NHTSA recalls, safety ratings, and consumer complaints for the 2006 BMW X3.
| Overall Rating | Not Rated |
| Frontal Crash | Not Rated |
| Side Crash | Not Rated |
| Rollover | Not Rated |
Component: AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2006-2010 BMW X3 2.5i, X3 3.0i and X3 xDrive30i Sports Activity Vehicles. The front passenger seat occupant detection mat that determines if, and how, the passenger frontal air bag should deploy in a crash may fatigue and develop cracks which could lead to a system failure.
Consequence: Should the system fail, in the event of a crash, the front passenger air bag would be deactivated, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger seat occupant detection mat, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on November 27, 2017. A second notification letter will be sent when parts are available. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
BMW IS RECALLING 200,000 MY 2006 3 SERIES SPORT SEAT, MY 2004-2006 5 SERIES STANDARD AND SPORT SEAT, AND MY 2004-2006 X3 PASSENGER VEHICLES. DEPENDING ON THE MANNER AND FREQUENCY OF THE FRONT PASSENGER'S ENTRY AND EXIT, SMALL CRACKS HAVE DEVELOPED IN THE MAT. IF THIS OCCURS, THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAGS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE HEAD PROTECTION SYSTEM, WILL BE DEACTIVATED AND THE AIR BAG WARNING LAMP AS WELL AS THE PASSENGER AIR BAG "ON-OFF" LAMP WILL BE ILLUMINATED.
Consequence: IN THIS SITUATION THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY EVEN IF A SUFFICIENTLY SEVERE ACCIDENT WOULD OCCUR AND OCCUPANT PROTECTION PROVIDED BY THE SYSTEM WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REWORK THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR MAT SO THAT EXTERNAL FORCE APPLICATION TO THE SEAT DOES NOT CAUSE A CRACK TO THE MAT. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 6, 2008. BMW WILL ALSO EXTEND THE WARRANTY ON THESE VEHICLES TO 10 YEARS FROM FIRST REGISTRATION WITHOUT ANY MILEAGE LIMIT. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-525-7417.
Dealer states my occupancy detection mat was already reworked, however the original mat is still in the seat and no evidence exists to show what was done to prevent future fatigue of the mat. The date code on the mat is 2005 and the dealer stated it only needed replacing if it showed visible cracking during inspection. They stated it wasn't required to replace it but the date of warranty started from date of inspection.
The contact owns a 2006 BMW X3. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the front passenger's side air bag warning light illuminated. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V605000 (Air Bags) however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.
I can smell a burning smell at times coming out from my blower and the heat and air condition is not functioning properly. Also my rear hatch lights on the interior are always on and when I hit bumps they flash off and on.
The contact owns a 2006 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the contact rear-ended another vehicle. All the air bags except for the passenger’s side air bag deployed upon impact. The contact suffered a migraine from the collision but did not receive medical attention but planned to go to urgent care afterward. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not totaled. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. Prior to the failure, the dealer serviced the recall under NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V605000 (Air Bags). The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
The 2006 BMW X3 has 2 NHTSA recalls and 344 consumer complaints on file. It received an overall safety rating of Not Rated out of 5 stars in NHTSA crash testing. The high number of complaints suggests potential reliability concerns — review the complaint details above before purchasing. For the most detailed information about a specific vehicle, decode its VIN using our free decoder above.
Enter a specific VIN to get the full report — specs, recalls, safety ratings, complaints, investigations, and technical service bulletins.
I turned on my heated seat and within about a minute and a half I smelled a burning smell. Pulled over as I started to feel a burn on my leg because the seat heater has burnt through the leather in my car. This is a known problem at BMW and they have not issued a recall for this.
FAULTY CLOCK SPRING BMW AIRBAG LIGHT ON HORN DOESN'T WORK BMW STEERING WHEEL BUTTONS DON'T WORK, PADDLE SHIFTER NOT WORKING, FAULT CODE: DRIVER SQUIB CIRCUIT OPEN OR HIGH RESISTANCE, CODE B1049 AND B1054.
NHTSA WEBSITE CLAIMS THAT MY VEHICLE HAS HAD AN UNREPAIRED RECALL. THE RECALL IS FOR: FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT: THIS SAFETY RECALL INVOLVES THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT. DEPENDING ON SEAT CONFIGURATION AND VEHICLE GEOMETRY, THE MAT CAN FATIGUE DURING FIELD USAGE DEPENDING ON THE MANNER AND FREQUENCY OF THE FRONT PASSENGER'S ENTRY AND EXIT. SPECIFICALLY, OVER TIME MICRO-CRACKS COULD DEVELOP IN THE SIDE FLANKS OF THE MAT. IF A MICRO-CRACK LEADS TO A BREAK OF A CONDUCTIVE PATH, THE SYSTEM WILL RECOGNIZE A FAILURE. CONSEQUENTLY, THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAGS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE HEAD PROTECTION SYSTEM WILL BE DEACTIVATED.
DRIVER SEAT HEATER COIL BURNED UP WHILE I WAS SITTING IN THE GARAGE PREPARING TO LEAVE CAUSING HOLE IN THE SEAT AND MY PANTS.. I SEARCHED ON YOUTUBE AND IT SHOWED THAT THERE WERE SEVERAL INCIDENTS OF THIS HAPPENING. SHOULDN'T THERE BE A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM
WHILE DRIVING, WITH DRIVER'S HEATED SEAT SET ON HIGH (3 LIGHTS FOR HEATED SEAT CONTROL), DRIVER NOTED A BURNING SMELL. DRIVER TURNED OFF CABIN HEAT, HEATED SEAT AND PULLED OFF THE ROAD TO IDENTIFY THE SOURCE OF THE STRONG BURNING SMELL. HEATED SEAT HAD BURNED THROUGH THE LEATHER SEAT AND THE EXTERNAL LAYER OF THE DRIVER'S DOWN FILLED WOOL COAT. VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET, MANUAL TRANSMISSION IN 3RD GEAR, STRAIGHT ROAD. OCCURRED ON 12/16/19. INCLUDED 2 PICTURES OF THE BURNT LEATHER SEAT AND 1 PICTURE OF THE DRIVER'S BURNT COAT. SEAT AND COAT WERE BURNED, NO LIVE FLAME.
HEATED SEAT GETTING TOO HOT TOO FAST. BURNING SMELL.
WITHIN TWO MINUTES OF DRIVING, ON A CITY STREET, THE CAR WITH THE HEATED SEATS ON, I SMELLED A BURNING SMELL AND THOUGHT IT WAS COMING FROM ANOTHER CAR. BUT THE SMELL GOT STRONGER AND IT DIDN'T SMELL LIKE A CAR-RELATED SMELL. EVENTUALLY, THE SMELL GOT SO STRONG AND PUNGENT AND I SUDDENLY HAD A SHARP PAIN ON MY LEFT HIP AND I REALIZED IT THE HEATED SEAT WAS BURNING ME. THE PAIN WAS SO ACUTE I HAD TO LIFT MYSELF OFF OF THE SEAT, WHICH WAS DANGEROUS AND COULD'VE RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT, AND I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND TURNED OFF THE HEATED SEATS. ONCE I TURNED THE HEATED SEAT OFF THE PAIN AND SMELL DISSIPATED. I GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND THERE WAS A CLEAR BURN HOLE BOTH ON THE SEAT AND ON MY PANTS. THE SMELL OF BURNT FABRIC LASTED IN THE CAR FOR SEVERAL DAYS AND FOR THE REST OF THE DAY I EXPERIENCED SHARP PAINS ON MY LEFT HIP AS IF IT WAS GETTING BURNED AGAIN.
WHILE USING DRIVER SIDE SEAT HEATER, ELEMENTS OVERHEATED BURNING THROUGH THE LEATHER SEAT AND BURNING THE LEFT SIDE/HIP OF THE DRIVER. CAR WAS IN MOTION AND ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. PULLED OVER AND TURNED OFF THE HEATER IMMEDIATELY AND HAVEN'T USED IT SINCE.
BMW OF DALLAS ,TX SAID PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR MAT BACK ORDERED, IT HAS BEEN OVER 6 MONTHS. WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS SEAT SAFELY. THEY SAID THEY WOULD CALL WHEN AVAIL.
COOLANT HOSES RELEASED AND RADIATOR SPLIT OPEN -- APPEARED WHILE DRIVING --- FLUID RELEASED ONTO WINDSHIELD
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW X3. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V605000 (AIR BAGS). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. BMW CONCORD (1967 MARKET ST, CONCORD, CA 94520, (925) 682-3577) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE PARTS WERE AVAILABLE. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER A SECOND TIME AND THE AIR BAG MATS WERE REPLACED; HOWEVER, THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AGAIN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE RECALL REPAIR WAS COMPLETED; THEREFORE, ANY FURTHER REPAIRS WOULD NOT BE COVERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 127,609. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
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