2006 BMW 3 Series Air Bags
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
[XXX] . I have a 2006 BMW e91, but mine is not listed for recall above in the link. Currently have a fault for occupant detection malfunction. I also have sports seats listed in the above document. The sensor will say active when no one is sitting in the seat which is a safety concern. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I was getting ready to leave my home and both front airbags deployed on me, which also resulted in my windshield breaking. I did not hit anything with the vehicle. I then looked up the VIN and noticed the 2 open recalls one is for the airbags, I contacted BMW left the service manager numerous voicemails he never returned any of my calls. Then I contacted BMW North America, I got the vehicle towed to BMW of Carslbad just before Thanksgiving 2024 I just picked up my vehicle on January 6 2025 and they did not fix the recalls on the vehicle. I have been without a vehicle since before Thanksgiving!! I have health issues and I am missing appointments. I am on a fixed income my husband just passed away. I need someone to help me I keep getting the run around. If there are open recalls they need to be fixed I don't understand.
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325I. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V513000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The dealer offered an inspection but declined to repair the vehicle. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
There is a recall 17v-428 for the seat mat, and i went to my local BMW dealer and said this car was not on the list, but they acknowledge it’s the same issue but because this VIN was not included they can’t fix it at no charge . They want $2100 to repair. Can you help me ? Thanks
My airbag light is on. I checked the website, and realize that there is a recall for Takata airbags, however, when I input my VIN#, my vehicle does not show the active recall. There is an alert on the website that says "DO NOT DRIVE"....I cannot get any assistance from Takata when I call; they keep telling me that my car is not included. I don't believe it is safe to drive my car, and can't get any help.
Takata Airbag Safety Recall Vin:[XXX] I live in Commonwealth of Pennsylvania which according to BMW and NHTSA is Zone B. My vehicle has a built date of 10/19/2005 330xi e90 model. The time in which the degradation to the propellant poses an unreasonable risk to safety is stated as a 10-15 year time frame. My car is almost 18 years old but BMW has NOT prioritized my vehicle's airbag. My vin number might not have made the list for zone A but its in zone B. I should have to wait until someone gets killed or injured. My name is [XXX] and can be reached at [XXX] My BMW dealer is Otto's BMW West Chester, PA 610399-8067 Please demand that BMW comply with the recall information listed on clearly on your NHTSA site and BMW of America's site. (Site Last updated 01/14/2019) Thank you. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Component failed: passenger seat occupancy sensor (BMW error code: 0x93C3) Implication: passenger airbag will not deploy in case of accident if the occupancy sensor is defective. Similar problems: similar recalls were issued by BMW for the same model and year but with only sports seat; regular seats were not recalled. Previous inspections: this issue has not been previously inspected, but personal inspection leads to faulty seat occupancy sensor. Prior warnings: dashboard shows seatbelt and airbag lights; roof indicator lamp shows passenger airbag off.
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325i. The contact stated that the front air bag and seat belt passenger sensor functionality were defective. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and no cause for the failure was determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V564000 (Air Bags). The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 330XI. The contact stated that the air bags warning and seat belts warning lights illuminated intermittently. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V428000 (Air Bags) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 123,100.
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325i. The contact stated that the dealer had previously replaced the passenger's side front seat air bag sensor and steering wheel air bag sensor; however, the failure recurred while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, with the air bag warning light being illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
We took our recently purchased BMW 2006 330xi in for recalls and a few fixes. However, the BMW service center wasn't able to fix one of the issues through the recall process since it doesn't show up for our vehicle. However, everything that I read suggests that it was a recall for this make and model. We are not sure if it was supposedly addressed before we purchased the vehicle and it is now a reoccurring issue or it is a first-time issue. The airbag/seatbelt warning light is present for passenger seat occupancy detector faults. The BMW service center said it was the sensor in the front passenger seat and offered to fix it for $1000 plus. We opted to not fix it until we checked further into the situation. The light for the passenger airbag saying that it is off is currently lit, and the airbag/seatbelt light remains on at this time. Looking for more information on this issue.
The passenger seat mat sensor stopped working and that disabled the airbag. I called BMW and they told me this part has already been replaced once in 2016 on my car during a recall, which happened before I purchased the car. I asked them to replace it again since this is a safety issue and they told me BMW would only replace this part for cars with less than 15 years, which in my case expired on January 2021. This is a very costly repair and in my view is caused by a poorly designed part, considering that there has already been 3 recalls on it and it keeps breaking after a some use. So for now, until this case is settled, I will be driving a car with the passenger airbag deactivated by the board computer, what is a very serious safety issue.
PASSENGER AIRBAG NOT DETECTED WHEN PASSENGER IS SEATED, PASSENGER AIRBAG INDICATOR IS OFF/ NOT ENGAGED. THIS HAPPENS REGARDLESS IF THE VEHICLE IS STOPPED OR IN MOTION.
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325i. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the front passenger’s side air bag warning light would remain illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the seat mat sensor was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 180,000.
THE VEHICLE HAS AN UNEXPLAINED AND UNREPAIRABLE DEFECT RELATED TO THE MAIN AIRBAG CONTROL UNIT MODULE, BMW PART NUMBER 65779184432 (CURRENT VERSION); BELIEVE PART 65770394017 APPLIED TO MY VEHICLE AS-BUILT. THE CONTROL MODULE GENERATES INTERNAL CONTROL UNIT FAULT CODE 93D7. BOTH THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT AND SEATBELT LIGHT ARE CONTINUOUSLY ILLUMINATED. ACCORDING TO DEALER TECHNICIAN, THE CODE IS LOCKED IN AND CANNOT BE CLEARED. ADVICE PROVIDED WAS THAT THE UNIT CAN BE REPLACED AND THEN RECODED AT ESTIMATED COST OF APPROXIMATELY $2,000. IF A REPAIR CAN BE EFFECTUATED WITH AN UPDATED PART, THEN IT APPEARS THAT MY CAR AND PERHAPS ALL OTHER SIMILARLY AGED VEHICLES HAVE A DEFECTIVE MAIN AIRBAG CONTROL UNIT MODULE. A FAULTY AIRBAG MODULE WOULD BE A DEFECT IN A CRITICAL DEFECT IN A SAFETY SYSTEM'S PERFORMANCE THAT UNREASONABLY INCREASES RISK OF DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY IN AN ACCIDENT. THE FAULT THUS POSES A RISK TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY. FURTHER, BASED ON OPENLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION, IT APPEARS THAT NUMEROUS OTHER VEHICLES HAVE SIMILAR, POTENTIALLY DEFECTIVE, MAIN AIRBAG CONTROL MODULES. FINALLY, IT APPEARS THAT BMW UPDATED THIS PART APPROXIMATELY 15 TIMES IN A 6-YEAR PERIOD, WHICH IS ABOUT DOUBLE THE UPDATE FREQUENCY FOR COMPARABLE VEHICLE--NOTING THAT THIS IS BASED ONLY ON MY LIMITED REVIEW. REGARDLESS, THAT DATA SUGGEST THAT BMW HAS HAD SOME AWARENESS THAT THE AIRBAG CONTROL MODULE HAD PERFORMANCE DIFFICULTIES. THANK YOU.
Passénger seat occupancy seat mat has failed and passenger air bag system does not work. Diagnosed recently- repair scheduled soon for cost of $1588.35 It looks like there may have been a recall in 2017 but I don’t have any record of being notified or having it fixed.
RECEIVING AN ERROR CODE ON THE DASH THAT DISPLAYS A 'RED' MANNEQUIN WITH SEAT BELT AND AIR BAG. IN REVIEWING THE BMW HANDBOOK, IT INDICATES THE ERROR IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DRIVER'S AND/OR FRONT PASSENGER'S AIR BAG MALFUNCTION.
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 325CI. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V018000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. BMW OF LOUISVILLE (2200 BLANKENBAKER PKWY, LOUISVILLE, KY 40299, (502) 287-1501) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 325XI. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V017000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PARTS FOR THE RECALL REPAIR WERE NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
DRIVER SIDE STAGE 1 AIRBAG MALFUNCTION OCCURRING IN MY VEHICLE WITH A DASH LIGHT. WHEN I SEARCH MY VIN FOR THIS RECALL, IT DOES NOT SHOW UP. BUT IT DOES SHOW THAT THERE WAS A RECALL FOR 2006 BMW 330XI'S AND OTHER 3 SERIES. THIS PROBLEM NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED FOR EVERY 2006-2011 BMW 3 SERIES BECAUSE IT AFFECTED ALL OF THE CARS. WHY IS THIS NOT BEING TAKEN CARE OF AND WHY IS IT NOT A RECALL FOR MY CAR AS WELL AS OTHERS THAT ARE COMPLAINING? THIS IS A VERY BAD SAFETY FEATURE THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF. THANK YOU, A PERSON WHO DRIVES A 2006 BMW 330XI, AND DESERVES THEIR CAR RECALLED. *TR
THERE HAS ALREADY BEEN A MAJOR RECALL FOR MOST 2006 326XI MODELS THAT NEEDS TO BE ALSO EXTENDES TO MY VEHICLE. IT IS OBVIOUSLY AN ISSUE ON OTHER MODELS, AND THE MANUFSCTURER NEEDS TO CORRECT THIS BEFORE PEOPLE ARE HARMED SINCE BY DEFAULT THE MODULE ASSUMES NOONE IS SITTING THERE AND WILL NOT DEPLOY.
THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT IS ON. NO CODE IS BEING GIVEN BY THE DIAGNOSTIC TOOL. I SEE THAT THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM, INVOLVING SEVERAL MODELS. THIS VEHICLE DOES NOT SEEM TO BE PART OF THE RECALL. I DON'T GET ANY COOPERATION FROM THE DEALERSHIP. THEY JUST SAY THAT IT'S NOT ANYTHING COVERED UNDER A RECALL. I FEEL WITH THE WELL KNOWN PROBLEM WITH A CRITICAL SAFETY DEVICE SUCH AS AN AIRBAG SYSTEM NEEDS TO HAVE A RECALL NOTICE ISSUED SOON. I'M NOT SURE HOW THIS SLIPPED THROUGH THE CRACKS. BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED. SINCERELY [XXX] REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *CC *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 330I. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE AIR BAG INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. AN UNKNOWN DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 169,000.
TAMARA AIRBAGS. MY CAR HAS BOTH AIRBAG LIGHTS ON AND THERE IS NO RECALL ON IT AT ALL AND IT HAS NOT BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT AT ALL. I RECEIVED A WARRANTY EXTENSION BUT WITH CONDITIONS. CONDITIONS WERE IF IT'S NOT THE PARTICULAR FAULT THEY WILL CHARGE ME $200 JUST FOR A SCAN. AND THEN SOME MORE TO ACTUALLY FIX THE ISSUE. I DO NOT WANT TO TAKE IT IN DUE TO THAT ISSUE. I DON'T HAVE $200 TO GIVE UP LIKE THAT.
TAKATA RECALL AIRBAGS IN HOUSTON, TEXAS, ON NOVEMBER 10, 2018, I WAS DRIVING MY 2006 BMW 330CI CONVERTIBLE, AND WHEN UPON ENTERING AT 40 MILES PER HOUR AN ENTRANCE RAMP FROM TOMBALL PARKWAY ONTO BELTWAY 8, I SUDDENLY NOTICED A METAL POLE THAT WAS RESTING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY, IN AN ATTEMPT TO AVOID IT, I BRAKED AND WHEN THE CAR BECAME STATIONARY, THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER TAKATA RECALL AIRBAGS DID 'NOT' FULLY INFLATE WHICH SEEMED TO FUNCTION WITH A 'SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT.' MOREOVER, I STRONGLY BELIEVE RECALL 15V318000 AND RECALL 14V348000 THAT WERE INSTALLED AT MOMENTUM BMW ON MARCH 9, 2018 WHICH REPLACED MY TAKATA RECALL AIRBAGS WITH ANOTHER SET OF TAKATA RECALL AIRBAGS CONTAINED A 'SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT.' AS A CONSEQUENCE, I SUFFERED A CONCUSSION AND EYE-RELATED BODILY INJURIES FROM THE CRASH. IN ADDITION, ON DECEMBER 10, 2108, BMW OF NORTH AMERICA SENT AN ENGINEER TO HOUSTON, TEXAS TO INSPECT MY VEHICLE, BUT THE COMPANY WILL 'NOT' PROVIDE ME THE DATA ANALYSIS OF ITS FINDINGS, AND IT CLAIMS THAT THE COMPANY OWNS THAT PROPRIETARY DATA. MY VEHICLE IS CLEAR OF LIENS AND IS PAID-OFF. MOREOVER, ON JANUARY 10, 2019, THE COMPANY STATED IN A LETTER THAT THE TAKATA RECALL AIRBAGS FULLY DEPLOYED; HOWEVER, THIS IS A FALSE STATEMENT BECAUSE THE TAKATA RECALL AIRBAGS DID 'NOT' FULLY DEPLOY, AND MY PASSENGER AND I WERE SHOCKED OF THIS MALFUNCTION. AS OF TODAY, BMW OF NORTH AMERICA CONFIRMED THAT THE TAKATA RECALL AIRBAGS WERE REPLACED WITH ANOTHER SET OF TAKATA RECALL AIRBAGS. WHY WERE THESE AIRBAGS NOT REPLACED WITH AN ALTERNATIVE SAFETY EQUIPMENT SUPPLIER? IN CLOSING, CAN FEDERAL SAFETY OFFICIALS INSPECT MY VEHICLE IN HOUSTON, TEXAS BECAUSE BMW OF NORTH AMERICA IS 'HIDING' THE DATA ANALYSIS FROM ME? I AM SUBMITTING A POLICE REPORT AND PHOTOS OF THE CRASH, SO I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR RESPONSE.
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Quick Summary
The 2006 BMW 3 Series has 495 Air Bags complaints on file. 9 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.