Problems · by component
2012 BMW 328I Xdrive air bags problems
30 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2012 BMW 328I Xdrive cite air bags, 21% of all 145 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
30
21% of all complaints
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
Reported by owners
What owners say about the air bags
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“Passenger restraint system malfunction. My vehicle as well as thousands of others have the chronic and unsafe issue of the passenger occupancy sensor malfunctioning. In order to remove warning on dash it’s either a $2,000 repair, or a $40 bypass which basically places the seat as constantly occupied, sticking the passenger airbag in the ‘on’ position. Vehicle is available for inspection. With this malfunction, any person that sits in the passenger front seat is at risk of injury or death in the event of a collision. Malfunction has been confirmed by both a dealer and an independent service center. Vehicle was inspected by the dealer, but no police or insurance company. Vehicle was purchased with the malfunction and the warning lights have been on for several years. With the massive number of vehicles of this make with a range of different mileage, with this issue, a recall is not only needed but warranted and should be mandated with this being a major safety issue.”
“My BMW 2012 E92 model vehicle currently has a malfunctioning Front Seat Occupancy AirBag sensor mat is very similar to the recall for E60 to E91 models. BMW refuses to fix it under the other recall and I'm wondering what can be done to add it to the recall? I also read of an extended warranty for this part but I do not qualify since my model is e92.( SI B01 01 18) . Please advise.”
“THE CAR IS GIVING ME A CODE STATING THAT THERE IS A PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF BMWS HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM BUT THEY ARE NOT COVERING MY MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR VEHICLE EVEN THOUGH IT IS THE EXAM SAME ISSUE”
“PASSENGER SEAT MAT SENSOR FOR AIRBAG CONTROL IS MALFUNCTIONING. THE WARNING IS SHOWING THAT THE SYSTEM IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY AND THAT A SEAT BELT NEEDS TO BE CONTINUED TO BE WORN. DEALER PRICE TO FIX THIS SAFETY ISSUE IS APPROXIMATELY $1200.”
“VEHICLE AT APPROXIMATELY 36,000 MILES STARTED EXHIBITING AN INTERMITTENT WARNING FOR PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION. BMW OF ONTARIO, CA DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE AS A FAULTY SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR, BUT DECLINED WARRANTY COVERAGE DUE TO VEHICLE AGE AND EXCLUSION FROM 3RD PARTY WARRANTY. THIS APPEARS TO BE A FAIRLY WIDESPREAD ISSUE BASED ON: 1) MANY OF THE ONLINE OWNER FORUMS COVER THIS PROBLEM. 2) THE PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD ENOUGH TO SUPPORT SEVERAL MANUFACTURERS MAKING AND SELLING BYPASS\EMULATOR DEVICES TO CIRCUMVENT THE FAILED SENSOR. A CRITICAL SAFETY DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT SHOULD NOT BE FAILING SO EARLY OR FREQUENTLY.”
“PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR FAILURE RENDERS PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG SYSTEMS INACTIVE WHEN PASSENGER SEAT IS OCCUPIED. VEHICLE IS 2012 MODEL YEAR WITH APPROXIMATELY 80,000 MILES.”
Showing 6 of 30 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.