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NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Engineering Analysis EA08-001: BMW AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATION

  • Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Engineering Analysis EA08-001 on January 4, 2008, the day it closed Preliminary Evaluation PE07-045, whose summary cites it, and closed it on December 31, 2008. NHTSA's investigations file lists 22 BMW models for it and links recall 08V-384 to it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number
EA08-001 (also written EA08001)
Investigation type
Engineering Analysis A more detailed stage of a defect investigation, opened when NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation decides an issue merits further review, often after a Preliminary Evaluation or a Recall Query; it can include vehicle testing, surveys and further information requests.
Status
Closed December 31, 2008
Opened
Closed
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
BMW of North America, LLC
Components
Air Bags; Air Bags — Frontal; Air Bags — Frontal — Sensor/Control Module-Inactive
Recall linked by NHTSA
  • 08V-384: FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT, reported
Vehicles and equipment
22 BMW models, including the 5 Series and X3

NHTSA's summary

As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Engineering Analysis EA08-001.

BMW IS CONDUCTING A SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN ON APPROXIMATELY 200,000 MY04 THROUGH MY06 SUBJECT VEHICLES BUILT THROUGH 11/30/05 TO CORRECT THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT. THE SPECIFIC VEHICLES INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AREMY04- 06/ 5-SERIES WITH STANDARD AND SPORT SEATS, MY04-06/ X3-SERIES AND MY06/ 3-SERIES WITH SPORT SEATS. IN ADDITION, BMW WILL EXTEND THE WARRANTY COVERAGE OF THE PASSENGER SEAT AIR BAG OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT TO 10-YEAR/UNLIMITED MILEAGE ON APPROXIMATELY 120,000 REMAINING MY04-06 SUBJECT VEHICLES BUILT THROUGH 11/30/05. THE SPECIFIC VEHICLES INCLUDED IN THE EXTENDED WARRANTY ARE MY 06/ 6 SERIES, MY 06/ 3-SERIES WITH STANDARD SEATS, MY04-05/ Z4, MY04-06/ 7 SERIES, MY 06/ X5, AND MY04-06/ 5-SERIES WITH COMFORT SEATS.THE AVERAGE FREQUENCY OF FAILURES AMONG THE EXTENDED WARRANTY GROUPS WAS LESS THAN 1/7TH OF THE RECALL VEHICLE GROUPS.PLEASE SEE BMW'S 08V-384 RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR FURTHER DETAILSDEPENDING ON SEAT CONFIGURATION AND VEHICLE GEOMETRY, THE OCCUPANT DETECTION MAT CAN FATIGUE DURING USE 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 CAUSING A BROKEN CIRCUIT.A BROKENCIRCUIT CAN LEAD TO THE DEACTIVATION OF THE PASSENGER AIR BAG AND THE ILLUMINATION OF BOTH THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT AND THE PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Engineering Analysis EA08-001. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to that page's NHTSA investigations section.

BMW

All BMW recalls

What an NHTSA investigation is

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) looks into possible safety defects in vehicles and equipment, often after owner complaints. An investigation usually starts as a Preliminary Evaluation, or as a Recall Query when it concerns whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or fixes the problem, and ODI can upgrade it to a more detailed Engineering Analysis. A Defect Petition asks NHTSA to open an investigation, and Audit and Equipment Queries are administrative investigations into whether companies complied with federal vehicle safety requirements, such as reporting, recall and certification rules.

An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.

To see whether a specific vehicle has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

BMW VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.

Sources

NHTSA's investigation record for EA08-001

Investigation details come from NHTSA's investigations file, which try.vin imports once a day. The investigation types are described from the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General's May 2023 report on NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA's petition rules (49 CFR Parts 552 and 557) and NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation procedures. How try.vin reads NHTSA investigations.