FaultScore

BMW 335I seat belt problems

26 of the 1,136 complaints filed about the BMW 335I are about the seat belts — 2% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2008.

26

Complaints

2%

Share of all complaints

0

Crashes

0

Fires

Seat Belts complaints by model year

2007 335I 5 19.2%

Median failure at 92,000 miles

2008 335I 9 34.6%

Median failure at 66,050 miles

2009 335I 6 23.1%

Median failure at 109,000 miles

2011 335I 3 11.5%

Median failure at 97,000 miles

2013 335I 3 11.5%

Median failure at 78,036 miles

What owners said

2013 BMW 335I Vestavia Hills, AL

SEAT BELTS

Out of nowhere, on 6/24, the warning light came on saying that there is an issue with the passenger restraint system. It stays on when there is no one in the seat and then, even if someone is in the seat, it will turn off. I have not had an accident or had the car flooded to warrant a system malfunction like that. I have read that this has happened to other owners of this model and it is a faulty mat sensor that costs over $1000 to repair.

NHTSA complaint #11529077 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2009 BMW 335I Blountville, TN

SEAT BELTS

I turned my car on an out of nowhere a seatbelt and airbag light came on. I did not get into a bump up or disconnect any sensors it just popped up one day.

NHTSA complaint #11460954 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2009 BMW 335I at 160,000 miles East Chicago, IN

SEAT BELTS

RANDOMLY WHILE DRIVING AND SOMETIMES WHEN STATIONARY MY CAR'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM STARTED GOING HAYWIRE INCLUDING MY GAUGES AND THE PASSENGER AIRBAG AS WELL SOME OTHER SAFETY FEATURES WITH TTHE SEATBELT WERE DISABLED WITH & WITHOUT A PASSENGER IN THE CAR. I KEEP GETTING A WARNING SCREEN THAT TREAD AS FOLLOWS: "RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION. FAULT IN PASSENGER-RESTRAINT SYSTEM AFFECTING AIRBAG, BELT TENSIONER OR BELT-FORCE LIMITER. CONTINUE TO WEAR THE SAFETY BELT. HAVE THE SYSTEM CHECKED BY THE NEAREST BMW CENTER." AFTER LOOKING ONLINE IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM BUT FOR SOME REASON MY VIN ISN'T INCLUDED ON THE RECALL.

NHTSA complaint #11375586 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2011 BMW 335I at 97,000 miles West Covina, CA

SEAT BELTS

WHEN I SHIFT TO SPORTS MODE IT DOES NOT ENGAGE. NO RESPONSE WHEN I AM DRIVING. PASSENGER SEAT IS NO DETECTING IF SOMEONE SEATING ON IT. AIR BAG MALFUNCTION ON THE DASH BOARD.

NHTSA complaint #11362129 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2009 BMW 335I at 103,000 miles Ossining, NY

SEAT BELTS

WHEN A PASSENGER IS BELTED - WITH CAR RUNNING/DRIVING - AN ALARM COMES ON - BASICALLY NOT RECOGNIZING WHEN BELTED. ALSO THE INACTIVE AIRBAG LIGHT IS NOT ON. WHEN NO PASSENGER, THE CAR USED TO LIGHT UP THE 'AIRBAG NOT ACTIVE' - IT NO LONGER SHOWS THAT (LIGHT IS ALWAYS OFF) WHETHER PASSENGER THERE OR NOT.

NHTSA complaint #11310581 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2009 BMW 335I Sumas, WA

SEAT BELTS

AFTER A PERSONAL INVESTIGATION INTO THIS ISSUE, BMW SEEMS TO STILL DENY THAT MY MODEL HAS THE SAME ISSUES DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL. "RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION!" APPEARS ON THE CAR EVERY 20 SECONDS FRIGHTING DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS THE AIRBAGS AND SEATBELTS MIGHT NOT WORK. THIS IS AN AMERICAN CAR CURENTLY IN CANADA.

NHTSA complaint #11221579 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2013 BMW 335I at 90,072 miles Cathedral City, CA

SEAT BELTS

MY VEHICLE SHOWS THE FOLLOWING ERROR MESSAGE "PASSENGER RESTRAINT MALFUNCTION" AT RANDOM TIMES WHILE I AM DRIVING WITHOUT A PASSENGER OR WHENEVER A PASSENGER DECIDES TO MOVE AROUND. THE ERROR WILL ALSO APPEAR AT RANDOM TIMES WHENEVER I HAVE A PASSENGER. I RAN OBD READING AND IT GAVE THE ERROR CODE "930A1C-ODS-SYSTEM: SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR PASSENGER: SENDING SENSOR FAILURE BECAUSE OF WETNESS ,0, ZP." I HAVE NEVER SPILLED LIQUID MATTER ON THE SEATS AND I LIVE IN A DRY DESERT ENVIRONMENT WHERE TEMPERATURES RANGE FROM 80 TO 110 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. THE BMW DEALERSHIP IN PALM SPRINGS TOLD ME I WILL NEED TO REPLACE THE PASSENGER MAT, BUT MY WARRANTY WILL NOT COVER IT. I WAS QUOTED TO PAY $1600 OUT OF POCKET JUST TO FIX A FAULTY SENSOR MAT THAT IS ESSENTIAL IN PROTECTING A PASSENGER'S LIFE IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. I AM AFRAID THE AIRBAGS WILL NOT WORK PROPERLY IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT AND THE AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT CAN BE LETHAL TO A CHILD PASSENGER OR AN ELDERLY ADULT. I CAN NOT FIND A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO CAN REPLACE THE PASSENGER MAT, NOR CAN I BUY THE PART ONLINE FOR MY MODEL. IT IS A BIT INJUSTICE FOR ME TO PAY A LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY TO FIX A DEFECTIVE PART MADE BY BMW AND HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE OTHER THAN TO TAKE IT TO THE BMW DEALERSHIP. JUST TO HAVE THEM INSPECT MY VEHICLE COSTED $175. I HAVE ALSO BEEN MADE AWARE THAT BMW RECALLED 76,565 VEHICLES DUE TO A DEFECT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT FOR BMW MODELS 2006 325I, 325XI, 330I AND 330XI SEDANS AND 325XI SPORT WAGONS, THE 2007 328I, 328XI, 335I AND 335XI SEDANS AND 328I AND 328XI SPORT WAGONS, THE 2006-7 525I, 525XI, 530I, 530XI AND 550I SEDANS AND 530XI SPORT WAGONS, THE 2006 760I SEDANS, THE 2006-7 750I, 750LI, AND 760LI SEDANS AND THE 2006 X5 SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. IT SEEMS THESE DEFECTS WERE FOUND IN MY 2013 MODEL AND I WILL LIKE BMW TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE AND FIX IT.

NHTSA complaint #11220765 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2009 BMW 335I at 115,000 miles Cartersville, GA

SEAT BELTS

MY VEHICLE SUDDENLY DISPLAYED A PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION MESSAGE FOLLOWING SOMEONE SITTING IN THE SEAT. EVERYTHING APPEARS TO BE IN FULL WORKING ORDER EXCEPT WHATEVER IS CAUSING THE MALFUNCTION.

NHTSA complaint #11022897 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2013 BMW 335I at 66,000 miles Brandywine, MD

SEAT BELTS

IF CELL PHONE PLACED ON THE PASSENGER SEAT, IT COULD CAUSE A FALSE SEAT BELT LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE. I NOTICED WHILE CHARGING MY PHONE THROUGH THE USB PORT AND THE PHONE IS CHARGING; I CAN REPEAT THE INCIDENT OVER AND OVER. IT IS UNCLEAR IF THE AIRBAGS ARE FUNCTIONAL AT THIS TIME. THIS COULD HAPPEN IN MOTION AT ANY SPEED (HIGHWAY/CITY) OR WHILE STATIONARY.

NHTSA complaint #11001453 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2007 BMW 335I at 45 miles SAN Juan, PR

SEAT BELTS

THERE ARE SEVERAL LIGHT BULBS ON THE DASHBOARD, SUCH AS THE BRAKES ON THE BELTS AND THE AIRBAGS I NEED TO KNOW IF ANY OF THIS HAS A RECALL THANKS

NHTSA complaint #10965812 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2011 BMW 335I Boca Raton, FL

SEAT BELTS

TAKATA AIRBAGS-I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE (16V-071) IN MARCH 2016, BUT THE PROBLEM HAS NOT YET BEEN CORRECTED.TEN MONTHS HAVE PASSED AND I HAVE CALLED BMW MONTHLY AND CONTINUE TO BE TOLD THE PARTS ARE NOT YET AVAILABLE AND THEY ARE UNABLE TO PROVIDE A DATE WHEN THE PARTS WILL BE AVAILABLE. THIS IS AN UNACCEPTABLE WAITING TIME WITH NO SCHEDULE FOR THE REPAIR.

NHTSA complaint #10940280 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2011 BMW 335I Chandler, AZ

SEAT BELTS

PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION - NOTICE STARTED POPPING UP AT RANDOM NOW IS ON ALL THE TIME WITHOUT A PASSENGER. HAVE BEEN TOLD THERE IS NO RECALL, BUT THE SAME ISSUE HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED ON ALL BMW SPORTS SEATS FROM YEARS 2006 AND 2008, NOTICING COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME ISSUE FOR 2012 ISSUES POSTED ONLINE AS WELL. PREVIOUS ISSUE WAS FOR A CRACKED SENSOR IN THE SEAT. NOT HAPPY THAT BMW HAS HAD THIS ISSUE AND WILL NOT REVIEW POSSIBLE REOCCURRENCE IN NEWER MODELS THEN 2008.

NHTSA complaint #10910164 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2007 BMW 335I at 94,000 miles Mckenna, WA

SEAT BELTS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 BMW 335I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG AND SEAT BELT WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V564000 (AIR BAGS). THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SEAT MAT SENSOR MALFUNCTIONED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 94,000.

NHTSA complaint #10873705 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2007 BMW 335I Milpitas, CA

SEAT BELTS

WHEN DRIVING WITH A PASSENGER, THE VEHICLE WILL RECOGNIZE THAT THERE IS AN ERROR IN THE PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM. THE PASSENGER AIRBAG AND SEATBELT LIGHT WILL ILLUMINATE. THIS CAUSES A POTENTIAL THREAT TO SAFETY. THIS ISSUE IS RECOGNIZE IN ANOTHER COMPLAINT, BUT NOT EXTENDED TO NEWER MODELS. THE VEHICLE WITH THIS ISSUE IS A 2007 BMW 335I WITH SPORT AND PREMIUM PACKAGES, BUILD DATE IN MARCH 2007.

NHTSA complaint #10860404 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2007 BMW 335I at 120,000 miles Riverside, CA

SEAT BELTS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 BMW 335I. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE AIR BAG AND THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE MAT SENSOR AND THE AIR BAG SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

NHTSA complaint #10806259 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2007 BMW 335I at 90,000 miles Macon, GA

SEAT BELTS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 BMW 335I. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE FAULT IN THE PASSENGER RESTRAINT WARNING MESSAGE DISPLAYED CAUSING THE AIR BAG SEAT BELT TENSION SYSTEM TO ACTIVATE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE SENOR UNDER THE MAT OF THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.

NHTSA complaint #10782344 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2009 BMW 335I at 22,500 miles Miami, FL

SEAT BELTS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BMW 335I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE SENSOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL INDICATING THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT MALFUNCTIONED AND NEEDED TO BE SERVICED. ALSO, THE CONTACT INDICATED STATED THAT THE SEATBELT FAILED TO RETRACT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT BOTH FRONT SEAT MAT SENSORS AND SEAT BELTS WERE DEFECTIVE, AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 22,500.

NHTSA complaint #10652742 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2008 BMW 335I at 65,000 miles Irving, TX

SEAT BELTS

"PASS. RESTRAINT PASSENGER" ERROR MASSAGE, APPEARED THE FIRST TIME, I REPLACED THE SEAT BELT TENSIONER, THE ERROR MASSAGE DISAPPEARED, THEN CAME BACK ON ABOUT 5 MONTHS AFTER. I HAVE A CONVERTIBLE MODEL.

NHTSA complaint #10615608 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2008 BMW 335I at 66,050 miles Wiggins, MS

SEAT BELTS

DURING NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS THE AIRBAG AND SEATBELT TENSIONER SYSTEM FAIL LIGHTS CAME ON. WE DROVE HOME AND THE LIGHTS STAYED ON EVER SINCE. TRIED RESETTING THE COMPUTER SYSTEM BUT LIGHTS REMAIN ON.

NHTSA complaint #10557854 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2008 BMW 335I at 70,000 miles SAN Antonio, TX

SEAT BELTS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW 335I. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT FAILED TO TIGHTEN AND PROPERLY SECURE THE CONTACT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE IT WAS STATED THAT THE SEAT BELT COMPONENT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPLACED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

NHTSA complaint #10524582 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other BMW 335I problems