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.
The contact owned a 1997 BMW Z3 Roadster. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH, there was a multi-car rear-end accident involving two other vehicles after she fell asleep at the wheel and rear-ended the vehicle in front of her. The contact stated that no other passengers were in her vehicle; however, only the driver's side air bag had failed to deploy. The contact required hospitalization and was in a coma. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and later auctioned. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed the VIN was not included in an air bag recall. The approximate failure mileage was 199,000. The VIN was not available.
Upon starting the car the air bag light came on and stayed on. This is the third time this has happened. The first two time it cost approximately $350 to repair. For this to happen a third time is indicative of a design fault.
Passenger got into front seat and adjusted it down and back with the power seat controls. Airbag light illuminated and has been on ever since. I checked for broken or damaged wiring but found nothing obvious. BMW is recalling many of their new cars, but it seems their old ones exhibit the same failures.
The consumer was driving 65 mph on I-95 when all of a sudden he lost control of the vehicle. The traction control feature on the vehicle failed to work. The consumer hit a guard rail and the air bags did not deploy. The consumer was injured.
My 1997 BMW Z3 has the SRS light constantly on, I get it fixed and it goes on again. I've done this like 3 times, now my mechanic is saying it's like 800 to fix. Rediculous! it'a definitely a safety issue, I'm not sue the system will work now.
- Santa Clara , CA, USA
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Repeated problems with the car's airbag. The airbag light comes on and stays on. I had this problem before and I paid BMW to fix it. They told me that it was something with the seatbelt. The light has come on again.
While driving, the air bag light illuminateed on the dashboard, the airbag sensor was replaced.. consumer stated the seat belt tensioner and harness was causing the air bag light and engine light to come on, the hood sensor for the alarm was replaced, there was a faulty thermostat that caused damage to the radiator, the glove box was replaced and the seat came out of place when stopping.
Airbag light in dasboard remains illuminated. Seatbelts appear to work, but I have had the car inspected by 2 different service shops (dave walter BMW and autobahn - both in akron, oh) and have been told that the cause is a faulty seatbelt lock on the driver's side seat.
Airbag light stays on all the time. This happened the first time in November 1999. Dealership analyzed the fault on their computer and said it was a problem with the driver's side seatbelt recepticle. This was replaced under warranty. In June of 2001, airbag lite came on again. Dealership diagnosed the problem as a short in the driver's side seatbelt receptacle. Replacement cost is $266. I said they replaced the same part a year and a half ago. The said the warranty on parts is one year. I called BMW of North America and requested help with the repair. They said the parts warranty is one year. I said it's a major safety component of the vehicle and its been replaced once already. There's obviously a problem with the part they manufacture. Without the sensor in the seatbelt receptacle functioning, the airbag will not deploy in a crash. They replied, parts warranty is one year.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Fort Dick, CA, USA