There are 9 stored owner reports matching the air bags & restraints leading-label group for the 2013 BMW X3 in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 9 of 9 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)Passenger airbag warning lights on/off for about a year. Currently the car has 60,000 miles. When I mentioned to dealer, (car in for emission recall), I was informed that the occupancy detection mat was faulty and needed to be replaced ($1821.04). If not replaced, vehicle would not pass Mass State Inspection. Had the work done at BMW dealer to have it replaced, as the car is due soon for an inspection sticker.
The contact owns a 2013 BMW X3. The contact stated that when he started the vehicle, he noticed that the seat belt warning light was red and the message on the instrument panel displayed "passenger restraint system failure." The contact stated that the front passenger’s side seat belt was identified on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer and was told by the mechanic that the failure of the seat belt system could not be repaired immediately. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.
WARNING LIGHT REVEALED THAT PASSENGER SIDE FRONT AIRBAG IS FAULTY AND REQUIRES REPLACEMENT.
THE PASSENGER SENSOR MAT LINKED TO THE AIR BAG SYSTEM IS REPEATEDLY MALFUNCTIONING. IT IS OF THE SAME DESIGN AS PREVIOUSLY RECALLED SENSORS IN OTHER BMW MODELS. IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND SHOULD ALSO BE RECALLED.
PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION WARNING APPEARS MOSTLY WHEN NO ONE IS IN THE SEAT
INTERMITTENT WARNING MESSAGE DISPLAYING PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION. SERVICE ADVISER STATED THIS IS COMMON ON X3S. EXACT ISSUE WAS DEFECTIVE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY MAT (COST $1380). COMMON DEFECTS SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER A RECALL, BUT NO RECALL EXISTS FOR THIS ISSUE.
AS WITH OTHER BMW'S, THESE TOO HAVE FAULTY OCCUPANCY SENSORS WHICH SHOULD NOT BE GOING BAD ACROSS OTHER LINES. THERE IS NO REASON THIS VEHICLE SHOULD NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL FOR EXACTLY THE SAME REASON AS OTHERS ARE RECALLED FOR FAULTY SENSORS.
STEERING DRIVES OFF THE ROAD TIRES BLEW. AIRBAGS RECALL
THIS MESSAGE JUST KEEP POPPING UP ON THE SCREEN "PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION." PASSENGER AIRBAGS INDICATED AS OFF EVEN THE PASSENGER SEAT IS OCCUPIED. I HAD CONTACTED BMW CUSTOMER RELATIONS, AND THERE WAS A RECALL FOR AIRBAG SENSOR ISSUE BUT NOT INCLUDING THE MODEL X3.
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.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.