vsark

I spoke with BMW NA and they said that recall letters were being dispatched in Sept.end and first week of Oct.

Has anyone received the letter yet?

Slowhand11404

"Depending on the manner and frequency of the front passenger's entry and exit, small cracks have developed in the mat. "

Someone goofed.... the seat sensors were supposed to be designed so that the cracks appear just after 50,001 miles (or 100,001 miles for CPO).

My 1996 Z3 had the same problem at 55,000......... costing me $750. Its all marketing. Why would BMW design sensors to last forever when they can make money if they fail just after the warranty expires.... and with airbag sensors you have to get them fixed to pass state inspection (at least in my state).

mk23169

I have had a terrible experience with this problem. My passenger airbag light has been coming on since I had 35,000 miles. They tried repairing it multiple times and no matter what the warning was just reset and they gave me the car back. Then two weeks later, the light comes back and i get the warning every time i start my car. Finally I heard about this recall and i was so excited so i called BMW. I told my SA, now i know its dangerous and its not right driving with a passenger in the car, i need this fixed now, under warranty even though i have 74000 miles. He said No Problem.

I brought the car in, BMW had it for 2 days and they called me and said, it has nothing to do with the recall but its your battery terminals! They wanted to charge me $400 for parts and labor! ( there was a subwoofer installed at one point.) I said are you crazy, one thing has nothing to do with the other, there are no short circuits and there was a recall for my cars airbag sensor! They exact problem the car is reporting! They wouldnt fix it, so i pulled my car out and I am waiting for the letter from BMW so that they have no choice but to replace it. Plus, an update from BMW, the highway safety board said they have to send the letters by JAN latest, i got the hint from the representative that they would be coming around December. I wish it could be repaired sooner. Any advice?
Mike

jdcinc21

Havent seen anything.
I wonder if they can just turn off the sensor and leave the passenger airbag always on?

southgate

shit i cant believe i missed this my car says its off and i didnt notice it till probably amonth ago i still have wiring left from my system i will take all that out and take it in....

545iBMW

I was at my dealership last week and today for another issue and I asked when they will gonna do the airbag recall. SA told me on two separate occasions that there are no recall on my car yet (05 545) and that the airbag recall "may be bogus".

Is there a number I could call to verify any recall that needs to be done on my car?

qtrxist

i called BMW yesterday and according to the rep i talked to he said they are still sorting things out about this recall. definitely there is a recall but it is not released yet. one thing to watch out according to him is (currently i have couple of lights on my dash, seatbelt and airbag) if somebody sits on front passenger and the overhead airbag light is still on (light), meaning airbag is not armed, try to advise passenger to sit on rear seat because airbag may not deploy in the event of accident.
also just an advise to BMW CPO owners, or used car owners, please call BMW NA 1-800-831-1117, and update the current owner, just be ready with your VIN number so you will get the mail about the recall and not the previous owner. i believe that BMW NA will issue the recall not your dealer, AFAIK. also, i registered my car at BMW NA WEBSITE the day i got my car (used) so they have all my info, but unfortunately when i called they still have the previous owner there. so it doesnt hurt to call them and verify if their records show you as the current owner.

vsark

there is definitely a recall. My car (out of warranty) is at the dealer and they have diagnosed the problem as the seat sensor mat ( same as the recall issue). Both seat belt and airbag lights are on. I spoke with BMW NA and they have confirmed the recall but said that letter will only go out to 5 seriers owner in a couple of months because they are dealing with the X3 owners right now. VIN numbers are being identified and added to the list everyday so your number may not be there. They had advised me to take the car in and have the dealer speak with them for authorization to complete the work (I have both lights on)

ALSO - BMW will offer a 10yr extended warranty for the sensor mat to all 5 series for 04-06 model years !! So, either ways this issue should be covered!

My SA is connecting with BMW NA and so I am hoping that tomorrow he will get the authorization to complete work at no charge. BTW - its also the service managers discretion to do it in goodwill. Worst case - you pay for it and then work thru re-imbursement, which I am trying to avoid.

Hope this helps..I will update later.

~ V

gotcha

I just had my vehicle serviced for the airbag seatbelt fault at the dealer for free. but sadly a month later after my fat friend plopped on my pass. seat the lights and fault came back. do they just patch up the problem or do they really fix it? i scheduled another appt to have it serviced again.

uukahn

This is what I found from BMW NA website:



August 13, 2008
Statement on voluntary recall involving front passenger seat sensor mat on U.S.A. model BMWs
Today, BMW announced a voluntary recall regarding the front passenger air bag seat sensor mat involving approximately 200,000 Model Year 2004-06 vehicles. Affected are certain Model Year 2006 3-Series, Model Year 2004-06 5-Series, and Model Year 2004-06 X3 vehicles, depending upon seat type. BMW has found that the sensor mat may become damaged during vehicle usage depending upon the manner and frequency of the front passenger?s entry and exit.
BMW will begin sending customer letters in late September 2008. Affected owners may continue to drive their vehicles; however, customers should contact their BMW Center if the air bag warning lamp and the passenger air bag ?on-off? lamp are illuminated simultaneously. In this situation, BMW recommends customers not to use the front passenger seat and have the vehicle serviced immediately.