FaultScore

2011 BMW 328XI airbag problems

15 of the 99 complaints about the 2011 BMW 328XI are about the airbag system — 15% of everything reported for this model year. Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before 53,100 miles.

F

15

Complaints

3

Crashes

0

Fires

3

Injuries

Exactly what failed

AIR Bags 12 80.0%
Occupant Classification 2 13.3%
Front Passenger 1 6.7%

Airbags across every BMW 328XI year

2007 51 62.2%
2008 16 19.5%
2011 15 18.3%

What owners said

Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.

at 100,000 miles Arden, NC

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM ERROR: WHEN PASSENGERS SIT IN FRONT PASSENGER SEAT A WARNING COMES ON AND DISABLES AIRBAG EVEN WHEN BELT IS BUCKLED OR NOT, DRIVING OR STATIONARY. WARNING STAYS ON AFTER PASSENGER EXITS. WARNING STAYS ON FOR ABOUT 50 MILES OF DRIVING AND RESETS UNTIL THE SEAT IS SAT IN AGAIN. ONLINE FORUMS SHOW RECALL FOR THIS IN OTHER MODELS BUT NOT MINE YET MUCH IS BEING REPORTED. SEEMS THE SEAT SENSOR PAD GOES BAD. VERY FEW PEOPLE SIT IN THIS SEAT SO THE SENSOR SYSTEM SHOULD NOT BE MALFUNCTIONING/WEARING OUT. IT IS INTERMITTENT BUT FREQUENT SUGGESTING IT IS THE SAME SYMPTOM ISSUE AS OTHER BMW MODELS WITH RECALLED SEAT SENSOR PADS.

NHTSA complaint #11209678 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 100,000 miles Arden, NC

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION

PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM ERROR: WHEN PASSENGERS SIT IN FRONT PASSENGER SEAT A WARNING COMES ON AND DISABLES AIRBAG EVEN WHEN BELT IS BUCKLED OR NOT, DRIVING OR STATIONARY. WARNING STAYS ON AFTER PASSENGER EXITS. WARNING STAYS ON FOR ABOUT 50 MILES OF DRIVING AND RESETS UNTIL THE SEAT IS SAT IN AGAIN. ONLINE FORUMS SHOW RECALL FOR THIS IN OTHER MODELS BUT NOT MINE YET MUCH IS BEING REPORTED. SEEMS THE SEAT SENSOR PAD GOES BAD. VERY FEW PEOPLE SIT IN THIS SEAT SO THE SENSOR SYSTEM SHOULD NOT BE MALFUNCTIONING/WEARING OUT. IT IS INTERMITTENT BUT FREQUENT SUGGESTING IT IS THE SAME SYMPTOM ISSUE AS OTHER BMW MODELS WITH RECALLED SEAT SENSOR PADS.

NHTSA complaint #11209678 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 100,000 miles Arden, NC

AIR BAGS

PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM ERROR: WHEN PASSENGERS SIT IN FRONT PASSENGER SEAT A WARNING COMES ON AND DISABLES AIRBAG EVEN WHEN BELT IS BUCKLED OR NOT, DRIVING OR STATIONARY. WARNING STAYS ON AFTER PASSENGER EXITS. WARNING STAYS ON FOR ABOUT 50 MILES OF DRIVING AND RESETS UNTIL THE SEAT IS SAT IN AGAIN. ONLINE FORUMS SHOW RECALL FOR THIS IN OTHER MODELS BUT NOT MINE YET MUCH IS BEING REPORTED. SEEMS THE SEAT SENSOR PAD GOES BAD. VERY FEW PEOPLE SIT IN THIS SEAT SO THE SENSOR SYSTEM SHOULD NOT BE MALFUNCTIONING/WEARING OUT. IT IS INTERMITTENT BUT FREQUENT SUGGESTING IT IS THE SAME SYMPTOM ISSUE AS OTHER BMW MODELS WITH RECALLED SEAT SENSOR PADS.

NHTSA complaint #11209678 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 74,000 miles Wanaque, NJ Crash 1 injured

AIR BAGS

I WAS DRIVING AT A SLOW SPEED DURING HEAVY TRAFFIC IN TOWN AT 4 PM ON A SUNNY DAY. THE CAR AHEAD OF ME SLOWED DOWN EVEN MORE AND WHEN I WAS TRYING TO SLOW MY CAR TOO, IT DID NOT SLOW DOWN AT ALL. I DID HIT THE CAR AHEAD OF ME AT A SLOW SPEED AND THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED CAUSING SEVERE INJURY TO MY RIGHT WRIST AND TO THE LEFT WRIST. IT CAUSED PROFUSE BLEEDING BECAUSE THE AIR BAG CAUSED CUTS IN MY WRIST AREA, VERY CLOSE TO A VEIN. A FIVE INCH HEMATOMA APPEARED WITHIN MINUTES IN THE RIGHT WRIST AND THE SKIN WAS SCRAPED OFF BOTH WRISTS. SEVERAL BURN MARKS ARE ALSO VISIBLE ALL THE WAY UP TO THE BEND OF MY ARMS. THE POLICE CAME WITHIN MINUTES AND THEY BANDAGED MY WRISTS TO TRY TO STOP THE BLEEDING. AN AMBULANCE WAS CALLED AND THE EMT WANTED TO TRANSPORT ME TO A HOSPITAL.

NHTSA complaint #11121766 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 49,500 miles Butler, PA

AIR BAGS

PASSENGER FRONT SEAT OCCUPANCY MAT/SENSOR FAILED, CAUSING AIR BAGS TO TURN ON/OFF, AND TRIGGER FALSE POSITIVES AND FALSE NEGATIVES FOR MINIMUM WEIGHT OCCUPANCY, THEREBY TRIGGERING SEAT BELT ALARM, AND DISABLING/ENABLING AIR BAGS INCORRECTLY. THIS WAS A RECALL IN THE SAME CAR, MODEL YEAR 2006. I WOULD LIKE MY FEEDBACK ON THIS SUBJECT TO HELP INITIATE THE SAME RECALL FOR THE 2011 MODEL YEAR.

NHTSA complaint #11120434 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 49,500 miles Butler, PA

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION

PASSENGER FRONT SEAT OCCUPANCY MAT/SENSOR FAILED, CAUSING AIR BAGS TO TURN ON/OFF, AND TRIGGER FALSE POSITIVES AND FALSE NEGATIVES FOR MINIMUM WEIGHT OCCUPANCY, THEREBY TRIGGERING SEAT BELT ALARM, AND DISABLING/ENABLING AIR BAGS INCORRECTLY. THIS WAS A RECALL IN THE SAME CAR, MODEL YEAR 2006. I WOULD LIKE MY FEEDBACK ON THIS SUBJECT TO HELP INITIATE THE SAME RECALL FOR THE 2011 MODEL YEAR.

NHTSA complaint #11120434 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Appleton, WI

AIR BAGS

2011 BMW 328XI. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO DRIVERS FRONT AIRBAG MODULES RECALL. *LD THE CONSUMER WAS ADVISED THAT THE RECALL REPLACEMENT PARTS WERE UNAVAILABLE. UPDATED 09/14/2017*JS UPDATED 11/03/17*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE AIRBAG WAS REPLACED ON OCT 18, 2017.

NHTSA complaint #11023189 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ST. Petersburg, FL

AIR BAGS

TAKATA RECALL: HAVE BEEN TRYING SINCE MARCH 3016 TO GET BMW TO REPLACE AIRBAG UNDER RECALL. I LIVE IN FLORIDA (CERTAINLY HOT & MUGGY!). CALLED AUG. 14 AND TOLD IT WOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF THIS WEEK. CALLED TODAY AND THEY HAVE NOT YET NOTIFIED THE DEALER AND "RELEASED" THE AIRBAG. MAYBE NEXT WEEK. FYI, THIS IS TAKING FOREVER IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT SHOULD BE PRIORITY. LOANERS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA complaint #11018628 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Brownsburg, IN

AIR BAGS

TAKATA RECALL - RECALL NOTICE RECEIVED OVER ONE YEAR AGO. NO ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN BY BMW TO DATE. I HAVE SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERNS ABOUT CONTINUING TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE AND EFFECTIVELY CANNOT TRADE IT IN ON ANOTHER VEHICLE SINCE ITS VALUE IS SIGNIFICANTLY DIMINISHED UNTIL THE RECALL IS COMPLETED.

NHTSA complaint #10957345 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Narragansett, RI

AIR BAGS

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW 328XI. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V071000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT. UPDATED 01/25/2017*CT THE CONSUMER STATED THE AIR BAG WAS FINALLY REPLACED. UPDATED 02/15/17.

NHTSA complaint #10933985 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Ashburn, VA

AIR BAGS

IT HAS BEEN OVER 6 MONTHS, AND I HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY RECALL INFORMATION OR UPDATE ON THE REMEDY FROM BMW.

NHTSA complaint #10895898 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 53,100 miles Pittsburgh, PA

AIR BAGS

AT TEMPERATURE ABOVE 87 DEGREES F (AFTER A FULL DAY IN OPEN PARKING LOT UNDER SUN) AS INDICATED ON THE CAR'S DASHBOARD, THE SEAT BELT SENSOR OF THE CAR MALFUNCTIONED. EVEN THOUGH I HAD MY SEAT BELT FIRMLY CLASPED BUT THE CAR KEPT ON BEEPING SEATBELT WARNING FOR ABOUT 5-10 MINUTES UNTIL THE TEMPERATURE INSIDE THE CAR DROPPED TO LESS THAN 87 DEGREES F. THE SEATBELT WARNING WENT AWAY AFTER I OPENED THE WINDOW AND LET THE CAR COOL DOWN OR SWITCHED ON AC IN THE CAR. THIS IS A REPEATABLE PROBLEM AND CAN BE REPRODUCED IF MY CAR IS KEPT IN DIRECT SUMMER SUN FOR AN AFTERNOON AND HAS OCCURRED A NUMBER OF TIMES IN THE PAST. SINCE AIRBAG SENSORS INTERACT WITH THE FAULTY SEATBELT SENSORS SO IT HAS POTENTIALLY SERIOUS SAFETY CONSEQUENCES AND NEED TO BE ADDRESSED BY BMW AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

NHTSA complaint #10616027 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 36,960 miles Oakwood Village, OH

AIR BAGS

DRIVING DOWN A MAIN ROAD AT APPROX 35 MPH WHEN AN ERROR MESSAGE APPEARED ON VEHICLE DASH THAT STATED THERE IS A DEFAULT WITH THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT THAT MAY AFFECT DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAG.

NHTSA complaint #10610309 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 20,743 miles Telksdury, MA Crash 1 injured

AIR BAGS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BMW 328XI. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 2 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ACCELERATE INDEPENDENTLY AND CRASHED INTO SOME STONE/BRICK STAIRS, UPON ENETERING A SHORT DRIVEWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DESTROYED BUT THE DRIVER SUSTAINED A BRUISE TO THE RIBS AND FACE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION BUT THEY COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,000. UPDATED 04/04/14*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE FRONT SUSPENSION SUBFRAME AND BODY SHELL ATTACHMENT WAS RUINED. THE VEHICLE WAS A TOTAL LOSS. THE SIDE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. THE PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAG DID DEPLOY WITHOUT A PASSENGER. UPDATED 04/11/2014

NHTSA complaint #10563275 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

North Palm Beach, FL Crash 2 injured

AIR BAGS

2011 BMW 328I. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO FAULTY AIRBAGS. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED HE HIS WIFE HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE AT 40 MPH, AFTER THAT VEHICLE RAN A STOP. NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE TO THE ENTIRE FRONT BUMPER, PASSENGER SIDE DOOR, PANEL AND HOOD. THE REPAIR SHOP DETERMINED THE FRAME ON THE PASSENGER SIDE HAD RECEIVED DAMAGE WHICH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, AND IT REQUIRED THE MOTOR TO REMOVED AND RE-MOUNTED. THE COST OF THE DAMAGE WAS ESTIMATED OVER $15,000.UPDATED 12/09/15 *BF

NHTSA complaint #10513181 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other 2011 BMW 328XI problems

← Full 2011 BMW 328XI report