Passenger occupancy sensor fails, causing air bag to become inoperative and airbag light to appear on dash. In case of accident, the airbag will not deploy. Dealer wants nearly 2000 dollars to fix, though they say it had "already been repaired in 2008" when the vehicle was two years old; dealer confirmed that they hear this complaint all of the time. Recall campaign 08V384000 addresses this issue for some BMW models/seats, but does not adequately address all models and years that have the problem. For the X5 model, for example, the "comfort seat" is covered, but the standard seat, which has the very same problem (not related to the comfort system) is not. Please widen the coverage of the campaign to include all models and years affected by this widespread problem.

- Kaysville, UT, USA

The front passenger air bag sensor went on at 44K and remains illuminated at all times and for no apparent reason. I took the vehicle to an independent repair shop and was informed that the air bag sensor was defective. Called the BMW site who indicated that there were no recalls for this issue. Contacted NHTSA website and informed that recall was in place (EA08001 BMW of North America, llc 01/04/2008 12/31/2008 BMW airbag light illumination 08V384000) dealer stated they would not honor this due to the manufacture date of my vehicle which fits every other criteria (e.g., year, make and model.) not the BMW I am used to.

- Meridian, ID, USA

My 2006 X5 BMW 4.4I has recently experienced a failure in the passenger side airbag sensor which fails to identify a passenger in the front passenger seat and thus does not activate the passenger side airbag.

- Sanford, FL, USA

The contact owns a 2006 BMW X5. The contact stated that the air bag system warning light was illuminated and the vehicle was taken to a local repair facility. The mechanic advised the contact that the front passenger seat air bag occupant detection mat was defective. The manufacturer was contacted but provided no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 90,000 and current mileage was 90,091.

- Highland Village, TX, USA

The vehicles seat occupancy sensor is malfunctioning for no particular reason which will prevent for passenger airbag to deploy when it is suppose to in the event of an accident, my vehicle is not that old and has not been abused but yet this issue occurred since about less than a year ago, when someone sits in the passenger seat the warning light comes on that indicates that the air bag is off and the airbag warning light comes on as well. I have tried to get the manufacturer to take responsibility with no luck, they want over a $1000 plus to replace the sensor, my issue remains unresolved; I ran a check for this issue online and found that almost every BMW owner experiences the same issue and almost every BMW in different range of recent years and different models has the same problem and this is a mass-produced manufacturer defect that has gone unnoticed. This is a safety issue, if I had been in an accident my passenger airbag would not deploy, this issue still remains unresolved as of this date. This problem began about a year ago when my vehicle was only about 3 years old and 45000 miles and has been getting worst with time, before it was occasional but now it is all the time, the repair would consist of taking the entire passenger seat out and apart and replace the sensor-pad that is connected to the vehicles safety system computer placed inside the seat pads, this is not an easy task or a repair that is accessible. Most definitely there should be a safety recall on this item. Most people don't know that they can file a complaint and request recalls on their vehicle issues and that is why you may not see many complaints about this issue.

- Houston, TX, USA

The contact owns a 2006 BMW X5. While driving approximately 60 mph on normal road conditions, the passenger seat occupancy sensor and air bag warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The indicators remained illuminated until the engine was turned off. In addition, the seat belt system chime sensor was inoperative. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing and the technician stated that the failure was contributed to the passenger seat sensor. The vehicle has not been repaired. The manufacturer has been notified of the malfunctions. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 66,000 and current mileage was 67,000.

- Upper Marlboro, MD, USA

The contact owns a 2006 BMW X5. While driving 30 mph, another vehicle crashed into the rear of the contact's vehicle. The bumper, muffler, and trunk were damaged. The driver's seat belt failed and released prematurely. The front air bags failed to deploy. The contact was uninjured. The vehicle was towed to a local repair shop and repaired. The contact has a copy of the police report. The manufacturer could not provide an explanation for the failures. The failure mileage was 56,000 and current mileage was 56,500.

- Annrillo, TX, USA