAT BELT DOES NOT LATCH. *LN THE SEAT BELT WAS REPLACED. *JB

NHTSA ID

10578730

Incident

Mar 28, 2014

AIRBAG AND SEATBELT SENSOR COMES ON AND OFF RANDOMLY. APPEARS TO BE A SENSOR OR CONNECTION ERROR. *TR

NHTSA ID

10575144

Incident

Mar 25, 2014

Mileage

130,000 mi

I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE ONE WEEK AGO WITH THE AIRBAG AND SEATBELT LIGHTS ON THE DASH, AFTER PLENTY OF RESEARCH THERE WAS A RECALL DONE ON ONLY THE SPORT SEATS. AFTER EVERYTHING I READ EVEN THE NON SPORTS SEATS, LIKE MINE ARE HAVING THE ISSUES AS WELL. BMW NEEDS TO FIX THIS ISSUE WITH ALL MODELS. I HAVE NO CLUE AT THIS POINT IF THE AIRBAGS WILL EVEN GO OFF IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH. PLENTY OF COMPLAINTS ON THE SITE ABOUT THIS SAME ISSUE. PLEASE HELP *TR

NHTSA ID

10561805

Incident

Jan 21, 2014

MY VEHICLE SEAT BELT RESTRAINT SYSTEM IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. THERE IS WARNING ON MY DASH OF A MALFUNCTION AND AFTER SOME RESEARCH MY VEHICLE VIN NUMBER IS NOT UNDER THE RECALL. IT HAVE THE SAME SPORTS SEATS THEY SPEAK ABOUT HAVING THE PROBLEM SAME YEAR SAME MODEL SAME PROBLEM WITH SEAT SENSOR BUT MY VIN IS NOT UNDER RECALL. *TR

NHTSA ID

10554590

Incident

Aug 1, 2013

Mileage

89,000 mi

THE REAR DOOR LOCK IS NOT WORKING - THE HANDLES DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR FROM THE INSIDE - THE LOCK ACTUATOR IS FAULTY AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. SO FAR I HAVE HAD THE FRONT DOOR LOCK ACTUATORS AND THE REAR DRIVER SIDE ACTUATORS REPLACED. BMW WILL NOT FIX THE ACTUATORS EVEN THOUGH THE PART HAS BEEN CHANGED OUT BEFORE, IS A KNOWN ISSUE, AND THE ACTUATORS HAVE BEEN SUPERSEDED TWO TIMES BY BMW. *TR

NHTSA ID

10548736

Incident

Oct 11, 2013

Mileage

104,000 mi

BATTERY WAS LOW AND WOULDN'T START JUMP STARTED THE CAR AND RECEIVED A MESSAGE THAT THE SEAT BELT RESTRAINT TENSIONER IS BAD. HAS A SEAT BELT WITH AIRBAG SYMBOL ON THE DASH...PLUS THE VEHICLE STARTED SHOWING A SYMBOL WITH A STEERING WHEEL WITH ARROWS THEN THE CAR WON'T START UNTIL I SHAKE THE STEERING WHEEL SEVERAL TIMES...WAS STRANDED FOR HOURS THEN FINALLY IT STARTED. BMW HAS VERY LOW QUALITY AND PROBLEMS. THIS IS BECOMING VERY UNSAFE AND NOT SURE IF I WANT MY FAMILY IN THIS UNSAFE VEHICLE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10547893

Incident

Oct 13, 2013

Mileage

60,900 mi

I WAS BACKING UP AT 4 MPH AND PRESSED THE BRAKE TO STOP. THE AIRBAG AND SEATBELT WARNING LIGHT WENT ON. IT CONTINUED TO STAY ON AND HAS NOT TURNED OFF SINCE. THERE WAS NO ONE IN THE CAR OTHER THAN MYSELF AS THE DRIVER. I HAVE HAD THE CAR INTO THE MECHANIC TWICE NOW TO FIX THE ISSUE AND THE LIGHTS AND WARNINGS STILL COME ON. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAY MY VIN IS NOT ON THE RECALL LIST. I HAVE RESEARCHED THE ISSUE AND FOUND THAT MANY OWNERS OF THE SAME YEAR, MAKE, AND MODEL ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUES. IS THERE ANY WAY TO GET MY CAR VIN ADDED TO THE RECALL LIST? *TR

NHTSA ID

10510470

Incident

Sep 13, 2012

Mileage

43,560 mi