2004 BMW 5 Series

MY CAR HAS THE PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION MESSAGE ON THE NAVIGATION SCREEN AND ALSO THE SEATBELT LIGHT AND THE AIRBAG LIGHT ARE ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD. THERE IS A RECALL FOR SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR BELOW AND AS YOU CAN SEE MY CAR FALLS WITHIN THE CRITERIA AS THE CARS AFFECTED BY THE RECALL BUT A VISIT TO MY LOCAL BMW DEALER REVEALED THAT THERE WAS NO ACTIVE RECALLS UNDER MY VIN NUMBER. THIS IS AN OBVIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AS AIRBAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY AND THE RISK OF BEING SERIOUSLY HURT OR KILLED. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT BMW SHOULD REPLACE IN MY CAR UNDER THE RECALL AS IT HAS THE SAME MALFUNCTIONING PART SUCH AS THE CARS LISTED BELOW. RECALL ID # 57362 - AIR BAGS:FRONTAL RECALL DATE AUG 05, 2008 RECALL DATE: AUG 05, 2008 MODEL AFFECTED: 2006 BMW 3-SERIES SUMMARY: 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. DEPENDING ON THE MANNER AND FREQUENCY OF THE FRONT PASSENGER'S ENTRY AND EXIT, SMALL CRACKS HAVE DEVELOPED IN THE MAT. IF THIS OCCURS, 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. CONSEQUENCES: 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. REMEDY: DEALERS WILL REWORK THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR MAT SO THAT EXTERNAL FORCE APPLICATION TO THE SEAT DOES NOT CAUSE A CRACK TO THE MAT. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 6, 2008. 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. POTENTIAL UNITS AFFECTED: 200000 NOTES: BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC *JS

THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR TRIGGERS THE SAFETY WARNING LIGHT ON ALL THE TIME. IT MAY AFFECT THE AIRBAG OPERABLE. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE AND WAS SUBJECT OF A VOLUNTARY RECALL PROGRAM IN 2008 BY BMW. DESPITE MANY OTHER CAR OWNERS (AS EVIDENCED BY COMPLAINTS TO NHTSA AND ONLINE CAR FORUMS), INCLUDING MYSELF, HAVING THIS ISSUE AS DESCRIBED WITHIN THE RECALL PROGRAM FOR CARS OF THE MAKE AND YEAR OF THE PRODUCTION, ONLY 200K WITHIN A SPECIFIC VIN RANGE WERE RECALLED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW 545. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG AND PASSENGER RESTRAINT LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATING ON THE DASH BOARD. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT FAILED. THE DEALER STATED THERE WAS A RECALL UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 08V384000 (AIR BAGS: FRONTAL), BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 78,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 80,200.

WITHIN THE PAST 6 MONTHS OF DRIVING, MY AIRBAG FOR THE PASSENGER SIDE HAD TRIPPED THREE TIMES. THE THIRD TIME I BROUGHT IT IN, I RESEARCHED ON A RECALL FOR THE PASSENGER SENSOR. I PRINTED OUT THE PAGE FROM SAFERCAR.GOV, AND THEY TOLD ME THAT MY VIN# DOES NOT FALL UNDER THE CATEGORY. THE RECALL SPECIFICALLY STATED FOR MY BMW 545I 2004. I AM NOT HAPPY DUE TO THE FACT THAT YOU BUY A CAR AND FOR SOMETHING THAT CANNOT WEAR OUT BRAKES... *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BMW 545I (NA). THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE MALFUNCTION CONTINUED UNTIL THE ENGINE WAS SHUT OFF. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WHENEVER THE VEHICLE WAS IN OPERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY INFORMED THAT THE AIR BAG SENOR WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 91,000.

I OWN A 2004 545I AND THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON. I HAVE NEVER HAD AN ACCIDENT OR ANYTHING IN THIS CAR. I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL AUTO SHOP TO HAVE IT DIAGNOSED AND IT SHOWED THAT THE PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT WAS FAULTY. WHEN I RESEARCHED IT ON THE INTERNET, I FOUND A RECALL FOR THE PASSENGER AIRBAG SENSOR WHICH SPECIFICALLY FIT MY 2004 545I BMW. WHEN I CALLED THE BMW DEALERSHIP THEY CLAIMED THAT MY CAR WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AND IT WOULD COST ME ABOUT $1200.00 TO FIX! HOW CAN THIS BE WHEN THE RECALL SPECIFICALLY FITS THE DESCRIPTION OF MY VEHICLE? PLEASE HELP!! *TR

I HAD MY 2004 BMW 525I IN THE DEALER FOR THE AIR BAG SEAT MAT RECALL IN MARCH '09 AND HAD NO PROBLEMS BEFORE WITH THE AIR BAG SYSTEM BEFORE THIS RECALL WAS PERFORMED. ON DECEMBER 23, 2009 THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AT A LOCAL MALL WHILE WE WERE DOING SOME CHRISTMAS SHOPPING. COME OUT FROM SHOPPING AND START THE VEHICLE TO FIND THE PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF LIGHT ILLUMINATED, AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON CLUSTER, AND THEN THE I-DRIVE STATED FAULT IN PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG SYSTEM. I CONTACTED THE DEALER AS THE PREVIOUS REPAIRS WERE ONLY COMPLETED 9 MONTHS AND 4K MILES AGO, VEHICLE HAS 62K ON IT NOW. DEALER STATES FRONT CRASH SENSORS ARE BAG AND THE BILL WILL BE $700. THE REPAIRS REQUIRED THE REMOVAL OF THE BUMPER, REMOVE AND REPLACE AIR BAG SENSORS, AND PROGRAMMING. UNDER THE RECALL NHTSA STATES BMW WILL EXTEND THE WARRANTY FOR 10YRS UNLIMITED MILEAGE, THINK AGAIN BECAUSE I HAD TO PAY THIS BILL OUT OF POCKET. THE EXTENDED RECALL ONLY COVERS THE SEAT MAT I'M TOLD. I CONTACTED BMW CUSTOMER SERVICE WHO WAS NO HELP AT ALL WITH THIS PROBLEM. I DID SOME INVESTIGATING MYSELF AND FOUND MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE FRONT CRASH SENSORS FAILING IN THESE VEHICLES AND WONDERING WHEN THIS WILL BE LOOKED INTO BY NHTSA? IF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SAME PROBLEM EMAIL ME. *TR