Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 BMW 3 Series owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The id light came on for passenger air. It said that passenger air bag was off. We took to BMW of roanoke to repair and state inspect the vehicle. They had to replace the passenger air bag mat at a cost of $ 1,433.87 on invoice no. Bmcs56560. My concern is that if we were involved in accident the passenger air bag would have not worked and my wife could have been hurt or killed. I have the old part and could send it to you. The BMW only has 105,747 miles and was delivered per BMW of roanoke 12/24/2009. It is not no recall but maybe it should have been
I started the car and got a 'personal restraint system failure' message. I've checked message boards for BMW and apparently this is something they issued a recall for a few years back but now it shows 'no recall' when I type in my VIN. According to the message boards, others with the same message were told initially by BMW that this wasn't a recall but when pushed were told it was and it was fixed. I'm wondering about getting something about these recalls from your agency before going to argue with the BMW dealership?
Tl contact owns a 2006 BMW si (na). While driving approximately 5 MPH, the driver's side of the contact's vehicle was struck. The air bags failed to deploy. Both driver's side doors were damaged. There were no warnings prior to the crash. The vehicle was towed to the authorized dealer for repairs. The police department was called to the scene and a report was filed. An occupant of the vehicle was injured. The failure and current mileages were 20,700.
The passenger airbag light comes on when someone is sitting in the seat. Sometimes it comes on when there is no one in the seat. This has been going on for the four years I have owned the car and BMW says there is no recall or can fix it. I have read on the internet other people with the exact same problem and have said there was a recall and have had the sensor looked at. This is a safety issue and needs attention.
Passenger air bags and seat belt wont work and BMW wont fix. Electrical:radio,climate control,headlights and windshield washer pump. Window regulators. And the worst:learning from x_employees of BMW say that BMW purposefully miss-torques oil pan,valve cover and oil filter housing so the fail right after 50,000 mile warranty. Every e90 has these problems. And window regulators all except driver side. In motion.
The air bag light came on and I called BMW customer relations. They told me to take it to a BMW dealer to have the front seat occupant protection mat replaced under an extended warranty (NHTSA campaign number 13V564000). The BMW dealer in long beach said it isn't listed as a recall item and they want $180 just to perform a check to see if there is a problem, which is ridiculous.
Takata recall- my airbag in the steering wheel has been replaced. The passenger seat mat sensor has had to be replaced 2x(1x under warranty) 1x I had to pay out of pocket and now a 3rd time (out of pocket) it has broken again. I believe this is a faulty part and should be covered under warranty. The vehicle was stationary each time this has broken.
The light has come on and then it will go off and come back on. It need to be fixed. I can smell like it is burnt. My car be in motion and I smell it even after I stop. The light stay on all the time now. I'm afraid every time I get in the car to drive it but I got to take my grandchildren to school. Do you fix it or do I have to fix it. Please help !!
Hello, my airbag fault light has been on for a few months now. Although most cars made by BMW during this year have a airbag recall, my car is not part of it and I am concerned about the safety of airbags in this car. I would like to confirm from the manufacturer that the airbags in my car are not actually faulty.
Getting a hard warning for "passenger restraint system malfunction". Apparently this has something to do with a sensor in the passenger seat going bad. This can cause injury or fatality as the passenger airbag will not deploy correctly. There has been a recall for this but my VIN was not included.
Related recalls
Air bags › Frontal
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.
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.
NHTSA investigations
BMW airbag light illumination
BMW is conducting a safety recall campaign on approximately 200,000 my04 through my06 subject vehicles built through 11/30/05 to correct the front passenger seat air bag occupant detection mat. The specific vehicles included in the recall aremy04- 06/ 5-series with standard and sport seats, my04-06/ x3-series and my06/ 3-series with sport seats.
Airbag complaints in other 3 Series years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2006 BMW 3 Series?
NHTSA has 101 complaints about the air bags of the 2006 BMW 3 Series, 50% of the model year's 202 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (30 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 BMW 3 Series airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 08V-384 (frontal, Aug 5, 2008). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2006 BMW 3 Series airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 69,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 3 injuries to air bags problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.