Owner-reported complaints naming the airbag system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2013 BMW 335I submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 12 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
All BMWs have a defect with passenger seat occupancy mat; airbag will not deploy in accident for passenger because passenger seat restraint system is defective in passenger seat (they call it passenger occupancy mat)- it is a life threatening issue found in my model of car and several other models. Issue Recall and save lives
Out of nowhere, on 6/24, the warning light came on saying that there is an issue with the passenger restraint system. It stays on when there is no one in the seat and then, even if someone is in the seat, it will turn off. I have not had an accident or had the car flooded to warrant a system malfunction like that. I have read that this has happened to other owners of this model and it is a faulty mat sensor that costs over $1000 to repair.
MY NAME IS [XXX], AND I TOOK MY BMW TO ONE OF PORTLANDS DEALERSHIPS TO GET MY CAR SERVICES. FIRST TWO DAYS WERE FINE, THEN AFTER THAT MY PASSENGER AND DRIVER AIR BAG LIGHTS WERE CONSTANTLY FLASHING ON MY WARNING NOTIFICATIONS TAB. I REACHED OUT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY WANTED ME TO COME BACK. AFTER I WAS DONE WITH THEM THEY CHARGED ME OVER $700 FOR INSPECTING THE ISSUES AND PROBLEMS REPORTED, THEN QUOTED ME OVER $4,000 WORTH OF AIR BAG REPLACEMENTS. THE DEALERSHIP CLEARED THE CODES BEFORE I LEFT AND DECLINED THEIR OFFER. I SAW ON KELLY BLUE BOOK THAT THERE WERE RECALLS ON THIS MODEL. AT THIS TIME I'M HESITANT TO TRUST THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE LAST TIME I WAS THERE I WAS TOLD I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE, WORTH OVER $26,000. THE CAR IS ALMOST AT 70,000 MILES AND I FIND THAT VERY HARD TO BELIEVE.I ALMOST ASKED THE TECHNICIAN IF HE WOULD BE WILLING TO TAKE A LIE DETECTOR TEST ON MY EXPENSE. I UNDERSTAND THAT DEALERSHIPS TYPICALLY MAKE MORE MONEY IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAN SELLING NEW AND USED CARS. I WAS TOLD BY THEM THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON MY CAR, BUT I DO WANT TO MAKE A REPORT. NOT FEELING COMFORTABLE TO DRIVE MY CAR, I HAVE BEEN STORING IT IN THE GARAGE AND ONLY USING IT VERY LIGHTLY. MY ENGINE ISSUES STARTED WITH A SMALL TICKING SOUND. THE DEALERSHIP OF PORTLAND WANTED ME TO REPLACE TENSIONERS AND THE TIMING BELT, BUT THE SOUND WAS COMING FROM THE FUEL INJECTORS, AFTER THAT THEY WANTED ME TO REPLACE MY WHOLE ENGINE.I HAVE BEEN MISLED BY THEM MULTIPLE TIMES. WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR, MY LUCK WASN'T SO GREAT, AFTER TWO WEEKS OF PURCHASING IT A SMALL ROCK ON THE PENETRATED MY WINDOW WHILE I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY. I GOT INSURE TO COVER IT BUT THEY NEEDED A QUOTE FROM THE DEALERSHIP. I GOT 3 DIFFERENT QUOTES, ALL HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS APART FROM $800-+$1,000. THE REASON WHY I AM MAKING THIS REPORT IS REGARDING MY SAFETY AND CONCERNS FOR THESE AIRBAGS, WANTING TO BE ASSURED SAFETY. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
MY VEHICLE SHOWS THE FOLLOWING ERROR MESSAGE "PASSENGER RESTRAINT MALFUNCTION" AT RANDOM TIMES WHILE I AM DRIVING WITHOUT A PASSENGER OR WHENEVER A PASSENGER DECIDES TO MOVE AROUND. THE ERROR WILL ALSO APPEAR AT RANDOM TIMES WHENEVER I HAVE A PASSENGER. I RAN OBD READING AND IT GAVE THE ERROR CODE "930A1C-ODS-SYSTEM: SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR PASSENGER: SENDING SENSOR FAILURE BECAUSE OF WETNESS ,0, ZP." I HAVE NEVER SPILLED LIQUID MATTER ON THE SEATS AND I LIVE IN A DRY DESERT ENVIRONMENT WHERE TEMPERATURES RANGE FROM 80 TO 110 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. THE BMW DEALERSHIP IN PALM SPRINGS TOLD ME I WILL NEED TO REPLACE THE PASSENGER MAT, BUT MY WARRANTY WILL NOT COVER IT. I WAS QUOTED TO PAY $1600 OUT OF POCKET JUST TO FIX A FAULTY SENSOR MAT THAT IS ESSENTIAL IN PROTECTING A PASSENGER'S LIFE IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. I AM AFRAID THE AIRBAGS WILL NOT WORK PROPERLY IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT AND THE AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT CAN BE LETHAL TO A CHILD PASSENGER OR AN ELDERLY ADULT. I CAN NOT FIND A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO CAN REPLACE THE PASSENGER MAT, NOR CAN I BUY THE PART ONLINE FOR MY MODEL. IT IS A BIT INJUSTICE FOR ME TO PAY A LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY TO FIX A DEFECTIVE PART MADE BY BMW AND HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE OTHER THAN TO TAKE IT TO THE BMW DEALERSHIP. JUST TO HAVE THEM INSPECT MY VEHICLE COSTED $175. I HAVE ALSO BEEN MADE AWARE THAT BMW RECALLED 76,565 VEHICLES DUE TO A DEFECT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT FOR BMW MODELS 2006 325I, 325XI, 330I AND 330XI SEDANS AND 325XI SPORT WAGONS, THE 2007 328I, 328XI, 335I AND 335XI SEDANS AND 328I AND 328XI SPORT WAGONS, THE 2006-7 525I, 525XI, 530I, 530XI AND 550I SEDANS AND 530XI SPORT WAGONS, THE 2006 760I SEDANS, THE 2006-7 750I, 750LI, AND 760LI SEDANS AND THE 2006 X5 SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. IT SEEMS THESE DEFECTS WERE FOUND IN MY 2013 MODEL AND I WILL LIKE BMW TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE AND FIX IT.
TAKATA RECALL. 8 MONTHS AGO, I WAS PLANNING TO REFINANCE MY VEHICLE & LOWER MY INTEREST RATE. AS I CALLED, THE BMW FINANCE COMPANY, TOLD ME I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DO ANYTHING WITH MY VEHICLE UNTIL THE RECALL IS DONE. THAT'S WHEN I WAS BROUGHT AWARE TO THE RECALL, IF I WAS NOT TOLD, I WOULDN'T HAVE KNOWN. I CALLED TO THE DEALER, NORTH HOLLYWOOD BMW &A SOUTH BAY DEALER, BUT NEITHER HAVE TAKEN RESPONSIBILITY TO FIX MY VEHICLE'S RECALL. TODAY I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM "AUTO AIRBAG SETTLEMENT" IF I HAVE GOTTEN MY RECALL FIX & I HAVE NOT. WHAT CAN I DO TO FIX THIS PROBLEM?
CAR REMAINS SUBJECT TO AN AIRBAG INFLATOR RECALL 15 MONTHS AFTER I BOUGHT IT. THIS RECALL IS BLOCKING ME FROM TRADING THE CAR AT A DEALER FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT, BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SELL THE CAR WITH A PENDING RECALL.
TAKATA RECALL: NO FIX FOR THIS RECALL AND IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. UNABLE TO RESALE OR TRADE IN AT MARKET VALUE.
IF CELL PHONE PLACED ON THE PASSENGER SEAT, IT COULD CAUSE A FALSE SEAT BELT LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE. I NOTICED WHILE CHARGING MY PHONE THROUGH THE USB PORT AND THE PHONE IS CHARGING; I CAN REPEAT THE INCIDENT OVER AND OVER. IT IS UNCLEAR IF THE AIRBAGS ARE FUNCTIONAL AT THIS TIME. THIS COULD HAPPEN IN MOTION AT ANY SPEED (HIGHWAY/CITY) OR WHILE STATIONARY.
TAKADA INFLATORS. STILL AWAITING REPLACEMENT OF DEFECTIVE PART. WAITING FOR REPLACEMENT SINCE 2/5/16. CALLED 3/27/17 AND WAS ADVISED THERE WERE NO REPLACEMENT PARTS AVAILABLE.
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 BMW 335I. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V071000 (AIR BAGS). THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT. UPDATED 01/05/17*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED IT HAS BEEN TEN MONTHS, SINCE SHE RECEIVED THE RECALL NOTICE AND THE PARTS ARE STILL NOT AVAILABLE. UPDATED 02/14/17*JB
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 BMW 335I. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V071000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION SYMBOL CAME ON ON TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS AS I STARTED THE CAR AND REMAINED ON AS I DROVE IT AND WHEN I RESTARTED IT IT WAS GONE BRIEFLY
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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