Comments on: BMW recalls 200,000 vehicles due to front passenger air bag issues

By: george pillari md

george pillari md — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:28:20 +0000

Suffered hearing loss and balance disorder (meniere’s disease) following deployment of BMW airbag.

Has this been reported and where can I find such reports.
2004-2005 SUV.

thanks,
g.pillari md

By: George

George — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:29:24 +0000

@Lance: Thanks for responding! I will have to check it out because I have the hatch. This could be a massive recall way over the 200,000 figure mentioned. Because BMW car sales from 2004-2006 for the models mentioned are more than 1 million.

By: Lance

Lance — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:18:09 +0000

@George: The article did not mention it but it is what I experienced and what some of my friends experienced. We didn't have to pay as it was under Motorplan and Warranty, but we had a look at the invoice when we got the car back and BMW was charged about 80euros for the sensor mat excluding labour to strip the seats. We didn;t have to pay. But what worries me is that if these mats only lasts for about 2 years, this means that the running costs will be extremely high for owners after the plan has expired. The only way to test it is to take the passenger seat belt off while travelling and see if warning does come on. BTW, the 1 Series I'm talking about is the hatch, but the coupe in US should use the same mat. But again, this is only what some of my friends and I have experienced, maybe it is not that common, but it is a serious safety issue.

By: George

George — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 22:53:41 +0000

@Lance: R u sure about the 1-series, because the article doesn’t mention it? BMW should fix these problems even if the car is not under warranty. Why should the customer pay for something that was faulty from the beginning?

By: Feco

Feco — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 22:43:19 +0000

Mine BMW is on the list.. 5 series 2005. Gonna cal to my local dealer tomorrow

By: Lance

Lance — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:03:35 +0000

Of course they have to fix them, or else they will loose more money when customers take them to court! The other thing I have noticed is that the seat occupancy sensor may also be defective, which means that the airbag will not deploy even when there is a passenger sitting there. I know of a few people, incluing myself who experienced this problem on the 1 and 3 Series. It seem like they only last for about 2 years. This recall should cost BMW a lot, further knocking them away from their cost cutting strategy and profits.

By: Horatiu B.

Horatiu B. — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:52:21 +0000

@Mark:

It proves no one is perfect. All the manufacturers make mistakes, but I’m glad they take a step forward and are fixing them.

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:29:30 +0000

This is very unfortunate indeed….but at least for BMW, the number of recalls is lower than say, other car companies…

Cheers,

By: Gunnar

Gunnar — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 04:35:50 +0000

That’s a damn shame. But recalls happen to everybody sometime.

By: Horatiu B.

Horatiu B. — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 02:20:36 +0000

@adood84: I think so. I'm assuming you car was manufactured in Germany, so you will most likely be affected by the recall. I will also call your local dealer who can get in touch with BMW and find out more.

By: adood84

adood84 — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:29:09 +0000

my cousin has a 2005 5er , but we live in Saudi do you think we are affected by teh recall or is this only a US based thing