This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I turned my car on an out of nowhere a seatbelt and airbag light came on. I did not get into a bump up or disconnect any sensors it just popped up one day.
Randomly while driving and sometimes when stationary my car's electrical system started going haywire including my gauges and the passenger airbag as well some other safety features with tthe seatbelt were disabled with & without a passenger in the car. I keep getting a warning screen that tread as follows: "restraint system malfunction. Fault in passenger-restraint system affecting airbag, belt tensioner or belt-force limiter. Continue to wear the safety belt. Have the system checked by the nearest BMW center." After looking online it is a common problem but for some reason my VIN isn't included on the recall.
When a passenger is belted - with car running/driving - an alarm comes on - basically not recognizing when belted. Also the inactive airbag light is not on. When no passenger, the car used to light up the 'airbag not active' - it no longer shows that (light is always off) whether passenger there or not.
After a personal investigation into this issue, BMW seems to still deny that my model has the same issues described in the recall. "restraint system malfunction!" appears on the car every 20 seconds frighting drivers and passengers the airbags and seatbelts might not work. This is an american car curently in Canada.
Hello, my 2009 BMW E92 328I is experiencing an issue where the front passenger seat sensor is not functioning properly, which will cause the airbag and seatbelt to not function as intended. There have been recalls on other models for the same issue, but with the same design and parts, I do not understand how my car is not covered. (https://brandilaw.com/2013/12/26/BMW-recalls-76565-vehicles-due-to-A-front-passenger-seat-electronic-sensing-mat-failure/) this is a very dangerous problem. I have read on several online forums that it is a recurring problem in the cars after the effective recall date. I am trying my best to do due diligence and inform the ntsb to review this incident within other BMW models and to hopefully remedy any affected cars. The design of the sensor is very poorly constructed and very expensive to fix, leaving many owners to simply forego making the necessary fixes. In fact, several mechanics informed me that customers typically avoid making the fix due to how expensive it is, running the risk of their passenger not being protected in the event of a collision. I hope the ntsb can look into this problem. Please feel free to contact me at [xxx] for any additional information. Thanks, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
- Playa Del Rey, CA, USA
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Issue: When seat unoccupied, will receive seat belt warning as if a person is in the seat. Issue: When passenger is in seat, airbag and seat belt light comes on, with warning on the display that there is a restraint system malfunction. Defect with front passenger air bag seat occupancy sensor mat, there are several recalls for this issue in different years/models. My year is not covered for the current recalls, even though its the same exact issue, and likely the same mat and/or seats. Example recalls: 17V-428 13V-564 17V-605
My vehicle suddenly displayed a passenger restraint system malfunction message following someone sitting in the seat. Everything appears to be in full working order except whatever is causing the malfunction.
I turned on my vehicle one day and a message saying "passenger restraint system malfunction. Continue to wear seatbelt. Bring to local BMW dealership." The day before nothing happen as I was driving home from dallas to houston. Occasionally as I drive with someone sitting in the passenger seat, the warning goes away but then the chime goes off and the message reappears. This happen all in June, July, and August. Now even when no one is sitting on the passenger side, the warning comes on and stays on. The seatbelt as well seems to have no restraint and is a safety concern because if I was ever in an accident, the seatbelt won't hold the passenger back.
The contact owns a 2009 BMW 335I. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the sensor illuminated on the instrument panel indicating that the front passenger side seat belt malfunctioned and needed to be serviced. Also, the contact indicated stated that the seatbelt failed to retract. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who diagnosed that both front seat mat sensors and seat belts were defective, and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 22,500.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Blountville, TN, USA