2006 BMW 3 SERIES Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 3 SERIES. WHILE PARKED, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THERE WAS A RECALL UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 08V384000 (AIR BAGS:FRONTAL) THAT COULD HAVE BEEN RELATED TO THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND ADVISED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL CAMPAIGN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

SITTING IN PARKING LOT, ENGINE OFF, KEY IN IGN (LISTENING TO RADIO). AIR-BAG WARNING LAMP LIGHTS AND HAS BEEN ON STEADY EVER SINCE. PASSENGER AIR BAG DISABLED INDICATOR ALSO ON. CALLED DEALER TO MAKE APPOINTMENT. I INQUIRED ABOUT THE RECALL AND SERVICE ADVISOR SAYS NO ACTIVE RECALLS ON MY CAR. SEEMS THAT THIS IS THE EXACT FAULT IDENTIFIED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 08V384000. THIS CAR HAS THE "SPORT SEATS" WHICH ARE SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFIED IN THE RECALL. *TR

I AM THE 2ND OWNER OF MY 2006 BMW 3 SERIES. I'VE DRIVEN IT FOR ABOUT 4 MONTHS AND ONE DAY I GO TO START MY CAR TO GO TO WORK AND I NOTICED THAT THE AIR BAG INDICATOR CAME ON AND IT SAYS PASSENGER RESTRAINT MALFUNCTION. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY OR WHAT CAUSED THIS!? I DON'T MESS WITH MY CAR, IT JUST RANDOMLY DID IT ONCE I TRIED TO START IT. *I'VE DONE SOME RESEARCH AND I SEEN AN ARTICLE FROM NBC NEWS THAT SAYS "BMW AG SAID WEDNESDAY IT WAS RECALLING 200,000 VEHICLES OVER CONCERNS THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG MAY NOT DEPLOY IN A CRASH." NOW THAT REALLY CONCERNS ME! I NEED TO GET THIS FIXED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. PLEASE HELP! *TR

I WENT TO PICK UP MY DAUGHTER FROM MARCHING BAND PRACTICE ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON. WHEN I PULLED INTO THE PARKING LOT AT HER HIGH SCHOOL AND GOT OUT, I WENT TO LOCK THE DOORS. I HEARD A STRANGE SOUND AND NOTICED THAT THE DRIVERS DOORS WERE LOCKED, THE PASSENGERS DOORS WERE UNLOCKED. THE KEY FOB WOULD NOT WORK ANYMORE ON ANY OF THE DOORS BUT WOULD WORK ON THE TRUNK. I GOT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR AND CRAWLED OVER TO THE DRIVER SIDE AND TRIED THE DOOR AND IT WOULD NOT OPEN FROM THE INSIDE. THE CENTRAL LOCK BUTTON ALSO WOULD NOT WORK. I CRAWLED OUT AND TRIED THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR WITH THE KEY. IT DID UNLOCK WITH THE KEY. NONE OF THE OTHER DOORS WOULD RESPOND FROM THE INSIDE. AFTER I GOT THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR TO UNLOCK WITH THE KEY, MY KEY FOB WOULD WORK ON THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR ONLY. BECAUSE MY KIDS DECIDED TO "HELP MOM" BY PUSHING THE LOCKS DOWN MANUALLY - NOW ALL OF THE DOORS ARE LOCKED AND WON'T BUDGE EXCEPT THE DRIVERS SIDE. I EFFECTIVELY CAN'T USE THE CAR FOR ANYONE EXCEPT MYSELF BECAUSE NO ONE CAN ENTER - AND MORE IMPORTANTLY EXIT FROM THE CAR EXCEPT FOR CRAWLING OVER SEATS. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION. THERE SHOULD BE SOMEONE WAY TO OPEN THE DOORS MANUALLY. JUDGING BY THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS - BMW IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE BUT CHOOSES NOT TO ISSUE A RECALL. *TR

A WARNING INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON TELLING ME THAT THE PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM WAS MALFUNCTIONING. AT FIRST IT WAS OCCASIONAL. NOW THE WARNING IS ON EVERY TIME I GET IN THE CAR WITH OR WITHOUT A PASSENGER. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE CAR INCLUDED IN RECALL 08V384000. *TR

THE TWO ISSUES ARE (1) AIRBAG MALFUNCTION AND (2) STEERING WHEEL MALFUNCTION. (1) THE FIRST ISSUE OCCURRED WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON CA I-80 TOWARDS BERKLEY FROM DAVIS ON 8/17/2012. AS I WAS DRIVING, THE CAR DISPLAYED A NOTIFICATION THAT THE PASSENGER AIR BAG WAS EXPERIENCING A PROBLEM AND SHUT OFF. THERE WAS A PASSENGER IN THE CAR. AS OF THIS DATE, THE AIRBAG IS STILL SHUT OFF. (2) THE SECOND ISSUE OCCURRED WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON CA I-280 FROM BURLINGAME TOWARDS MILLBRAE ON 8/30/2012. AS I WAS DRIVING, I NOTICED A STEERING WHEEL LOCK NOTIFICATION. LUCKILY, I WAS AT MY EXIT AND NEAR HOME SO I DROVE SLOWLY HOME. AFTER TURNING THE CAR OFF, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP. RESTARTING AND TURNING THE CAR OFF CAUSES THE STEERING WHEEL TO RANDOMLY LOCK/UNLOCK. I HAVE NOT DRIVEN THE CAR AFTER THE INCIDENT. *TR

POWER DOOR LOCKS FAILED. NO WAY TO OPEN PASSENGER DOOR EVEN WITH INTERNAL HANDLE. PASSENGER TRAPPED AND HAD TO CRAWL OVER TO DRIVER'S SEAT. WOULD BE A CATASTROPHE IN AN ACCIDENT. *TR

INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP NOTED ALUMINUM HEAD BOLTS BROKEN WHICH COULD CAUSE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO ENGINE. BROKEN BOLTS CAUSED OIL LEAK AND HEADS OF BOLTS COULD HAVE GONE INTO THE TIMING BELT DESTROYING THE ENGINE. INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP DIRECTED US TO THE DEALERSHIP STATING THEY HAD NOTED THIS ISSUES ON ALMOST ALL OF THIS YEAR AND MODEL. REPAIR COST WAS VERY EXPENSIVE. *TR

BMW STEERING LOCK FAILURE I SHOULD BE REPLACE BY BMW BECAUSE ALL THIS MODELS HAVE THIS PROBLEM IS VERY UNSAFE BUT BMW DON'T WANT TO DO A RECALL IN THIS MATTER. *TR

WARNING LIGHT THAT AIR BAG IS NOT FUNCTIONING COMES ON. DEALER FOUND A FAULT IN THE SEAT ADJUSTMENT SENSOR (PART OF THE SEAT MOTOR). SAID SEAT MOTOR WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THIS APPEARS TO BE THE SAME FAULT OTHERS ARE REPORTING THAT WAS COVERED FOR SOME SERIES 3 MODELS BY A NHTSA RECALL. THE DEALER MADE NO MENTION OF A RECALL. I HAVE NOT HAD THE REPAIR DONE. *TT