The seat bag sensor is continuously on. There is no one in the seat. This started at about 65K, the car now has 106K...is this dangerous to a passenger? of course, this seems to activate the seatbelt light also...

- Arlington, VA, USA

Passenger airbag restraint failure - BMW's, in particular 3 series and E90 models, have a known and common failure where the seat based electrical mat fails in the passenger seats. This is not related to wear and tear as the seats often go unused but simply fail after a certain period of time. The error causes the passenger side airbag to default to always on, which can cause injury or death to children or small passengers in that seat. The cost to repair this is usually $200 for parts and $400 for labor which means many drivers simply don't fix it creating a vulnerability. The issue has been recurring with bmws for several generations and across model types and should be addressed by the manufacturer as its a poorly made part and set up. There are numerous documented cases on BMW forums and a partial recall for some models was implemented. A full recall is needed on all cars affected, including 2007 3 series models. The issue does not appear fixed until the F model 3 series came out. Https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?P=4746508#post4746508 https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/archive/index.php/T-496444.html

- Mclean, VA, USA

For over a year now the airbag light on the dashboard has been going on and off. Originally, it was only turning on when I had a passenger in the front seat. Now it turns on with or without a person so I'm starting to think that the drivers side is malfunctioning too. In additional the seatbelt light is turning on too now. This is very frustrating. I talked to the dealership and they indicated that it is the airbag and seat sensors that have malfunctioned. Each to fix is over $500. They also indicated that this is a common problem for owners and to wait for a supposably recall letter. However, that was a year ago and I now have the airbag and seatbelt light going off. I've also come across many BMW forums (owners) talking about their frustration with these same issues. It's surprising that the dealerships acknowledge the issue but yet nothing is being resolved. There has to be a remedy for this annoyance and lack of acknowledgement by BMW. If anything there has to be some repercussions on BMW's part since the consumers are having to deal with these problem for what seems to be years now.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA