NHTSA Complaint #11406014 — 2008 BMW 750I

FAULT 97E0 - FRONT PASSENGER OC3 OCCUPANCY DETECTION MAT DEFECTIVE. THIS IS THE SECOND SUCH FAILURE IN THIS VEHICLE. THE FIRST OCCURRED THE YEAR PRIOR IN THE DRIVER-SIDE MAT WHEN THE VEHICLE HAD LESS THAN 75,000 MILES. AT A NORMAL MILEAGE USAGE OF 15,000 PER YEAR, THE FIRST FAILURE WOULD HAVE OCCURRED AFTER 5 YEARS OF SERVICE. THE PASSENGER SEAT IS USED LESS THAN 20% OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT. ON A PRO-RATA BASIS, THE PASSENGER SEAT MAT FAILED IN LESS THAN 2 YEARS OF EQUIVALENT USE. WE HAVE NOT HAD THE REPAIR DONE FOR 2 REASONS: 1) THE REPAIR RANGES IN COST BETWEEN $1,700 - $2,700 AS COMPARED TO THE DRIVER'S SEAT REPAIR THAT COST $700, AND 2) THE REPAIR REQUIRES THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ENTIRE PASSENGER SEAT COVER (THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOESN'T), WHICH DISFIGURES THE INTERIOR UPHOLSTERY AESTHETICS. THIS FAILURE OCCURS IN ALMOST EVERY BMW MODEL IN YEARS BOTH PRIOR AND AFTER 2008, WITH SEVERAL YEARS GAINING RECALL STATUS. THIS IS UNDERSTANDABLE SINCE THE MAT MANUFACTURER MOST LIKELY PROVIDED SEAT MATS TO ALL OF BMW'S VEHICLE LINEUP. THE MAT FAILURE WAS A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT FROM THE OUTSET AND SHOULD BE COVERED BY BMW.