2006 BMW Z4 Air Bags & Restraints Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW Z4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOISED THAT THE OCCUPANT PROTECTION MAT WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REAPIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V564000 (AIR BAGS). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 65,000.

PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR FAILURE. 2006 BMW Z4. SENSOR MAT FAILED WITHOUT STRESS ON THE SEAT. IT APPEARS TO FAIL OVER TIME. PASSENGER AIRBAG DEFAULTS TO OFF CONDITION. IF AN ACCIDENT OCCURS WITH A PASSENGER IN THE CAR THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY. 2005 AND EARLIER MODELS HAVE BEEN OFFERED A 10 YEAR EXTENDED WARRANTY TO COVER THIS PROBLEM WITH THE SAME PART. NO ADDITIONAL WARRANTY HAS BEEN OFFERED FOR 2006 MODELS.

THE INDICATOR FOR "PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG DEACTIVATED" LIGHT CAME ON AND THE "AIRBAG SYSTEM MALFUNCTION" WARNING LAMP ON THE DASH CAME ON AND REMAINED ON. THIS OCCURRED ON THE FIRST START OF THE DAY AFTER HAVING DRIVEN IT SEVERAL DAYS BEFORE WITH NO ISSUES. I DID NOT, AND HAD NEVER TURNED THE PASSENGER AIRBAGS OFF. I SUSPECT THIS IS DUE TO A FAILED SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, SIMILAR TO WHAT INITIATED THE RECENT RECALL FOR OTHER MODELS. I CONTACTED BMW CUSTOMER RELATIONS AND WAS TOLD THAT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THIS VERY ISSUE THAT IS APPLICABLE TO OTHER BMW MODELS OUTSIDE THE RECALL IS NOT APPLICABLE TO MY CAR. I NOW HAVE WHAT I SUSPECT IS A KNOWN SERIOUS SAFETY DEFECT FROM THE FACTORY THAT I MUST RESOLVE ON MY OWN. *TR

PURCHASE THE LISTED VEHICLE IN POMPANO BEACH, FL WHICH IS OVER 250 MILES FROM OUR HOME. TEST DROVE AND EVERYTHING APPEARED TO BE WORKING IN A NORMAL MANNER. ABOUT 50 MILES FROM HOME, THE PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON LOCATED ON THE CONSOLE, AS WELL AS ON THE DASH. THE DEALER WHERE THE PURCHASE WAS MADE WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT UNLESS WE BROUGHT THE VEHICLE BACK TO THEM OR ONE OF THEIR OTHER FACILITIES, THE NEAREST ONE OVER 100 MILES AWAY. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE AIR BAGS WOULD STILL DEPLOY PROPERLY EVEN WITH THE AIR BAG LIGHT BEING ON. ON 06/18/14, I WENT ONLINE TO SEE HOW THE AIR BAG SEAT SENSOR COULD BE REPLACED. LO AND BEHOLD, I FOUND A LETTER FROM NHTSA STATING THAT THE SEAT SENSORS COULD CRACK AND AFFECT THE PROPER AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. MY VEHICLE YEAR AND MODEL WAS LISTED AS AN AFFECTED MODEL. WE VISITED THE BMW DEALERSHIP IN OCALA, FL TODAY AND SHOWED THE NHTSA LETTER TO THE SERVICE ADVISOR AND HE STATED HE HAD NO HISTORY OF A RECALL. BMW WANTS TO USE THE VIN # AS A DETERMINING FACTOR. ALTHOUGH THE NHTSA LETTER DOES NOT SAY A WORD ABOUT VIN'S, BUT RATHER, JUST YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL. IT ALSO CLEARLY INDICATES THAT ALL SEAT SENSORS COULD CRACK AFFECTING THE SAFETY OF THE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT, THIS INDICATES TO ME THAT THIS COULD HAPPEN, NOT THAT IT HAS HAPPENED. BMW DOES NOT WANT TO DO A THING ABOUT IT UNLESS I PAY THEM $159.95 FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND I CONSIDER THIS AS BEING TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF AS A RESULT OF BEING A 79 YEAR OLD SENIOR CITIZEN. CAN YOU HELP ME WITH MY DILEMMA? FOR THE RECORD, THE VEHICLE WAS OFFERED FOR SALE BY LEXUS OF CLEARWATER ON 02/06/14. ASSUMING IT DID NOT SELL WITH THIS DEALER, THEN MERCEDES OF POMPANO ACQUIRED THE VEHICLE AND OFFERED IT FOR SALE ON 03/06/14. I MADE THE PURCHASE ON 04/02/14. ALL OF THESE DATES ARE CLOSELY RELATED TO THE MIDDLE OF THIS RECALL TAKING PLACE. *TR

ABOUT 9 YEARS (2015) AFTER PURCHASING VEHICLE THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT BEGAN ILLUMINATING CONSTANTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW AND HAD APPROXIMATELY 55K MILES WHEN ISSUE BEGAN. VEHICLE HAS NEVER BEEN IN A MINOR OR MAJOR ACCIDENT. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT DIAGNOSIS COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. CONTACTED BMW ABOUT ISSUE, BUT WAS TOLD MY VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER ANY OF THE AIRBAG RECALLS THEY'VE INITIATED. NO ACTION WAS TAKEN BY ME TO DETERMINE ROOT CAUSE AND CONTINUED TO UTILIZE VEHICLE WITH AIR BAG LIGHT ALWAYS ILLUMINATED. IN FEBRUARY 2018, RECEIVED A LETTER FROM BMW REGARDING WARRANTY EXTENSION TO 15 YEARS FOR FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY MAT (OC3) FOR AIR BAG SYSTEM. BELIEVING AIRBAG ISSUE WAS DUE TO OC3 MAT, BROUGHT MY VEHICLE TO LOCAL BMW DEALER TO GET REPAIR. BMW DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE AS A "RESTRAINT PASS LOWER BELT UNIT FAULTING" AND NOT OC3 MAT. HAD REPAIR PERFORMED SUCCESSFULLY.

FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSOR WARNING LIGHT ON - PASSENGER AIR BAG WILL NOT FUNCTION IN EVENT OF COLLISION. PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSOR WARNING CODE CAN NOT BE RESET. THE CAR AIR BAG SYSTEM HAS NEVER BEEN ACTIVATED BY COLLISION. THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT FIRST APPEARED WHEN STARTING THE CAR IN GARAGE AND IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH ANY COLLISION EVENTS. IT APPEARS TO BE LINKED TO SIMILARLY REPORTED BMW MODELS RECALLS INVOLVING THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG SENSOR MAT FAILURES, WHICH REQUIRES SEAT AIR BAG SENSOR MAT REPLACEMENT. THE PROBLEM IS IT IS NOT CLEAR IF CURRENT AIR BAG SENSOR MAT RECALLS INCLUDE AND COVER THE BMW 2006 Z4 PASSENGER AIR BAG SEAT SENSOR MAT REPLACEMENT. THE CAR WAS PURCHASED FROM BMW DEALER AS A PRE-OWNED CERTIFIED CAR UNDER FULL WARRANTY. THE DEALER WOULD NOT ADDRESS REPAIRS UNDER THE CURRENT RECALLS.NEED YOUR HELP, THERE ARE NOT THAT MANY Z4 ON THE ROAD AND THE NUMBER OF OWNER REPORTED FAILURES IS LIKELY TO BE A SMALL NUMBER BUT THIS DOES NOT DIMINISH THE FACT THAT THE SEAT SENSOR MAT IN A Z4 ARE THE SAME EQUIPMENT BEING RECALLED FOR OTHER BMW MODELS. PLEASE EXTEND THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG SENSOR MAT RECALL TO INCLUDE THE 2006 Z4 MODELS. THANK YOU, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

REFERENCE DEFECT INVESTIGATION EA08001, NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 08V384000; PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY PAD CRACKED CAUSING AIR BAG LIGHT THAT REMAINS ON. UNCLEAR WHICH (IF ANY) AIRBAGS ARE OPERATIVE. REFERENCE CAMPAIGN FOR THE SAME ISSUE DID NOT INCLUDE THIS YEAR VEHICLE. BMW PROVIDED FOR EXTENDED 10 YEAR WARRANTY ON 2004-2005 Z4 VEHICLES AS PART OF THE RESOLUTION TO REFERENCE CAMPAIGN. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW Z4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED CONTINUOUSLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT HAD FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNAVAILABLE.

THE PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG SEAT MAT SENSOR SHORTED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW Z4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT IN THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN I.D. NUMBER: 08V384000 (AIR BAGS:FRONTAL) AND CALLED THE MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN NUMBER WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 64,000.

THE PASSENGER AIRBAG SYSTEM IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY... IS NOT SENSING WHEN MY WIFE IS SEATED... LM ALWAYS NERVOUS THINKING THAT MY WIFE IS NOT PROTECTED BY THE AIRBAG SYSTEM WHEN WE ARE IN THE CAR. DID A RESEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND THAT A LOT BMWS WENT TO RECALL BECAUSE OF THIS...CALLED BMW 1800 NUMBER... AND THEY SAY MY CAR IS NOT IN THAT RECALL... THE SITUATION IS REALLY BAD AND THE DEALERS SAYS TO FIX THE PROBLEM...WILL BE AROUND 2000 USD. *TR