2006 BMW 330XI Complaints

WARNING LIGHT HAS APPEARED INDICATING AIR BAG FAULT. CODE CHECK REVEALS A DEFECT IN THE PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG SENSOR. NUMEROUS REPORTS OF SAME FAULT HAVE BEEN REPORTED AND RECALLS HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR SAME MODEL IN US AND CANADA HOWEVER DOES NOT INCLUDE THIS VIN. BMWNA AND BMW CANADA BOTH DENY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS KNOWN DEFECT FOR THIS VIN. BMW NORTH AMERICA MAY BE EVADING RESPONSIBILITY TO REPAIR THIS SAFETY ISSUE BY ONLY RECOGNIZING ACCOUNTABILITY FOR VERY FEW SPECIFIC VEHICLES. *TR

I HAD A BAD EXPERIENCE THIS MORNING. WHEN I GOT INTO MY CAR, IT WOULDN'T START WHEN I PUSHED THE START BUTTON. INSTEAD IT HAD AN ICON ON THE DASH OF THE STEERING WHEEL WITH A LOCK SIGN ON IT. I PULLED THE FOB OUT AND PUT IT BACK IN A FEW TIMES, TRYING TO START THE CAR EVERY TIME, BUT NO LIFE. THIS IS A VERY WEIRD PROBLEM. THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK WOULDN'T RELEASE. I TRIED TO GET IT STARTED FOR OVER 30 MINUTES, STILL UNSUCCESSFUL. I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET, APPARENTLY IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM IN THE 06 AND EARLY 07 MODELS OF THE 3 SERIES. IN MID-07, BMW STOPPED PUTTING LOCKS IN THE STEERING COLUMNS. APPARENTLY, THIS PROBLEM HAS TO DO WITH THE ELECTRONIC LOCK POWER DRAW WHEN STARTING THE CAR, AND A SOFTWARE UPDATE NORMALLY FIXES THE PROBLEM. IF THE SOFTWARE UPDATE DOES NOT WORK, BMW REPLACES THE STEERING COLUMN IF YOU ARE UNDER THE WARRANTY. ALL MY UPDATES ARE DONE BECAUSE I TOOK IT TO MY BMW DEALER ON 11/14/12 AND THEY RECHECKED EVERYTHING. SINCE IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND THERE ARE MANY CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS AS STATED IN HERE; HTTP://WWW.IMPORT-CAR.COM/ISSUE/ARTICLE.ASPX?CONTENTID=89276, BMW SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL AND BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS ISSUE. *TR

THE AIR BAG AND PASSENGER SEAT BELT RESTRAINT WARNING LAMPS ILLUMINATED RANDOMLY. NOW BOTH LAMPS REMAIN ON CONTINUALLY WHEN VEHICLE IS ON. THE OVERHEAD LIGHT INDICATING THAT THE PASSENGER AIR BAG IS OFF IS ALSO ILLUMINATED. THIS IS A KNOWN SAFETY RECALL FOR OTHER BMW VEHICLES. HOWEVER, ACCORDING TO BMW OF NORTH AMERICA MY PARTICULAR VIN IS NOT PART OF THE RECALL. NOW, WHEN I AM DRIVING WITH A PASSENGER I AM PUTTING THEIR LIVES AT RISK BECAUSE OF THIS DEFECT. *TR

THE AIRBAG WARNING LAMP CAME ON AND STAYED ON. AT THE SAME TIME THE OVERHEAD WARNING LIGHT CAME ON INDICATING THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG WAS DEACTIVATED. THESE WARNING LIGHTS HAVE BEEN ON CONTINUALLY FOR OVER A YEAR. THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL FOR THIS SITUATION FOR OTHER 2006 BMW 3-SERIES BUT ACCORDING TO BMW MY VIN IS NOT PART OF THE RECALL AS OF 11/20/2012L. I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT MY CAR BEING AFFECTED BY THIS KNOWN ISSUE IS JUST A COINCIDENCE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 330 XI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT WAS OCCUPIED, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ERRONEOUSLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE WEIGHT SENSOR FOR THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT HAD FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 08V384000 (AIR BAGS:FRONTAL). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 118,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 125,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

2006 BMW 330XI. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO RECALL CAMPAIGN 08V-384 CONCERNING MODIFY SEAT OCCUPANCY DETECTION MAT *TGW IN DECEMBER 2011, A WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED INDICATING THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG WAS NOT ACTIVATED. THE CONSUMER'S MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM FROM THE VEHICLE'S ERROR CODE AND GAVE HIM A PRINTOUT, SHOWING THERE WAS AN OPEN CAMPAIGN FOR HIS YEAR AND MODEL DUE TO A DEFECTIVE MAT DETECTION SWITCH. THE CONSUMER THEN TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHERE HE WAS CHARGED $ 139.19 FOR THAT SAME INFORMATION, THAT HE WAS GIVEN PREVIOUSLY FROM HIS MECHANIC. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER, THAT EVEN THOUGH THE RECALL WAS FOR HIS MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR, HIS VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL, BECAUSE THE RECALL PERTAINED TO A PARTICULAR LIST OF SEATS, WHICH THE CONSUMER'S VEHICLE DID NOT HAVE, EVEN THOUGH THE DEFECTIVE SEAT MAT WAS COMMON IN ALL.

RANDOMLY WHILE THERE IS EITHER WEIGHT FROM A BAG OR A PERSON IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT, THE SEATBELT LIGHT WILL APPEAR ON THE DASH AND THE PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF LIGHT WILL LIGHT UP ON THE ROOF. THIS TELLS ME THAT THE AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY EVEN THOUGH THERE IS SOMEONE IN THE SEAT IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 330XI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 42 MPH, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE DEALER REPLACED THE MAT IN THE PASSENGER SEAT AND THE CONNECTORS. AFTER THE REPAIR THE LIGHT ILLUMINATED THE FOLLOWING DAY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHO ADVISED THAT THE CONNECTORS WERE BENT AFTER PREVIOUSLY STATING THAT THEY HAD REPLACED THEM. THE DEALER THEN REPLACED THE CONNECTORS. EIGHT MONTHS LATER THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AGAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY A FUSE WHICH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. AFTER THE REPAIRS, THE CONTACT DROVE 10 MILES AND THE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AGAIN. THE DEALER THEN ADVISED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY THE CONTROL MODULE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 108,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 125,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 330XI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER AIR BAG WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSOR MAT WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW 330XI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG AND PASSENGER RESTRAINT LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT RESEARCHED AND LOCATED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 08V384000 (AIR BAG FRONTAL). THE CONTACT SPOKE WITH THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 76,000.