NHTSA Complaint #11290306 — 2010 BMW 128I

MY 2010 BMW 128I HAS TWO AIRBAG LIGHTS AND ONE SEAT BELT WARNING LIGHT THAT ARE CONTINUOUSLY ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR FACILITY, WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A FAULTY "PASSENGER SIDE OCCUPANCY SENSOR" UNDER DIAGNOSTIC CODE 93D2. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH ONLINE, I DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH BMW 1 SERIES AND 3 SERIES CARS THE FAULTY SENSOR RESULTS IN THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG BEING DEACTIVATED. IN FACT, THE PROBLEM IS SO COMMON THAT AFTERMARKET COMPANIES HAVE DEVELOPED A "BYPASS" TO=HAT PLUGS IN TO THE SEAT TO REACTIVATE THE AIRBAGS WITHOUT REPLACING THE OCCUPANCY SENSOR. THIS CREATES ANOTHER SAFETY CONCERN, BECAUSE THE BYPASS ACTIVATES THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG REGARDLESS OF THE WEIGHT OF THE PASSENGER (OR LACK OF A PASSENGER), WHICH COULD RESULT IN AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT WHEN A REAR FACING CARSEAT OR OTHER UNDERWEIGHT PASSENGER IS IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. WITH A QUOTE OF $1,291.05 TO REPAIR THE FAULTY PASSENGER OCCUPANCY SENSOR, I FEEL THAT BMW SHOULD TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THIS PROBLEM AND PREVENT FURTHER INJURIES BY RECALLING THE SENSOR.