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 2013 BMW 328i owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact's mother owned a 2013 BMW 328i. The contact stated while driving 5 mph and approaching a traffic light when another vehicle impacted the rear driver side door.The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated she sustained a mild concussion, has neck, back, and shoulder pains, and stated she had numbness on the left leg and left arm. The contact was taken by an ambulance to the emergency room to seek medical attention. The contact stated that the other vehicle had a 10 and 4-year-old and were also transported by ambulance to the emergency room to seek medical attention for their unknown inquires. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not drivable. The insurance company deemed the vehicle total loss. The vehicle was towed to towing lot first and then to unknown location chosen by the insurance company. …
Something from the passenger front wheel side must have messed up since after I went over a small bump in the road I lost control of my vehicle that resulted in my crashing into a bobbed wire fence and a pole that was holding up the fence. My car was completely totaled and no airbags deployed from anywhere in the car. The steering wheel hit me so hard in the abdomen that it caused my T11 and T12 vertebrae in my spine to break from the doctors reports it was stated that the airbags have failed witch resulted in a direct impact to my abdomen by the steering wheel and instantly I knew I broke my lower back. My 4yr old son who was restrained in his car seat was passenger in the backseat during the accident but didn't sustain injuries besides some whiplash and having nightmares. …
We were in a small fender bender and the air bag in this BMW F30 deployed - with some kind of powder and material coming out and BURNING the driver. Burns all over legs and on sensitive areas, burned all the way through his pants. The driver was lucky to have escaped with their life. These were confirmed to be Takata air bags and we found out today 9/21/21 about a recall on the same air bags. The vehicle was unsafe during sale and serviced not even a a week before the fender bender - we serviced it AT BMW and they did not recall or fully check the vehicle. These faulty air bags were ignored negligently. BMW does NOT want to repair the fault air bags because there is no official recall. We ask you add more models or assist us to this recall. A driver was injured and this continues to put drivers at risk.
The contact owns a 2013 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The drivetrain and passenger's side air bag warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate above 25 MPH and the vehicle was shaking erratically. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 174,775.
I stated on another form about my other safety issue. My son was in an accident in 2013 328I xdrive this website states this vehicle does not have an open recall or any recalls on it. I say bull crap not only did my son lose break, accessibility and crash into a tree doing 54 miles an hour. He also had the airbags deploy and burned him. Air bag dust literally ate right through his pants. I still have the severely burned up his hands We purchased this vehicle for Son last year, because BMWs are known to be safe. My 16-year-old son was almost killed in his car because of BMWs negligence.
930A1B Permanent Front passenger seat occupancy detection malfunction 930A1C Permanent Front passenger seat occupancy detection malfunction 930AC9 Intermittent Front passenger seat occupancy detection malfunction Theres a recall out for it but my vehicles vin wasn't included. Its been killing people Yes problem was diagnosed by vehicle tech at an auto repair shop No it has not but I am trying to make an appointment since I'm not sure what to do. No, no warnings, just one day a message popped up saying there was an issue with the passenger restraint system and it started to ding. it did that for about 50000 miles then it stopped dinging, but still dings when seat is empty so you have to plug the seat belt in. Its very expensive to fix and have heard of it breaking again after being fixed. …
Passenger Restraint system malfunction for the front passenger seat. This may not trigger the airbag for a passenger sitting in the front if a collision occurs and can seriously injure someone. This problem appears to be very common with BMW models within this timeframe. All over car forums and youtube videos, some videos with over 100k views per video. I am not sure how BMW has not recalled this safety issue as it seems to linger throughout many of their models for many years. As soon as the malfuction occured\, the warning sign and lamp lights did flash on.
I along with many others are getting a passenger restraint sensor error which prevents the airbag from deploying. This is very dangerous and the repair cost is $2000. This sensor determines if there is an occupant sitting in the front passenger seat and if they meet the weight limit for the airbag to deploy. When it malfunctions, the airbag will not deploy even though a passenger may be seated there.
Received display notification of "Passenter-restraint system: Fault in airbag, belt tensioner or belt fore limiter. Continue wearing safety belt. Consult nearest service center." Upon taking to service center, they mentioned there was no recall for airbag. Peace of mind placed at risk.
When driving, get this error message on the screen when no passenger is sitting in the passenger seat - Passenger restraint system: Malfunction. Continue wearing safety belt. Seems like a big safety issue.
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.
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 328i years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2013 BMW 328i?
NHTSA has 39 complaints about the air bags of the 2013 BMW 328i, 15% of the model year's 257 complaints. The component named most often is sensor › occupant classification (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2013 BMW 328i airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 20V-017 (inflator module, Jan 15, 2020). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2013 BMW 328i airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 48,000 miles, and 27% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 12 crashes, 1 fire and 12 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.