2011 BMW 328I

I AM RECEIVING A 'PASSENGER RESTRAINT MALFUNCTION' MESSAGE ON MY DASH AND THE SEATBELT AND AIRBAG LIGHT ARE STUCK ON. ONLINE BMW STATES "THE OC3 MAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. CHECK WITH YOUR DEALER, WE EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON SOME MODELS." I CHECKED WITH MY DEALER AND THIS DOES NOT QUALIFY. THEY WILL NOT COVER THIS SAFETY REPAIR. I CANNOT SAFELY HAVE ANYONE RIDE IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, AND THE SEAT CEASES TO MOVE AS WELL. MY DEALER STATES IT COSTS $1350 TO FIX AND THEY WOULD NEED TO ORDER IN THE PART AND HAVE MY VEHICLE FOR 2 DAYS. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. SAFETY ISSUES SHOULD NOT HAVE AN 'EXPIRATION DATE' AS TO WHEN THE DEALER WILL OR WILL NOT COVER IT. THE CARE IS 7 YEARS OLD AND HAS 63,000 MILES. THIS DEFECT WAS COVERED FOR THE 2006 AND 2007 MODELS AND BECAME A RECALL. I SEE ONLINE IN FORUMS OTHERS ARE EXPERIENCING THIS IN THE 2011 MODEL. I AM FORCED TO PAY A MECHANIC TO FIX THIS NOW.

IN LATE 2017-EARLY 2018 THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT WARNING CHIME WOULD COME ON OCCASIONALLY WHEN SOMETHING LESS THAN 5 POUNDS WAS ON THE SEAT AND NO ONE WAS SITTING ON THE SEAT. EVENTUALLY, IT HAPPENED ALL THE TIME WHEN NOTHING AT ALL WAS ON THE SEAT. I ALWAYS NEEDED TO DRIVE THE CAR WITH THE SEAT BELT CONNECTED. I LEARNED IT WAS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND CONTACTED BMW DEALER IN EARLY 2018 WHEN THE CAR HAD 88254 MILES AND THEY SAID IT WAS NO LONGER COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND WOULD COST ABOUT $1300 TO FIX THE AIRBAG SENSOR MAT. I FOUND A REPAIR PLACE TO REPLACE THE OC3 PASSENGER SEAT MAT WITH BMW PART FOR ALMOST $900. I HAD NO IDEA THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM UNTIL AUGUST 2018 I RECEIVED A NOTICE FOR THE EXACT SAME PART FOR OUR OTHER CAR, A 2004 X3 WHICH GAVE A WARRANTY EXTENSION AND OFFERED REIMBURSEMENT IF THE PART HAD ALREADY BEEN REPLACED. I CONTACTED BMW AND THEY REFUSED TO OFFER SAME EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR AIRBAG SENSOR MATTS IN MY 2011 328I. SINCE MY CAR EXPERIENCED THE EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS AS THOSE COVERED BY THE WARRANTY EXTENSION AND, I HAVE FOUND ONLINE THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MANY BMWS, THE LOGICAL CONCLUSION WOULD INDICATE THAT THERE IS A FLAW WITH THE SENSOR ITSELF NOT SPECIFIC TO THE X3 MODEL. IN FACT THE SENSOR HAS NOT YET FAILED IN OUR 2004 X3 THAT HAS OVER 160,000 MILES. THE 2011 328 SENSOR HAD THE SAME EXACT SYMPTOMS WITH A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE FOR THE AIRBAG SYSTEM. I'VE OWNED MANY VEHICLES WITH THIS SAME FEATURE AND HAVE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS. AT THE VERY LEAST A NEW INVESTIGATION SHOULD BE DONE TO DETERMINE WHETHER THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE FOR ALL BMW MODELS. I DROVE FOR OVER A YEAR WITH THIS PROBLEM UNTIL I REALIZED IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE AND THE AIRBAGS MIGHT NOT WORK IF THE SENSOR WAS BROKEN. IT WAS VERY EXPENSIVE TO FIX. MY ONLINE RESEARCH SHOWED THERE MAY ALREADY BE A NHTSA CLAIM RELATED TO THIS. THANK YOU

THIS 2011 BMW 3 SERIES WAS IN AN ACCIDENT SEP OF 2014 AND REPAIRED. THE STEERING WHEEL AIRBAG AND THE SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAG WERE REPLACED. NO ONE HAS BEEN ABLE TO TELL US IF THESE REPLACEMENT AIR BAGS ARE SAFE. THE REPAIR FACILITY CAN ONLY SAY THAT ALL PARTS WERE BMW PARTS AND THE AIRBAGS WERE TAKATA. HOW DO WE KNOW THE REPLACED AIR BAGS ARE OK.?

WHILE LOOKING UP THE RECALL FOR THE TAKATA RECALL, I NOTICED THERE WAS AN OPEN RECALL ON MY CAR FOR THE VANOS HOUSING BOLTS, I HAD NOT RECEIVED A NOTICE IN THE MAIL EVEN THOUGH I HAD UPDATED MY ACCOUNT WITH BMW AT FIRST NOTICE OF THE TANAKA RECALL. I HAD MY CAR SERVICED FOR THE VANO HOUSING REPAIR WHICH THEY REMOVED THE VALVE COVER TO INSPECT THE BOLTS AND FOUND A BROKEN BOLT ON THE VANOS HOUSING AND REPLACED THE EXHAUST, REMOVED AND INSPECTED THE OIL PAN TO REMOVE THE FRAGMENTS. I PAID FOR AN OIL CHANGE THAT DAY. LESS THAN 7300 MILES AND 2 QUARTS OF OIL LATER I WAS EXPERIENCING AN OIL LEAK THAT WAS CAUSED BY AN IMPROPERLY SEATED VALVE COVER NOT SEATING TO THE CYLINDER HEAD. THEY OFFERED TO REPAIR A BROKEN CYLINDER HEAD BOLT FOR $500 I DECLINED AS MY MECHANIC SAID IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE AND THEY SHOULD REPAIR A BOLT IF THEY ARE ALREADY IN THERE. I'D ALSO LIKE TO NOTE THAT THE RECALL LISTED THE REPAIR WAS TO TAKE 4 HOURS BUT THEY HAD MY CAR 3 DAYS. NO LOANER WAS GIVEN UNTIL THE END OF THE 2ND DAY. THEY ARE NOW REFUSING TO REIMBURSE ME FOR THE VALVE COVER $1000 REPAIR. I NOTICED ONLINE THAT SEVERAL DEALERS REPLACED THE VALVE COVER AS A PART OF THIS SERVICE TO AVOID THIS PROBLEM, THOUGH BERT SMITH BMW ST. PETERSBURG, FL DID NOT. I ALSO HAVE 2 OTHER OPEN RECALLS ON MY CAR THAT HAVE BEEN LISTED AS A REMEDY NOT AVAILABLE SINCE DECEMBER 2017.

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW 328I. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V071000 (AIR BAGS) AND STATED THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME FRAME TO SCHEDULE THE RECALL REPAIR BECAUSE THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY DID NOT HAVE THE TOOLS. IN ADDITION, THE DEALER (GLOBAL IMPORTS BMW, 500 INTERSTATE N PKWY, ATLANTA, GA 30339, (800) 294-1853) WAS UNABLE TO VERIFY WHEN THE REMEDY AND PARTS WOULD BE SUPPLIED FROM THE MANUFACTURER. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHEN THE VEHICLE WOULD BE REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED TO DETERMINE IF THEY COULD VERIFY WHEN THE PART WOULD BE SUPPLIED TO THE DEALER. THE CONTACT WAS NOT EXPERIENCING A FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS ALSO WAITING FOR THE REMEDY AND PARTS FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V683000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

"TAKATA RECALL" WHILE STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT, WE WERE STRUCK FROM BEHIND BY A VEHICLE WHO THEN RAN FROM THE SCENE.THE IMPACT WAS SEVERE ENOUGH THAT MY PASSENGER, JULIE COPPERSMITH LOST CONSCIOUSNESS FOR A FEW SECONDS FROM EITHER HITTING THE DASH OR JUST FROM THE VIOLENT MOVEMENT FORWARD. SHE WAS WEARING HER SEAT BELT BUT THE SHOULDER RESTRAINT FAILED AND THE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. THE MALFUNCTION WAS ACKNOWLEDGED ON THE CARS INFORMATION SYSTEM.

THE VEHICLES RDC MODULE THAT COMMUNICATES TO THE TPMS GETS WET AND CAUSES A COMPLETE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURE. THIS MODULE ON IS LOCATED UNDER THE PASSENGER REAR WHEEL SPLASH SHIELD ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE AND IS EXPOSED TO ELEMENTS. THIS IS A POOR DESIGN AND LOCATION. FAILURE HAPPENED DURING VEHICLE OPERATION AND EVEN WHEN OFF AND IT CAUSES COMPLETE LOSS OF ALL SAFETY FUNCTION. IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE WHEN RESEARCHING ONLINE.

WHEN WILL THE WIRING RECALL FOR MY CAR BE COMPLETED? I NEED SOME SORT OF UPDATED INFORMATION, AS MY CAR IS SITTING DUE TO SIGNING A FORM STATING I WILL NOT DRIVE UNTIL THE REPAIRS ARE DONE. THIS IS CAUSING OTHER ISSUES SUCH AS DEAD BATTERY, POSSIBLE TIRE DRY ROT ETC.... DUE TO SITTING FOR SO LONG I'M THE WEATHER WITHOUT MOVING. WILL ANY OTHER DAMAGES OR FAULTS BE COVERED DUE TO THIS?