Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 BMW 128i owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 128I. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that while his wife was seated in the front passenger's seat, the passenger's side air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the front passenger's side seat occupancy mat had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the part was no longer being manufactured. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 128I. The contact stated that the air bag warning light remained illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure was a recurring failure, and the vehicle was parked and no longer driven due to safety concerns. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Front passenger air bag seat occupancy sensor (OC3) mat warning "Passenger restraint system. Fault in passenger restraint system affecting airbag" BMW has an extended warranty for this exact issue on several other models, but not the 1 series which should be included. This is a huge safety issue and shouldn't be the customer's responsibility.
Takata recall...it has been over 6 months since I have been notified that the car that BMW sold me is a death trap. At any moment I could be hit, or I could hit someone and this horrible death bag (airbag) could take my head off. I am not comfortable driving this car on my bumper to bumper daily commute through san jose california traffic. Nor am I in a position that I can trade it in for a less deadly model. I feel like 6 month has been far long enough to drive such a risky car, and there should have been a fix by now. How does BMW like the sounds of a muli million dollar lawsuit if I die because of the lethal airbag they chose to install in the car that I trusted would be safe. I want a replacement car now!
Takata recall...I am worried about the time frame of this recall. It's taking far to long. I think at some point the manufacture must own up to the suppliers they choose for their vehicles and solve the issue in other ways. I don't feel safe driving my car, and it's fair that I have to wait this long for the car to be fixed. I want either my money back or a new unaffected car. The lemon law states that any car that cannot be fixed is either returned or replaced. This is a lemon of massive proportion!
I began the process of buying a new BMW in December 2015. Now that I can devote time to the process, I called BMW westchester, ny and told I can not order my new BMW due to the 2013 BMW having a recall. There is no remedy for faulty airbags at this time. Therefore I am stuck with a BMW that is now financed by BMW, that has airbags that could explode at anytime. This airbag issue has been going on since 2014............BMW needs to be proactive!!!!!!!!
Don't know the make of the air bag but the recall was over a year ago. The dealer has not had the air bag replacement in stock this entire time so they have not made the recall replacement. [redacted] '
Takata recall - when I bought my used vehicle at a BMW dealership on 4/13/2015, I was not advised that there was a recall on the Takata airbags on the vehicle. Since that time, the dealer has not corrected the problem.
Takata recall I own a BMW series 1 128i year 2013. I received a notice on September 2017 stating that there is a defect on my air bag , and to make an appointment at the nearest BMW. I have called BMW of fort lauderdale and BMW of pembroke pines unsuccessfully, since I am told they don't have the replacement and need to order. They never have called me back. I also called customer relations and I was told the whole country is working on the recalls and the airbags are not available.I am concerned for my safety. I was also told nothing could happen to me in an event of an accident...so why the urgency and nobody is helping remedy this important safety recall [redacted]
"Takata recall" I have called two dealerships to have my airbag replace and my airbag light is also on and they say the part would have to be ordered and it would be 2 weeks (united BMW gwinnett) and I asked to speak to the manager and I left a message and it has been a week with no response. This a dangerous car at this point to drive but BMW does not seem to be taking serious ly. I then called nalley BMW and the said it would take two weeks to get the part in. I am scared for my life if this airbag deploys and my grandchildren are in the car. How can we expidite this service to get my car fixed or do they want to pay for me to get a rental, or do they want to take the risk of the airbag hurting me or my grandchildren?
Related recalls
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2008-2013 128i and 135i Convertibles, 128i, 135i, and M Coupes, 2007-2010 X3 30si and X3 xDrive30i, 2013-2015 X1 sDrive28i, X1 xDrive28i and X1 xDrive35i, 2007-2013 328i, 328i xDrive, 335i, 335is, 335i xDrive and M3 Coupes, 2006-2011 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 325i, 325xi,…
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver air bag. On X5 and X6 vehicles, only the inflator will be replaced. All repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 11, 2020.
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2008-2013 128i and 135i coupes and convertibles and 1 Series M coupes, 2006-2011 325i, 325xi, 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 330i, 330xi, 335i, 335xi, 335i xDrive Sedans, 2009-2011 335d sedans, 2006-2012 325xiT, 328i and 328xi sports wagons, 2007-2013 328i, 328xi, 328i…
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module or inflator depending on the vehicle model, free of charge. The recall began March 9, 2018.
NHTSA investigations
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.
Airbag complaints in other 128i years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2013 BMW 128i?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the air bags of the 2013 BMW 128i, 67% of the model year's 36 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2013 BMW 128i airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 20V-017 (inflator module, Jan 15, 2020); NHTSA recall 16V-071 (inflator module, Feb 5, 2016). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2013 BMW 128i airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 35,000 miles, and 29% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.