My car randomly started throwing an error for a failure with the passenger restraint system. From what I have read it has something to do with the OC3 Mat in the seat that detects if there is an occupant, and if the weight of the occupant is considered to be that of an adult, so the airbag does not deploy in the wrong circumstances, which is potentially dangerous to anyone that may ride in the passenger seat. There has been an extended warranty, and recall for previous years of E90 BMWs, but 2009 may not be included, even though the seats should be the same. I plan on contacting the dealership for further investigation, but I know I cannot afford to have this safety feature fixed out of my pocket at this time. Thank you for your time.

- Annapolis, MD, USA

The seat mat sensor is also defective in the 2009 model year. BMW has included only 2007 and 2008. We cannot put a child or elderly in the front seat as the airbag will go off.

- Elmhurst, IL, USA

Pass. Seat mat sensor malfunction it cracks and causes a saftey issue where if the car is to crash the airbag would not go off on the passenger side.

- Litchfield Park, AZ, USA

After a personal investigation into this issue, BMW seems to still deny that my model has the same issues described in the recall. "restraint system malfunction!" appears on the car every 20 seconds frighting drivers and passengers the airbags and seatbelts might not work. This is an american car curently in Canada.

- Sumas, WA, USA

Passenger seat restraints system malfunction. Fault in passenger-resteaint system affecting airbag, belt-tensioner or belt-force limiter.

- San Francisco, CA, USA

Hello, my 2009 BMW E92 328I is experiencing an issue where the front passenger seat sensor is not functioning properly, which will cause the airbag and seatbelt to not function as intended. There have been recalls on other models for the same issue, but with the same design and parts, I do not understand how my car is not covered. (https://brandilaw.com/2013/12/26/BMW-recalls-76565-vehicles-due-to-A-front-passenger-seat-electronic-sensing-mat-failure/) this is a very dangerous problem. I have read on several online forums that it is a recurring problem in the cars after the effective recall date. I am trying my best to do due diligence and inform the ntsb to review this incident within other BMW models and to hopefully remedy any affected cars. The design of the sensor is very poorly constructed and very expensive to fix, leaving many owners to simply forego making the necessary fixes. In fact, several mechanics informed me that customers typically avoid making the fix due to how expensive it is, running the risk of their passenger not being protected in the event of a collision. I hope the ntsb can look into this problem. Please feel free to contact me at [xxx] for any additional information. Thanks, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Playa Del Rey, CA, USA

Issue: When seat unoccupied, will receive seat belt warning as if a person is in the seat. Issue: When passenger is in seat, airbag and seat belt light comes on, with warning on the display that there is a restraint system malfunction. Defect with front passenger air bag seat occupancy sensor mat, there are several recalls for this issue in different years/models. My year is not covered for the current recalls, even though its the same exact issue, and likely the same mat and/or seats. Example recalls: 17V-428 13V-564 17V-605

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

Front passenger occupancy seat sensor is defective because it disables passenger airbag creating a safety hazard rendering vehicle inoperable for passenger occupancy. This is a known defect experienced by previous models. Cost of repair is excessive..

- Clermont, FL, USA

I turned on my vehicle one day and a message saying "passenger restraint system malfunction. Continue to wear seatbelt. Bring to local BMW dealership." The day before nothing happen as I was driving home from dallas to houston. Occasionally as I drive with someone sitting in the passenger seat, the warning goes away but then the chime goes off and the message reappears. This happen all in June, July, and August. Now even when no one is sitting on the passenger side, the warning comes on and stays on. The seatbelt as well seems to have no restraint and is a safety concern because if I was ever in an accident, the seatbelt won't hold the passenger back.

- Palacios, TX, USA