BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2006-2010 BMW X3 2.5i, X3 3.0i and X3 xDrive30i Sports Activity Vehicles. The front passenger seat occupant detection mat that determines if, and how, the passenger frontal air bag should deploy in a crash may fatigue and develop cracks which could lead to a system failure.
Safety risk
Should the system fail, in the event of a crash, the front passenger air bag would be deactivated, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Manufacturer remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger seat occupant detection mat, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on November 27, 2017. A second notification letter will be sent when parts are available. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW IS RECALLING 200,000 MY 2006 3 SERIES SPORT SEAT, MY 2004-2006 5 SERIES STANDARD AND SPORT SEAT, AND MY 2004-2006 X3 PASSENGER VEHICLES. DEPENDING ON THE MANNER AND FREQUENCY OF THE FRONT PASSENGER'S ENTRY AND EXIT, SMALL CRACKS HAVE DEVELOPED IN THE MAT. IF THIS OCCURS, THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAGS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE HEAD PROTECTION SYSTEM, WILL BE DEACTIVATED AND THE AIR BAG WARNING LAMP AS WELL AS THE PASSENGER AIR BAG "ON-OFF" LAMP WILL BE ILLUMINATED.
Safety risk
IN THIS SITUATION THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY EVEN IF A SUFFICIENTLY SEVERE ACCIDENT WOULD OCCUR AND OCCUPANT PROTECTION PROVIDED BY THE SYSTEM WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE.
Manufacturer remedy
DEALERS WILL REWORK THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR MAT SO THAT EXTERNAL FORCE APPLICATION TO THE SEAT DOES NOT CAUSE A CRACK TO THE MAT. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 6, 2008. BMW WILL ALSO EXTEND THE WARRANTY ON THESE VEHICLES TO 10 YEARS FROM FIRST REGISTRATION WITHOUT ANY MILEAGE LIMIT. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-525-7417.
Owner complaints
A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.
Component
Complaints
Median mileage
Air bags
67
78,000 mi
Seats
40
71,000 mi
Electrical system
13
65,000 mi
Air bags: frontal
12
64,000 mi
Engine
6
99,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling
4
40,881 mi
Fuel system, gasoline
4
64,000 mi
Structure: body
4
67,213 mi
Unknown or other
4
67,213 mi
Air bags: sensor: occupant classification
3
124,700 mi
Seat belts
3
135,000 mi
Vehicle speed control
3
59,550 mi
Air bags: sensor: occupant classification: front passenger
2
124,700 mi
Equipment: appliance: air conditioner
2
24,000 mi
Exterior lighting
2
125,000 mi
Seats: front assembly: seat heater/cooler
2
95,000 mi
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
1
—
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
99,000 mi
Equipment
1
44,600 mi
Forward collision avoidance: adaptive cruise control
1
172,000 mi
Fuel/propulsion system
1
65,000 mi
Power train
1
54,511 mi
Service brakes, electric
1
34,000 mi
Structure
1
57,000 mi
Visibility: sun/moon roof assembly
1
60,500 mi
The 2005 model has about 1.5 times as many complaints as this one. The 2007 model has about 1.5 times as many complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.
Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.