2007 BMW 328I

BMW RECALL DATED 11/12/2013, NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V564000. RECALL UP TO 76,565 UNITS FOR FAILURES OF FRONT SEAT OCCUPANT PROTECTION MAT. AIR BAG WILL NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. CONTACTED BMW AND TOLD MY VIN DOES NOT FALL INTO BMW RANGE BUT I'VE BEEN EXPERIENCING THE EXACT FAILURE SINCE PURCHASING THE VEHICLE USED IN 10/2013. BMW HAS LIKELY NOT IDENTIFIED THE TRUE VIN RANGE OF VEHICLES IMPACTED BY DEFECTIVE OCCUPANCY MATS AND REFUSES TO PAY FOR REPLACEMENT. *TR

I UNLOCKED THE CAR AND SAT IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT. MY WIFE SAT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. I INSERTED THE KEYFOB AND PUSHED THE 'START' BUTTON. THE CAR TURNED ON AND ABOUT 5 SECONDS LATER WE HEARD A 'GONG' SOUND. WE LOOKED AT THE SCREEN AND IT WAS SHOWING A RED WARNING ABOUT THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG BEING DISABLED. I POWERED OFF THE CAR, WAITED A MINUTE AND POWERED IT BACK ON. SAME ERROR CAME UP. SO I POWERED OFF THE CAR A SECOND TIME, ASKED THE WIFE TO GET OUT OF THE CAR AND THEN BACK ONTO THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT, THEN I POWERED ON THE CAR. THE ERROR WENT AWAY. WE DROVE 15 MINUTES TO DINNER, ATE AND RETURNED HOME WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. THAT NIGHT I SETUP AN APPOINTMENT WITH GLOBAL IMPORTS BMW FOR 9/12/2012 TO HAVE THEM LOOK AT IT. THE DEALER RAN DIAGNOSTICS AND REPORTED THE FOLLOWING IN REGARDS TO THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT ISSUE: "87844 PERFORMED SHORT TEST AND FOUND FAULT MRS-93C3. PERFORMED TEST MODULE AND FOUND THE PASSENGER SEAT MAT TO BE DEFECTIVE. CUSTOMER DECLINED THE SEAT MAT REPLACEMENT." NEXT TO THIS I HAD THE SERVICE MANAGER WRITE IN THE TOTAL REPAIR COST, $1,345.70. I STILL HAVE A COPY OF THE PAPERWORK WITH THE DETAILS IF NEEDED. I DECLINED THE REPAIR AT THE TIME BECAUSE I FELT THE FACT THEY FOUND "...THE SEAT MAT TO BE DEFECTIVE" INDICATED A KNOWN ISSUE. FAST FORWARD TO TODAY 4/11/2014, NHTSA LISTS A "RECALL SUBJECT : FRONT SEAT OCCUPANT PROTECTION MAT" CAMPAIGN NUMBER 13V564000. I CALLED BMW USA'S CUSTOMER RELATIONS NUMBER AND THEY TOLD ME MY CAR HAD NO RECALLS ASSOCIATED WITH IT EVEN THOUGH THERE'S CLEARLY AN ISSUE WITH THE SENSOR MAT. TO THIS DAY I HAVE YET TO RECEIVE ANY RECALL LETTERS FROM BMW NOR NHTSA. THE CAR STILL BRINGS UP THIS ERROR WHEN MY WIFE SITS IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. IT'S NOT SAFE AND I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR REPAIRS IF THERE'S AN ACTIVE RECALL FOR THIS MODEL YEAR. PLEASE HELP. *JS

I OWN A 2007 328I ,RECENTLY MY CAR HAS BEEN GIVING ME AN ERROR MESSAGE DUE TO THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSOR. WHENEVER, A PASSENGER SITS IN THE FRONT IT, A LIGHT TURNS ON LETTING ME KNOW THAT THE AIRBAG IS OFF. THIS MEANS THAT IN CASE OF A SERIOUS CAR ACCIDENT THE AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY AND THE PASSENGER'S LIFE WILL BE AT RISK. AFTER THE ERROR MESSAGE I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND OUT THAT THE ISSUE IS VERY COMMON IN THE 3-SERIES. BMW ACTUALLY DID A VOLUNTARY RECALL BUT IT ONLY INVOLVED 2006 3-SERIES. HOWEVER, I AM EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE THAT THE RECALL WAS ABOUT. I TOOK MY CAR TO BMW PACIFIC IN GLENDALE AND INFORMED ME THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO HELP ME SINCE MY CAR WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL. HERE IS THE RECALL THAT BMW ANNOUNCED: "STATEMENT ON VOLUNTARY RECALL INVOLVING FRONT PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR MAT ON U.S.A. MODEL BMWS - AUGUST 13, 2008 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. LINK: HTTP://WWW.BMWUSA.COM/STANDARD/CONTENT/CONTACTUS/VOLUNTARYRECALL.ASPX I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY BMW ONLY COVERED 06 MODELS WHEN 07 MODELS ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME EXACT ISSUE. I FEEL THAT THIS IS VERY IRRESPONSIBLE AND NEGLIGIBLE ON THEIR PART. I REALLY HOPE THAT YOU CAN HELP ME OUT WITH THE ISSUE THAT I AM EXPERIENCING AND INCLUDE MY CAR IN THE RECALL. I HAVE A WIFE AND DAUGHTER THAT RIDE WITH ME AND THE LAST THING I WANT IS FOR ANYONE TO GET SERIOUSLY HURT OVER SOMETHING THAT CAN BE PREVENTED BY BMW. THANK YOU. *TR

I TOOK THE CAR INTO THE SHOP FOR A BATTERY CHANGE AND UPON PICKING UP THE CAR THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT WARNING LIGHT WENT ON. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE SHOP AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS CON-INCIDENTAL THAT IT HAPPENED ON THAT DAY AND WOULD COST OVER $1000 TO FIX. I GOT A SECOND OPINION AND WAS TOLD BY DEALERSHIP THAT THE MAT SENSOR IS BROKE AND MAY DEPLOY IN ACCIDENT WHETHER OR NOT SOMEONE IS SITTING IN THE SEAT. I LOOKED ON THE INTERNET AND SAW THAT A RECALL WAS ISSUED BY YOU FOR MODELS 2006 AND EARLIER FOR THE SAME ISSUE. AFTER SPEAKING WITH BMW CORPORATE, I WAS TOLD TO REGISTER A COMPLAINT WITH YOU THAT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO UNLESS THE NHTSA ISSUES A RECALL. *TR

I PURCHASED MY BMW IN GERMANY!!! THERE WAS A RECALL FOR 2006 (I DRIVE A 2007) MODELS OF THIS VEHICLE FOR THE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR MAT IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. WHEN THIS MAT BECOMES DEFECTIVE, IT DISABLES AIRBAG SYSTEMS IN THE VEHICLES. THIS HAS BEEN A KNOWN PROBLEM SINCE 2008 (WHEN THE RECALL WAS ISSUED), HOWEVER THESE CARS WERE PRODUCED FROM 2006-2008+ BEFORE THE RECALL WAS ISSUED. THE RECALL ONLY COVERS 2006 MODELS WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS. IF THE SAME EXACT VEHICLE CONTINUES TO BE PRODUCED WITH THE SAME DEFECTIVE PART THAT HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM, BUT YOU ONLY COVER ONE YEAR OF IT BEING PRODUCED WHEN THERE WERE THREE, WHAT GOOD IS THAT? WHY IS IT THAT I HAVE TO DRIVE AROUND IN A CAR THAT HAS A KNOWN DEFECTIVE AIRBAG SYSTEM BECAUSE OF THE DEFECTIVE DETECTION MAT AND BET ON MY LUCK THAT I DON'T GET IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT AND BE CAUGHT WITH NO AIR BAGS FOR SAFETY. THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM... *TR

THE PASSENGER SIDE OCCUPANCY SENSOR IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND I BELIEVE THAT THE WARRANTY EXTENSION HAS NOT COVERED ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES. MY BMW 2007 328 CONVERTIBLE HAS THE IDENTICAL PROBLEM AS IDENTIFIED BELOW. I HAVE REPAIRED IT AND IT HAS CONTINUED TO MALFUNCTION NUMEROUS TIMES SINCE, WHILE DRIVING AND WHILE STOPPED, CREATING A SAFETY ISSUE FOR ANYONE IN THE PASSENGER SIDE SHOULD THERE BE AN ACCIDENT. I BELIEVE THIS FAULTY PART MUST HAVE BEEN USED IN MY 2007 328 CONVERTIBLE. AUGUST 2008 -- BMW IS RECALLING 200,000 MY 2006 3 SERIES (SPORT SEAT), MY 2004-2006 5 SERIES (STANDARD AND SPORT SEAT), AND MY 2004-2006 X3 PASSENGER VEHICLES. A FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT CAN OCCUR. IF THIS HAPPENS, THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAGS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE HEAD PROTECTION SYSTEM, WILL BE DEACTIVATED AND THE AIR BAG WARNING LAMP AS WELL AS THE PASSENGER AIR BAG "ON-OFF" LAMP WILL BE ILLUMINATED. IN THIS SITUATION THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY EVEN IF A SUFFICIENTLY SEVERE ACCIDENT WOULD OCCUR AND OCCUPANT PROTECTION PROVIDED BY THE SYSTEM WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE. BMW WILL ALSO EXTEND THE WARRANTY ON THESE VEHICLES TO 10 YEARS FROM FIRST REGISTRATION WITHOUT ANY MILEAGE LIMIT. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-525-7417. BMW IS EXTENDING THE WARRANTY TO 10 YEARS FROM FIRST REGISTRATION WITHOUT ANY MILEAGE LIMIT TO THE FOLLOWING VEHICLES: MY 2006 6-SERIES, 3-SERIES (STANDARD SEAT), MY 2004-2005 Z4, MY 2004-2006 7-SERIES, MY 2006 X5, AND MY 2004-2006 5-SERIES (COMFORT SEAT). UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY PROGRAM, THE OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT IN A VEHICLE THAT EXPERIENCES THIS SPECIFIC ISSUE WILL BE REPLACED AT NO CHARGE TO THE CUSTOMER. THIS RECALL WAS THE SUBJECT OF AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS, EA08-001, CONDUCTED BY THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION. 08V384. *TR