There are 4 owner-reported air bags & restraints complaints for the 2019 BMW 4 Seriesin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The contact owns a 2019 BMW 430I. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle and driving at an undisclosed speed, the “Air Bag Off” and “Service Air Bag” messages were displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to Special Coverage Adjustment: 23520 Passenger Presence Sensor (PPS) Module; however, the VIN was not included in the Special Coverage Adjustment. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.
My fiancé was driving my vehicle and hit a tree. The air bag deployed and she has shrapnel cuts on her face. The surgeon stated that she should not have had that injury on the face like she did.
"Passenger restraint system: Malfunction" alert came up on the display screen and then quickly disappeared several times. BMW dealer said the seat belt/airbags would not operate correctly in the event of a crash. BMW dealer said it was not related to the 2 recalls issued in 2021 and 2022 on this car for coolant or telematics (which BMW had not notified us about yet or fixed during service appts in 2021 or 2022). From a quick search online, this specific passenger restraint warning alert is unfortunately a very common problem with this year/make/model and should be reviewed to see if it qualifies as a recall. BMW dealer charged $1840 to replace the seat, mat and clear the warning alert.
SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR IS SENSING A FAULT. IT SAYS IT IS NOT WORKING AND THE AIRBAG IS NOT ON. THE DEALER IS RELUCTANT TO REPAIR IT, BECAUSE IT'S EXPENSIVE. IT'S UCLEAT IF THE AIRBAG WILL WORK.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026