2008 BMW 5 Series Air Bags & Restraints Problems

My BMW i528 was parked on May 23, 2024, and the driver airbag deflated without being tampered with. The incident is on surveillance camera. Since the car was manufactured in 2008, the insurance company will not cover the cost of the incident because it was not the result of a collision. There was no light that came on prior to the incident. A diagnostic check was performed and there was no indication of a problem with the airbag.

The passenger seat occupancy sensor stopped working. On the NHSTA website I found where BMW offered a 15 year warranty for this part. What was the negotiation with NHSTA that BMW offered this warranty? It is warranty SI B01 01 18. My car on the list is the E60 and E61 with option 456 (Comfort Seat). BMW refuses to honor this warranty and want to charge me $2,700 to repair this. Note that the front passenger seat is rarely occupied. Why should this part fail prematurely?

The passenger seat occupancy sensor has failed. As a result, the airbags will not deploy on the passenger side, if a passenger is present, in an accident. The error is displayed as soon as the passenger sits. Warning lights go out after restarting the car and if the passenger seat is unoccupied.

The vehicle front passenger seat sensor MAT (SRS) failure. This is a safety-related issue. The same item was recalled for prior years' models. A recall should issued be for this model and and year.

CAR SMOKES BAD VALVE SEALS AND SEATBELT RESTRAIN WENT BAD TWICE AND CAR SEAT ADJUSTMENT GOES BAD

VEHICLE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR MAT (SRS) FAILURE. 2ND TIME THIS SAFETY RELATED SENSOR HAS FAILED. FIRST TIME DEALERSHIP REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. DEALERSHIP WANTS TO CHARGE FOR REPLACEMENT NOW. THIS IS A SAFETY RELATED ITEM AND IT HAS FAILED FOR THE SECOND TIME. I HAVE RESEARCHED AND FOUND THAT SAME ITEM HAS BEEN RECALLED FOR PRIOR MODELS AND YEARS. I BELIEVE THIS ITEM SHALL BE RECALLED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW 528I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL INDICATED, THAT THE PASSENGER RESTRAIN SYSTEM WAS DEACTIVATED AND TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR MAT WAS DEACTIVATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V564000 (AIR BAGS). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 119,000.

87,000 MILES WARNING LIGHT PASSENGER AIR BAG NOT ENGAGED AND MAY CAUSE DAMAGE. QUOTED $1800 BMW CERTIFIED MECHANIC TO REPLACE, FIX. LOOKING FOR RECALL AS MANY OTHERS EXPERIENCED THE SAME. WAS TOLD THAT YOU CAN'T TELL WHETHER THE AIRBAG WILL INFLATE OR NOT. AGAINST THE LAW TO DISCONNECT THE LIGHT. UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE WITHOUT TAKING THE SEAT APART.

THE NORTH AMERICAN BMW HAD RECALLED THE 2004-2006 BMWS WITH THE FAULTY PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY MAT, AS THEY HAD A RECURRING PROBLEM OF FAILING. BMW STATED THAT THEY "IMPROVED THE QUALITY OF MATERIALS, AND FIXED THE PROBLEM", BUT IT SEEMS THAT OTHER BMW OWNERS STILL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM INCLUDING MYSELF. MY BMW ABOUT 4 MONTHS AGO HAD THE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY WARNING LIGHT COME ON, AND I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT THEY "FIXED" THE ISSUE, BUT MOST LIKELY INSTEAD OF ACTUALLY TAKING THE TIME TO IMPROVE THEIR PRODUCT, THEY PROBABLY JUST SLAPPED A NEW LABEL ON IT AND CALLED IT A DAY. AND WHAT EVEN MORE ANNOYING IS THE COST OF REPLACEMENT PARTS, WHICH ALONE COST UPWARDS OF $900. YOU WOULD THINK THAT FOR $900 THE PAST WOULDN'T HAVE A PROPENSITY TO BREAK. THE NEWER MODELS THAT STILL HAVE THIS PROBLEM SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER RECALL OR AT LEAST HAVE A REDUCED PRICE TO COMPENSATE FOR THE POOR CRAFTSMANSHIP OF A PRODUCT KNOWN TO FAIL.

SEAT AIRBAG SENSOR MALFUNCTIONING

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW 535XI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. AN UNKNOWN DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS HUNG UP ON. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 180,000.

FAULT IN PASSENGER-RESTRAINT SYSTEM AFFECTING AIRBAG, BELT TENSIONER OR BELT-FORCE LIMITER. THIS STARTED HAPPENING A YEAR AGO AFTER VISITING DEALERSHIP FOR OIL CHANGE. I CANNOT HAVE PASSENGER NEXT TO ME BECAUSE WE ARE AFRAID OF MALFUNCTION IN AIRBAG SYSTEM.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW 535XI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR REMAINED ILLUMINATED, WHICH WAS A SAFETY CONCERN. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC OR A DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

AIR BAG SENSOR FOR FRONT PASSENGER SEAT NOT WORKING. REPLACED ONCE WHILE VEHICLE UNDER WARRANTY. SAME SENSOR MALFUNCTION AGAIN. BMW WILL NOT REPLACE UNLESS I PAY, COST OF REPLACING SENSOR OVER 4,000.00. I BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE COVERED BY BMW SINCE SAME PART IS AGAIN NOT WORKING.

THE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY MAT FAILURE LIGHT INDICATOR IS ON. BROUGHT BACK TO THE BMW DEALER, SERVICE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT IT IS A RECURRING PROBLEM FOR BMW. BUT SERVICE WOULD COST $2,300 TO FIX. I ASKED IF IT IS A RECURRING PROBLEM, THEN IT IS A DEFECT. BMW SHOULD FIX THE PROBLEM FREE OF CHARGE AS I SEE IN OTHER RECENT RECALL ANNOUNCEMENTS LIKE LAST MONTH FOR THE BMW X3.

LEFT REAR SEAT BELT WILL NO LONGER CLICK SHUT. IT WAS WORKING BUT WILL NO LONGER SNAP INTO THE LOCK RECEPTACLE SINCE MARCH 2017.

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR AND SUDDENLY THE RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION LIGHT TURNED ON AND THE SEATBELT LIGHT TURNED ON. I DID NOT HIT A BUMP OR ANYTHING. THERE WAS NO PASSENGER CURRENTLY SITTING ON THE PASSENGER SEAT WHEN THE LIGHT CAME ON. I HAVE TRIED SITTING DOWN ON THE PASSENGER SEAT AND PUT ON MY SEAT BELT TO SEE IF IT WILL GO AWAY BUT NO LUCK. ALSO, THE SEAT BELT LIGHT WILL NOT GO AWAY EVEN IF I BUCKLE THE DRIVERS SEAT AND PASSENGER SEAT BELT. *TR

I HAVE A 2008 528I AND I GOT AN ERROR MESSAGE SAYING THE PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM, OR AIR BAG HAD AN ERROR REGARDLESS OF A PASSENGER PRESENT OR NOT ANY TIME THAT CAR IS TURNED ON. I RESEARCHED IT AND IT SEEMS THAT THIS PROBLEM IS QUITE COMMON ON BMWS AND I FEEL AS ITS AN ISSUE WITH THE PRODUCTION OF THE CAR AND THE REPAIR SHOULD NOT BE AT THE OWNER'S EXPENSE. *TR

AT C. 89,000 MILES - WARNING: "DRIVER SIDE AIR BAGS MALFUNCTION". BMW DEALER, ROCKVILLE, MD, WANTS $660 TO TELL ME IF IT'S A REAL PROBLEM WITH THE BAG, AND/OR ITS HOUSING AND/OR ONLY A FAULTY SENSOR SENDING AN INCORRECT MESSAGE (!!) FOLLOWING THAT SUSPICIOUS DRILL THEY CAN THEN FIX IT - A COUPLE HUNDRED DOLLARS IF IT'S ONLY A SENSOR, MUCH MORE $ IF IT'S SOMETHING ELSE. CAR MOVING OR NOT, THE WARNING REMAINS ON.

CONSISTENTLY RECEIVING 'PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM' WARNING INDICATING LOSS OF AIRBAG PROTECTION ON ONBOARD WARNING SYSTEM. DEALERSHIP SUPPORT NOTIFIED SEVERAL TIMES WHILE UNDER MANUFACTURER AS WELL AS PURCHASED EXTENDED WARRANTEES WITHOUT ANY REMEDY. 'NO FAULT' FOUND BY DEALERSHIPS - REPORTEDLY THEIR DIAGNOSTICS INDICATED NO CURRENT ISSUE WITH PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM. PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM CONTINUES TO INDICATE SHUT-DOWN WHILE UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. LIMITED ONLINE RESEARCH INDICATES THAT THIS IS A PERSISTENT PASSENGER SAFETY CONTROL SYSTEM ISSUE SPECIFIC TO THIS MANUFACTURER AND MODEL.