2006 BMW 325XI

I HAVE RECEIVED A SENSOR LIGHT STATING THAT I HAVE A PASSENGER RESTRAINT MALFUNCTION. THEN IT GOES AWAY AFTER A FEW DAYS UNTIL SOMEONE ELSE SITS DOWN WHICH WOULD LEAD ME TO BELIEVE THAT IT HAS TO DO WITH THE PRESSURE SENSOR MAT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. I HAVE READ THAT THIS HAPPENS TO BE A RECALL FOR BMW BUT MY VIN APPARENTLY IS NOT COVERED IN THE RECALL. I AM EXTENDING THIS COMPLAINT IN THE HOPES THAT BMW WILL INVESTIGATE AND EXTEND THE RECALL TO MORE MODELS WITH THIS ISSUE. *TR

THIS COMPLAINT IS REGARDING A PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION ALERT/ISSUE THAT SEEMS TO BE COVERED BY A RECENT BMW RECALL I FOUND ON YOUR WEBSITE. THIS ALERT STARTED TO COME UP IN MY CAR INTERMITTENTLY ALMOST 2 YEARS AGO, BUT IT NOW STAYS ON. I HEARD ABOUT A RECALL AND WAS WAITING FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM BMW BUT HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY. I WENT TO THE BMW CENTER IN ALEXANDRIA, VA THIS WEEK (8/15/14) TO SEE IF THIS WAS COVERED BY THE RECALL AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS NOT. I ALSO CALLED THEIR 1-800 CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMBER AND WAS TOLD THE SAME THING. HOWEVER, I JUST FOUND A RECALL NOTICE FOR THIS ISSUE (SEE LINK BELOW) ON THIS WEBSITE WHERE IT SPECIFICALLY INCLUDES MY MODEL YEAR CAR (BMW 2006 325XI). MY CAR IS NOW NOT PASSING VA INSPECTION DUE TO THIS ISSUE. I WAS TOLD THIS REPAIR WOULD COST OVER $2,000, WHICH I DON'T HAVE AT THIS MOMENT. PLEASE ADVISE AS TO HOW I CAN BEST EXPEDITE THE NECESSARY REPAIRS UNDER THIS RECALL, TO DEAL WITH THIS SECURITY ISSUE AND SO THAT I CAN RENEW MY INSPECTION STICKER AS REQUIRED BY VA LAW.

AIR BAG AND PASSENGER SEAT BELT INDICATOR ON CENTER DASH CLUSTER LIT UP DURING NORMAL DRIVING. TOOK CAR TO DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR AND WAS TOLD THE AIR BAG SEAT MAT WAS BAD AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. ALSO TOLD THAT REPAIR WOULD COST $900. DECIDED TO EAT COST AS IT IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AS AIR BAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY DURING A CRASH. TOTAL COST FOR REPAIRS: QTY 1 PART# 52-10-7-244-127 BASIC SEAT U 1 COST $385.10 , QTY 2 PART# 52-20-1-964-201 CLIP 13 COST $3.84 , QTY 35 PART# 52-10-945-543 CLAMP 134 COST $$22.40. TOTAL PARTS=$411.34 ; TOTAL LABOR=$554.60, TOTAL BILL FOR REPAIR=$965.94. I WOULD NOT MIND IF THIS WOULD BE THE END OF THE ISSUE, BUT IT IS NOT. I PICKED UP THE CAR FROM DANIELS BMW OF ALLENTOWN ON JUNE 14 2013, AND TODAY (JUNE 21, 2013) THE ISSUE CAME BACK. 7 DAYS AFTER I HAD THE CAR REPAIRED FOR THE ISSUE, THE EXACT SAME ISSUE REAPPEARED. THIS IS A MAJOR CONCERN OF MINE AS THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OF MY CAR IS ALMOST ALWAYS IN USE BY MYSELF OR MY SPOUSE. AFTER DOING A BIT OF READING ON BMW ONLINE FORUMS, I SEE THAT THERE IS A RECALL FOR THE EXACT SENSOR MAT AS INSTALLED IN MY CAR, FOR ALMOST ALL OTHER SEATS CONTAINING THE EXACT SEAT MAT, BUT NOT FOR MY CAR, AND OTHERS LIKE ME. I HAVE GONE ONTO THE BMW NA WEBSITE AND DID A RECALL SEARCH FOR MY CAR AND FOUND THAT THE RECALL DOES NOT APPLY TO MY CAR. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE FOR BMW AND THEY SHOULD STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT AND REPAIR ALL SEATS AFFECTED WITHOUT QUESTION. I WILL BE TAKING MY CAR BACK TO DANIELS BMW OF ALLENTOWN FOR COURTESY REPAIR AND HOPEFULLY THEY WILL REPLACE...AGAIN....THE BROKEN MAT FOR FREE. HOPEFULLY THIS WILL NOT BE THE BEGINNING OF AN ONGOING RECURRING ISSUE. *TR

I STARTED MY CAR THAT MORNING AND THE AIRBAG/SEATBELT SENSOR LIGHT CAME ON EVEN THOUGH MY SEATBELT WAS FASTENED. I FASTENED THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT TO SEE IF THAT WAS IT BUT IT STAYED ON. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE BMW DEALERSHIP IN AUGUSTA, GA AND THEY CHARGED ME $120 TO CHECK IT. THEY STATED IT WOULD COST $530 TO REPAIR IT. I DECIDED TO CHECK IF THERE WAS A RECALL AND I SEE THAT THIS IS A COMMON COMPLAINT ABOUT THESE VEHICLES. OTHER VEHICLES WITHIN THE YEAR MODEL HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN A RECALL BUT 325XI HAVE BEEN EXCLUDED. SINCE THE SAME MALFUNCTION OF THE SAME ITEM IS HAPPENING, IT SHOULD BE RECALLED ON 325XI AS WELL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 325XI. THE CONTACT STARTED THE IGNITION AND NOTICED THAT BOTH THE AIR BAG AND SEAT BELT WARNING INDICATORS WERE ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE WOULD ALSO OCCUR WHEN DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE WARNING LIGHTS REMAINED ILLUMINATED UNTIL THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS AND THEY DETECTED THE MALFUNCTION WAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR MAT. THERE WAS A RECALL RELATED TO THE DEFECT UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 08V384000 (AIR BAGS: FRONTAL). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND THEY INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DEFECT. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.