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. I have contacted BMW and they say my VIN is not part of this recall, however I am experiencing the same issue as the recalled vehicles. I am worried about passenger safety! please help!

- Hidden Springs, ID, USA

A recent rain storm flooded the spare tire well compartment and fried all the electrical components stored underneath the tire. Luckily I wasn't driving the wagon that day and the car was parked on the driveway. Otherwise, the car would had shut down if it was moving and could cause an accident (happened to someone as discussed in the bimmer forum). Apparently, BMW have known about this safety issue as well as the sunroof drainage & tire well design defects for quite some time. They even generated a technical service/service information bulletin (sib54-06-06 & 61-13-06 on special roofs) for their service department to use. However, BMW keeps denying any damage liability and refusing to admit any design defects. BMW na, public relations and the sf BMW dealership responded to me that it is due to "external factors" (rains) and thereby they have no responsibility to the damaged vehicle. The service adviser told me that the repair cost would run into $15K. I am filing the said complaint and am seeking an attorney for a possible class action suit against BMW na.

- San Mateo, CA, USA

This BMW 530xi wagon suffered a complete electrical failure after the sunroof drainage system drained rain water into the compartments where the battery, fuses, various wiring harnesses and computer modules are stored. Approximately 7 hours after the rain storm, the owner (with no knowledge of the improperly drained water) attempted to operate the vehicle. During the drive, the car displayed two system malfunctions, followed shortly thereafter by the message "electronic system malfunction. Continued driving not possible" and multiple warning lights and sounds. The car was parked in a safe area and later towed to the BMW dealer. The BMW dealer confirms that the sunroof drained rain water into the electronics compartments, shorting out at least four computer modules, and destroyed the battery and multiple switches, relays, and wiring harnesses. Certain system components, including an air bag control unit, showed evidence of a fire (presumably due to a short caused by the rain water.) the BMW dealer states that replacing electronics modules and the battery (approximately $4,000) are required before further diagnostics can be performed to determine if there is damage to other vehicle components.

- Wilmington, DE, USA

Very big leak on my garage floor. No dashboard sensor alerted me to this leak. Transmission mechatronics sleeve was leaking and had to be replaced along with the oil pan and transmission oil added. This is a serious safety issue and I have heard that this is common with the 500 series. This should be investigated.

- Portland, OR, USA

The BMW vehicles with panoramic moonroofs have a known failure (see bimmerfest.com) in the water seals and drain channels associated with the sunroof. The issue is that clogged lines produce flooding in the electrical compartment. This flooding causes total electrical failure. In my case, the car was stopped and did not start again. However, a read of the message boards associated with bmws shows that many people have total failure while driving and that the steering column locks up completely. There is no ability to manually steer a BMW once the electrical goes off.

- Charlottesville, VA, USA

The contact owns a 2006 BMW 530 xit. The contact noticed that when it rained the water penetrated the vehicle spare tire area causing damaged to the vehicle main electrical system causing the instrumental panel and all electrical function to fail. The contact stated he experienced the failure several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer will clean the hoses clean the upholstery fabric, replaced the damaged wiring system. The failure and the current mileage were 39,000. Updated 01/20/11 the consumer stated the moonroof was not desgined correctly.

- Alexandria , VA, USA

The sunroof drain clogged in my 2006 BMW 530xi station wagon causing water to pool in the car and short out the electrical system while I was driving, which resulted in the loss of power to the dashboard including the speedometer. I had the car towed to the dealership and the tow truck driver told me that this was the second 2006 BMW 530xi station wagon he had towed that day for the very same problem, the dealership tells me that it's a common problem for the sunroof drains to get clogged by pollen and pine needles, which sounds like a design flaw to me. My husband inspected the trunk where the water was pooling, while we waited for the tow truck, there were relay wires where the water was pooling and heat and steam coming from the area so my husband disconnected the wires, I'm fairly sure that if we had left it much longer it could have caused a fire.

- Lynnwood, WA, USA