2011 BMW 328I Seat belts Problems

Passenger restraint system malfunction alert when car is turned on. Air bag and passenger seatbelt warning lights are on. Passenger seat belt light will never turn off even with no passengers in the car. Air bags for passenger are off when there is a passenger in the car causing a safety concern. BMW wants $1000 to diagnose what the issue is for the airbag light only but not to fix it or check the seat belt light. Already paid them $100 just to tell me exactly what the message said on the car screen. Seeing the same issue all over the internet with flaws in the passenger restraint system for this model and similar models but no fix. Found an extended warranty but does not list the E92 model, all other models are listed.

NHTSA ID

11551212

Incident

Oct 18, 2023

I had my passenger in the car driving 30mm and then I got a “restraint system warning ⚠️ “ illuminating the seatbelt light and seatbelt with airbag light. This is a safety concern as it is still on without a passenger. This affects the passenger airbag so in the case of fatality this would fall on BMW NA for neglecting to fix this issue. The car was fine before and this came out of no where

NHTSA ID

11469243

Incident

Jun 11, 2022

I GOT A PASSENGER RESTRAINT FAILURE LIGHT ON MY VEHICLE ALL OF A SUDDEN. SAID LIGHTS TURNED ON AS I WAS TURNING TO ENTER THE HIGHWAY ROUTE 2 IN FITCHBURG MA. I HAVE HEARD THAT THIS IS AN ONGOING ISSUE WITH BMWS SINCE MID 2000S YET MINES IS NOT ON RECALL. I HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING BUT CAN NOT CORRECT THE ERROR. I AM CONCERNED OF AN AIRBAG MALFUNCTION IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. HOPING YOU CAN ASSIST ME WITH THIS ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

11353268

Incident

Aug 4, 2020

Mileage

79,187 mi

OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST 2 MONTHS I GET AN OC3 PASSENGER SEAT MAT ERROR. I NOTICED THAT THERE IS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THIS BUT MY CAR ISN'T COVERED.

NHTSA ID

11315937

Incident

Mar 1, 2020

WHEN I BOUGHT THIS CAR FROM THE THIRD PARTY DEALERSHIP, IT HAD AIRBAG PROBLEM, WHEN I TOLD THE GUY ABOUT THE PROBLEM. HE SAID HE WILL LOWER THE PRICE AND GIVE ME THE CAR. THE AIRBAG FOR THE CAR IS TOO EXPENSIVE SO HE DOESN'T WANT TO MESS AROUND WITH IT.

NHTSA ID

11244030

Incident

Aug 8, 2018

MY CAR HAS 66K MILES ON IT AND ABOUT A MONTH AGO, THE SEATBELT AND AIRBAG INDICATOR LIGHTS SHOWED UP ON THE DASH. THIS MAY OR MAY NOT BE RELATED TO THE FACT THAT THE SEATBELT DING GOES OFF WHEN THERE IS NOTHING IN THE SEAT IF THE SEAT WAS HOT DUE TO SUN EXPOSURE. THE HEAT PANEL WAS REPLACED A FEW YEARS BACK FOR THE INCESSANT DINGING, BUT RETURNED A FEW MONTHS AGO. THE PASSENGER SIDE SEATBELT DING GOES OFF INTERMITTENTLY AND THE INDICATOR LIGHT FOR THE AIRBAG AND SEATBELT ARE CONSTANTLY ON WHILE THE CAR IS ON.

NHTSA ID

11217898

Incident

May 6, 2019

Mileage

66,000 mi

TAKATA- RECALL RELATED TO AIRBAGS,& SEAT BELT, HOWEVER WHEN YOU CALL THE BMW OF MEMPHIS THEY STATE THERE IS NO RECALL OR REMEDY FOR THE AIRBAGS & SEAT BELTS.. IT IS VERY UNSAFE TO DRIVE THIS CAR AS EVERYTIME YOU IN THE CAR THE SEAT BELT LIGHT & AIRBAG LIGHTS CAME ON ALL THE TIME AND STAY ON. THERE SHOULD BE A NATIONAL RECALL WITH A REMEDY TO FIX THIS PROBLEM AS SAFETY COME FIRST. HOWEVER, I HAVE CALL SEVERAL TIMES AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THERE IS NO REMEDY FOR AIRBAGS AND SEATBELT ISSUE.THE VEHICLE CAN BE STATIONARY WHEN THIS HAPPENS AND IN MOTION

NHTSA ID

11154868

Incident

Aug 2, 2018

Mileage

46,000 mi

I AM RECEIVING A 'PASSENGER RESTRAINT MALFUNCTION' MESSAGE ON MY DASH AND THE SEATBELT AND AIRBAG LIGHT ARE STUCK ON. ONLINE BMW STATES "THE OC3 MAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. CHECK WITH YOUR DEALER, WE EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON SOME MODELS." I CHECKED WITH MY DEALER AND THIS DOES NOT QUALIFY. THEY WILL NOT COVER THIS SAFETY REPAIR. I CANNOT SAFELY HAVE ANYONE RIDE IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, AND THE SEAT CEASES TO MOVE AS WELL. MY DEALER STATES IT COSTS $1350 TO FIX AND THEY WOULD NEED TO ORDER IN THE PART AND HAVE MY VEHICLE FOR 2 DAYS. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. SAFETY ISSUES SHOULD NOT HAVE AN 'EXPIRATION DATE' AS TO WHEN THE DEALER WILL OR WILL NOT COVER IT. THE CARE IS 7 YEARS OLD AND HAS 63,000 MILES. THIS DEFECT WAS COVERED FOR THE 2006 AND 2007 MODELS AND BECAME A RECALL. I SEE ONLINE IN FORUMS OTHERS ARE EXPERIENCING THIS IN THE 2011 MODEL. I AM FORCED TO PAY A MECHANIC TO FIX THIS NOW.

NHTSA ID

11144154

Incident

Oct 30, 2018

Mileage

63,000 mi

IN LATE 2017-EARLY 2018 THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT WARNING CHIME WOULD COME ON OCCASIONALLY WHEN SOMETHING LESS THAN 5 POUNDS WAS ON THE SEAT AND NO ONE WAS SITTING ON THE SEAT. EVENTUALLY, IT HAPPENED ALL THE TIME WHEN NOTHING AT ALL WAS ON THE SEAT. I ALWAYS NEEDED TO DRIVE THE CAR WITH THE SEAT BELT CONNECTED. I LEARNED IT WAS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND CONTACTED BMW DEALER IN EARLY 2018 WHEN THE CAR HAD 88254 MILES AND THEY SAID IT WAS NO LONGER COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND WOULD COST ABOUT $1300 TO FIX THE AIRBAG SENSOR MAT. I FOUND A REPAIR PLACE TO REPLACE THE OC3 PASSENGER SEAT MAT WITH BMW PART FOR ALMOST $900. I HAD NO IDEA THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM UNTIL AUGUST 2018 I RECEIVED A NOTICE FOR THE EXACT SAME PART FOR OUR OTHER CAR, A 2004 X3 WHICH GAVE A WARRANTY EXTENSION AND OFFERED REIMBURSEMENT IF THE PART HAD ALREADY BEEN REPLACED. I CONTACTED BMW AND THEY REFUSED TO OFFER SAME EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR AIRBAG SENSOR MATTS IN MY 2011 328I. SINCE MY CAR EXPERIENCED THE EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS AS THOSE COVERED BY THE WARRANTY EXTENSION AND, I HAVE FOUND ONLINE THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MANY BMWS, THE LOGICAL CONCLUSION WOULD INDICATE THAT THERE IS A FLAW WITH THE SENSOR ITSELF NOT SPECIFIC TO THE X3 MODEL. IN FACT THE SENSOR HAS NOT YET FAILED IN OUR 2004 X3 THAT HAS OVER 160,000 MILES. THE 2011 328 SENSOR HAD THE SAME EXACT SYMPTOMS WITH A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE FOR THE AIRBAG SYSTEM. I'VE OWNED MANY VEHICLES WITH THIS SAME FEATURE AND HAVE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS. AT THE VERY LEAST A NEW INVESTIGATION SHOULD BE DONE TO DETERMINE WHETHER THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE FOR ALL BMW MODELS. I DROVE FOR OVER A YEAR WITH THIS PROBLEM UNTIL I REALIZED IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE AND THE AIRBAGS MIGHT NOT WORK IF THE SENSOR WAS BROKEN. IT WAS VERY EXPENSIVE TO FIX. MY ONLINE RESEARCH SHOWED THERE MAY ALREADY BE A NHTSA CLAIM RELATED TO THIS. THANK YOU

NHTSA ID

11131020

Incident

May 3, 2018

Mileage

88,000 mi

"TAKATA RECALL" WHILE STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT, WE WERE STRUCK FROM BEHIND BY A VEHICLE WHO THEN RAN FROM THE SCENE.THE IMPACT WAS SEVERE ENOUGH THAT MY PASSENGER, JULIE COPPERSMITH LOST CONSCIOUSNESS FOR A FEW SECONDS FROM EITHER HITTING THE DASH OR JUST FROM THE VIOLENT MOVEMENT FORWARD. SHE WAS WEARING HER SEAT BELT BUT THE SHOULDER RESTRAINT FAILED AND THE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. THE MALFUNCTION WAS ACKNOWLEDGED ON THE CARS INFORMATION SYSTEM.

NHTSA ID

11065012

Incident

Dec 25, 2011

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW 328I. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT WOULD TIGHTEN AROUND THE DRIVER. THE ISSUE MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE DRIVER TO TURN LEFT OR RIGHT TO SEE OUT OF THE SIDE MIRRORS PROPERLY. ALSO, WHEN THE SEAT BELT WAS UNLATCHED, IT FAILED TO RETRACT CORRECTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BMW OF SARASOTA (5151 CLARK RD, SARASOTA, FL 34233 (888) 849-1985) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND OFFERED THE CONTACT A 10% DISCOUNT. THE CONTACT WAS UNHAPPY WITH THE MANUFACTURER'S OFFER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,148.

NHTSA ID

11016014

Incident

Aug 26, 2016

Mileage

42,148 mi

FRONT PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION UPON MOVEMENT ON CITY STREET

NHTSA ID

10806277

Incident

Nov 21, 2015

Mileage

57,500 mi