2006 BMW 325I Recalls, Complaints & Safety

Since the airbag was not fixed, it has caused PVC meltings as well as leakage

The Valvetronic Actuator malfunctions. The malfunction may have been caused by a Battery Positive Cable that has corroded over time. The result is that the vehicle stops unexpectedly during acceleration. Driver safety and that of others is put at risk due to the vehicle suddenly losing power and stoping while being driven. The vehicle was evaluated by the dealer. Warning lamps were intermittent and inconsistent. To my knowledge there is no Valvetronic Actuator or Battery Cable specific warning lamps or messages. There was a 2017 recall for the Battery Positive Cable, but my specific VIN was not covered (by a few months). My VIN (1986 325I) should have been included in the 2017 recall.

The passenger seat occupancy sensor (OC3 mat) on my 2006 BMW 3 Series (VIN: [XXX] ) has failed. As a result, the front passenger airbag is disabled, which poses a serious safety risk. BMW issued a 15-year warranty extension for this issue, acknowledging it as a common failure, but my vehicle is now slightly outside the coverage period. This part is vital for detecting front-seat occupants and enabling the airbag during a crash. I believe BMW should still be required to fix this safety-critical defect, especially in vehicles where the issue was never repaired while under the extended coverage window. This should be reclassified as a full safety recall, not just an expired service campaign. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owned a 2006 BMW 325i. The contact stated while driving 60-65 MPH, the A/C became inoperable and made an abnormally loud sound. The contact then noticed an abnormal burning wiring odor, and there was smoke coming out of the A/C vents. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that she attempted to pull to the side of the road, but could not safely do so. The contact continued driving and came to a complete stop at the traffic light, where the cabin became engulfed in smoke. The contact then pulled into a business parking lot and immediately exited the vehicle. The contact stated upon opening the hood, the contact noticed a reflection of the flame inside the hood. The contact ran into the business and asked for assistance. The contact stated that upon returning to the vehicle, the contact noticed that the fire had started from the middle of the hood to the cabin of the vehicle. The contact and the business employee attempted to extinguish the fire with two fire extinguishers but were unable to do so. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. The contact stated that the vehicle burned to the ground from the middle of the hood to the trunk, where the gas tank was located, and the hood was fractured in half. The contact stated that there were burned particles around the parking lot, but there was no property damage. The fire department report was filed. A police report was filed, but the contact did not have the information available. There was no injury sustained. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot, where it was totaled. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

Fire

The contact owned a 2006 BMW 325i. The contact stated while driving 60-65 MPH, the A/C became inoperable and made an abnormally loud sound. The contact then noticed an abnormal burning wiring odor, and there was smoke coming out of the A/C vents. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that she attempted to pull to the side of the road, but could not safely do so. The contact continued driving and came to a complete stop at the traffic light, where the cabin became engulfed in smoke. The contact then pulled into a business parking lot and immediately exited the vehicle. The contact stated upon opening the hood, the contact noticed a reflection of the flame inside the hood. The contact ran into the business and asked for assistance. The contact stated that upon returning to the vehicle, the contact noticed that the fire had started from the middle of the hood to the cabin of the vehicle. The contact and the business employee attempted to extinguish the fire with two fire extinguishers but were unable to do so. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. The contact stated that the vehicle burned to the ground from the middle of the hood to the trunk, where the gas tank was located, and the hood was fractured in half. The contact stated that there were burned particles around the parking lot, but there was no property damage. The fire department report was filed. A police report was filed, but the contact did not have the information available. There was no injury sustained. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot, where it was totaled. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

Fire

The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325I. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V513000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The dealer offered an inspection but declined to repair the vehicle. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

This compliant is regarding the cooling system of BMW 32d5i 2006. Experience overheating of the car. The BMW dealership service department has confirmed that the water pump is at fault. And the quote for water pump replacement is their system. Yes, this is the second recurrency of overheating. Yes, the dashboard indicated overheating. The second warning was October 23,2024. The first warning was several years prior.

There is a recall 17v-428 for the seat mat, and i went to my local BMW dealer and said this car was not on the list, but they acknowledge it’s the same issue but because this VIN was not included they can’t fix it at no charge . They want $2100 to repair. Can you help me ? Thanks

The contact's husband owns a 2006 BMW 325i. The contact stated moments after her son had started, parked and exited the vehicle, there was smoke coming from under the hood. The under hood caught on fire and the hood failed to open. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. The contact stated that the under hood, the front of the vehicle and the front tires burned significantly. A fire department report was filed. A police report was not filed. There was no injury sustained. The vehicle remained at the residence. The vehicle was awaiting to be destroyed. The dealer was contacted. The contact contacted the manufacturer and sent pictures of the incident to the manufacturer; however, the manufacturer informed the contact that the fire was not related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000(Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was unknown.

Fire

The contact's husband owns a 2006 BMW 325i. The contact stated moments after her son had started, parked and exited the vehicle, there was smoke coming from under the hood. The under hood caught on fire and the hood failed to open. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. The contact stated that the under hood, the front of the vehicle and the front tires burned significantly. A fire department report was filed. A police report was not filed. There was no injury sustained. The vehicle remained at the residence. The vehicle was awaiting to be destroyed. The dealer was contacted. The contact contacted the manufacturer and sent pictures of the incident to the manufacturer; however, the manufacturer informed the contact that the fire was not related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000(Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was unknown.

Fire

The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, there was a significant amount of smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe and coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact drove to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the PCV valve heater fuses had failed. The dealer charged a fee for the repair because the recall remedy was not available. The dealer installed an inline fuse and wiring that connected the PCV valve to the PCV valve heater. The contact stated that he received a second notice advising that the recall remedy was available, and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where the recall repair was performed. The vehicle was repaired. The contact later contacted the manufacturer for reimbursement, but the manufacturer referred the contact back to the dealer for assistance. The contact stated that he followed up with the dealer, who advised him that the failure was not related to the recall. The contact was not reimbursed. The failure mileage was approximately 132,000.

The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325I. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for routine maintenance. The mechanic informed the contact that vehicles older than 2013 were not serviced by the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with a fuel leak. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that while adding fuel, he noticed that fuel was leaking from the fuel tank. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 229,896.

Put a box of moderate weight into the passenger seat (hard drives) - probably 40 lbs. After driving for a few minutes and over a few bumps, the seat belt warning light came on because the seat sensor was tripped by the weight. Put the seat belt on to silence the warning. Shortly thereafter, both the seatbelt and passenger airbag warning lights showed on the dash, regardless of occupancy. Hooked up to scanning tool and cleared the codes but they always return. This is not a rare event from reading the online forums - it is likely due to the sensor mat in the seat for occupancy being defective, or a combination of that and the seat belt pre-tensioner being defective, for the passenger side only. The vehicle operates normally other than the warning lights. Obviously have not tested the airbag, but that is highly unlikely to be the actual problem from my investigation of the symptoms.

Existing vehicle recall excludes this particular VIN among the same MY and model even though this VIN is affected. Report Receipt Date: NOV 12, 2013 NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V564000 Component(s): AIR BAGS Potential Number of Units Affected: 76,565 Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC SUMMARY: BMW of North America LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2006 325i, 325xi, 330i, 330xi sedans and 325xi sports wagons, [shortened]. 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.

After recall done pvc valve and blower heat a/c now not working the car engine light come up abs /brake and more

I was driving on the freeway when all of a sudden a lot of white smoke started to come from the engine. The car instantly overheated and it shut off. My car had no problems until now. I called a tow truck to bring it home. I had many mechanics check it out and they couldn’t figure out why this happened out of nowhere. They all said the same thing that this car was in fixable and it’s not ever drivable no more. Then I received this letter from BMW saying that my car was on a safety recall list and they have no remedy.

The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, he smelled a burning odor. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that he was unable to duplicate the failure using an OBD reader. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325i. The contact stated that the dealer had previously replaced the passenger's side front seat air bag sensor and steering wheel air bag sensor; however, the failure recurred while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, with the air bag warning light being illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

I'm starting to lose gas mileage and a very strong smell of gas inside and outside of car .

Component failed: passenger seat occupancy sensor (BMW error code: 0x93C3) Implication: passenger airbag will not deploy in case of accident if the occupancy sensor is defective. Similar problems: similar recalls were issued by BMW for the same model and year but with only sports seat; regular seats were not recalled. Previous inspections: this issue has not been previously inspected, but personal inspection leads to faulty seat occupancy sensor. Prior warnings: dashboard shows seatbelt and airbag lights; roof indicator lamp shows passenger airbag off.

The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and requested to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted.

The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325I. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal smoke odor coming from the instrument panel. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was not notified. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Vehicle Steering Lock Malfunction - Car does not start and stuck in Park. Cannot move steering wheel which is locked. This is a design defect that needs to be addressed. Vehicle is rendered inoperative! Cannot move or start it! approx. mileage 105k. This is a new problem besides the current recall which has not been available yet. I've also been locked out of this vehicle and had to climb out of the window, thank God it was not a fire or flood! I was able to fix that problem myself. note: Steering Lock Malfunction is a widespread problem! Dealers want to replace the entire steering column in these cases at a very high cost. Thanks, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325i. The contact stated that the front air bag and seat belt passenger sensor functionality were defective. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and no cause for the failure was determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V564000 (Air Bags). The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325i. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V676000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact's husband owned a 2006 BMW 325i. The contact stated that while her niece was driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood. The contact's niece pulled over, and she and her boyfriend safely exited the vehicle before it caught fire. No injuries were sustained and no medical attention was received. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. A fire department report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard; however, it was not yet deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. Upon investigation, the contact was made aware that there were 3 unrepaired recalls associated with the VIN with NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 17V676000 (Electrical System), 19V273000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), and 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). However, the contact had not received the recall notifications. The failure mileage was approximately 178,000.

Fire

The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325i. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, he smelled a burning plastic odor. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact continued to drive the vehicle. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V119000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and referred the contact to the manufacturer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was safe to drive. The failure mileage was approximately 122,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The vehicle accelerates to 5,000 RPM randomly, and unintentionally. This happens when shifting gears(manual transmission), or when in any gear. Braking barely slows the vehicle down. I've nearly crashed due to this issue, multiple times. The floormats are not in the way. This is a case of sudden unintended acceleration.

Over heating and smell of burning plastic

The contact owns a 2006 BMW 325i. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the front passenger’s side air bag warning light would remain illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the seat mat sensor was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 180,000.

The passenger seat mat sensor stopped working and that disabled the airbag. I called BMW and they told me this part has already been replaced once in 2016 on my car during a recall, which happened before I purchased the car. I asked them to replace it again since this is a safety issue and they told me BMW would only replace this part for cars with less than 15 years, which in my case expired on January 2021. This is a very costly repair and in my view is caused by a poorly designed part, considering that there has already been 3 recalls on it and it keeps breaking after a some use. So for now, until this case is settled, I will be driving a car with the passenger airbag deactivated by the board computer, what is a very serious safety issue.