Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 BMW 325ci owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I called my dealer last year to schedule to fix my recall on my car. Unfortunately I did not went to my appointment. Now one of the bags exploded, and I called the delegar again to do my recall, but to my surprise the have my car in records as repair!! And I told the that never happened. They promised to check and call me back and has not happened either. This is the BMW san antonio texas delegar. I believe this is fraud! I want to have the recall done and I want to make sure they don't go away with it. I don't have any documentation to upload about it because it doesn't exist. Nevertheless I do have a picture that shows the airbag that exploded is from 2003, as the rest of them. I feel so angry and disappointed. My name is [redacted], owner of the 2004 BMW 325ci
Takayuki recall a few years back, I received a recall notice for the passenger side airbag.(potentially lethal consequences if deployed). Last year, I received another recall, this time for the driver's airbag.I responded immediately and was placated with the promise of replacement. It has been eighteen months now and the dealer asks me to be patient. I recently found that it May take until 2020!!! For any replacement!!! I ask, simply would any prudent person drive my vehicle? Living with the threat of death for four more years? What am I to do? I want a safe replacement at BMW's expense until my vehicle can be repaired. Yes my vehicle is 12 years old ( 60,000 miles) and yes I live in what considered a "humid" environment! Help!
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 BMW 325ci. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 20 MPH, the air bag warning indicator illuminated after the seat was adjusted. The failure recurred on multiple occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the mat was faulty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 BMW 325ci. The contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was serviced under NHTSA campaign number: 15V318000 (air bags), but the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. The contact mentioned that the air bag warning light remained illuminated after the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.
After recalled air bags replaced, about 6 months later new air bag sensor light came on and diagnosed as passenger seat air bag sensor mat needs to be replaced. Just randomly the light came on and stayed on. I see this has been a problem in bmws and there was an extended warranty for other models. This should be a recall as it is a safety issue as bags will not deploy.
The TAKATA airbags were replaced April 8, 2021, by Reeds Import, Tampa FL. Please save a tree and stop sending recall notices. Thank you. Mark
In May 2015 after learning that my car has a recall on the airbags I took it to BMW of buena park, ca. They refused to replace the airbags (by then only the one from one side) because the airbag light was on. They wanted me to pay $180 to diagnose the airbag light before proceeding with the recall repair. I spoke to a manager and asked him why the charge if it was (at least to me) obvious that the light came on because of the faulty airbags. He insisted that I had to pay for the diagnose and refused to fix the airbag. Now I realize that the airbags from both sides are being recalled. I contacted BMW again and they are still refusing to replace the airbags without first diagnosing the airbag light. I told them that this airbag light appears to be an issue with their vehicles. …
Car has been to the BMW dealership several times regarding the air bag sensor alert. BMW dealership doesn't know what is causing the sensor to come on. I have made several complaints to BMW headquarters regarding this issue. The BMW dealership will clear the alert or attempt to repair it,then within less than 200 miles the alert comes on again. I return the car to the BMW dealership,then they want to try something else,which is costing additional money. BMW is aware of this issue and need to be held accountable.I just hope that an accident doesn't happen which will require the air bag to be deployed.
I found out that the air bags in my car were recalled in October and contacted BMW of sarasota to schedule the repair, they said they would have the parts in a couple of weeks. In November I received the official recall letter from BMW USA and again called BMW of sarasota to find out when they were going to fix the car. They said my name was on a list and they would call me when they had the parts. It been four months and I still have not heard form the BMW dealership about replacing the airbags.
Tl* Takata recall. The contact owns a 2004 BMW 325ci. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V318000 (air bags) and stated that the part was not available within a reasonable time frame to schedule the recall repair. The dealer did not give a specific date for when the part would become available. The manufacturer could not provide an estimated date for when the vehicle would receive the recall repair. The contact was not experiencing a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Related recalls
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2000-2005 323iT, 325iT, 325xiT, 320i, 323i, 325i, 325xi, 328i, 330i and 330xi and 2000-2006 323Ci, 325Ci, 328Ci, 330Ci, M3 Coupe, 323Cic, 325Cic, 330Cic, and M3 Convertible vehicles equipped with non-desiccated frontal Takata PSAN inflators and PSPI passenger frontal air bag…
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger's front air bag, free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2002-2005 325i, 325xi, 330i, and 330xi Sedans, and 325xi and 325i Sportswagons, 2002-2006 330Ci, 325Ci, and M3 Convertibles and 325i, 330i, and M3 Coupes, 2002-2003 M5, 540i, 525i Sedan, and 530i Sedans, and 540i and 525i Sportswagons, and 2003 X5 3.0i and 4.4i…
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the vehicle has been remedied. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driver air bag module, free of charge. The recall began Aug 2016.
NHTSA investigations
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag…
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag…
Airbag complaints in other 325ci years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2004 BMW 325ci?
NHTSA has 41 complaints about the air bags of the 2004 BMW 325ci, 60% of the model year's 68 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2004 BMW 325ci airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 20V-018 (inflator module, Jan 15, 2020); NHTSA recall 15V-318 (inflator module, May 28, 2015). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2004 BMW 325ci airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 80,000 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.