andrek

Hi All. I need some advice on how to proceed. I recently took my 06 550i to the dealership to have the passenger sensor mat fixed under the extended warranty and also had them update the software on the car. The software update version is apparently new and actually caused the steering angle sensor to fail.

Now, when I start the car the passenger airbag off light blinks twice and then turns off when there is no one in the passenger seat. The SRS light is not on and there is no seat belt chime. I took the car back to the dealer to have them take a look and they could not find anything wrong, however , they can't tell me whether this behavior is normal. BMWNA rep didn't know but said it didn't sound right to him either.

My SA said that they could not contact BMW tech support since they did not have the car and they could not find anything wrong with it. Where do I go from here?

seanjordan20

Take the car back to the dealer make them give you a free rental until they figure it out. It is their problem to deal with the issue not yours. Your job is to bring it to there attention what they messed up. If they cant find the solution they need to take it to another dealer.

andrek

The problem is they don't want to, The SA told me today that since the service manager was overseeing the work on my car and he went on vacation, I could not bring in the car until he got back. I called BMWNA again and finally got a competent person to help me deal with their BS.

I tried a few things after I got from work and I dont think the SA nor BMWNA reps know how the updated SRS programming is supposed to work.

While I am sitting in the drivers seat with the engine running, the pass airbag off light does not come on. If I press on the passenger seat with my hand the AIRBAG OFF light comes on. If I get out of the car and sit on the passenger seat, nothing changes, the light just stays off. If I partially lift my weight off the seat, the light stays off.

Here is my theory:

Updated SRS software does not disable the passenger air bag when there is no one sitting in the passenger seat or if an adult is sitting in the passenger seat. Only when something or someone weighting 5 to 70 pounds is in the passenger seat, does the SRS deactivate the passenger airbag.

I hope they will confirm this is the way it is supposed to work.

twh

I have a 2006 530xi. I'm not completely sure yours is acting the way mine does, but here is how mine has always worked...

The light in the sunroof console does come and go depending on what you are doing. It isn't really supposed to stay lit when the air bag is off under normal conditions, for example, no one is in the seat.

Here is what the owner's manual says:
If you push you hand on the passenger seat lightly, the sunroof console airbag light will come on saying the airbag is off. That's because it thinks it detected a child. If you remove your hand, the seat now thinks no one at all is in the seat and the light goes out. If an average adult sits in the seat, the light is out also.

seanjordan20

Twh is correct. If it is lighting up because of light weight then off any other time then it is working correctly. The light is suppose to come on when it detects a child in the seat. Your hand, book bag, purse, or groceries will trigger the light to come on because it is detecting the weight of a child. 5-70lbs.

andrek

Thank you guys for clearing it up, I feel much better now. Prior to the seat mat replacement, my passenger airbag light would stay ON unless there was an adult sitting in the passenger seat. Why in the hell my SA could not answer the question is beyond me.

abe76247

The additional factor of the system is that an improperly installed child seat can turn off lamp indicating bag will be active. If the seatbelt is cinched down to secure the child seat with proper tension then a seat belt tension sensor/switch in the buckle senses the load of belt being high and turns off bag and lights the PAD light.

Did BMW handle the steering angle sensor issue?

andrek

Yes, the service manager told me they would cover it without me having to ask and they did fix it. However, after it was done, he asked to speak with me because SA thought there was an issue with the active steering before the update, but I had a receipt from an independent BMW shop for alignment and active steering programming done a week before.

My SA is just an a**hole.

seanjordan20

They hate when you get thing fixed some where else. He was trying to get more money out of you

andrek

I cannot believe it but my SA actually called and yelled at me for calling BMWNA for help.

I actually paid more to get an alignment from the indy than I would have at the dealer, but I was ok with that as last time I took the car to the dealership for an alignment, they told me that they could not do it as active-stabilizer bar needed to be replaced due to a leak.