2011 BMW 328I Seat belts Problems
- Complaints
- 12about this part
- Share
- 2%of 579 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 63,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 12 complaints about the seat belts of the 2011 BMW 328I, 2% of the 579 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 63,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I got a passenger restraint failure light on my vehicle all of a sudden. Said lights turned on as I was turning to enter the highway route 2 in fitchburg ma. I have heard that this is an ongoing issue with bmws since mid 2000s yet mines is not on recall. I have tried everything but can not correct the error. I am concerned of an airbag malfunction in the event of an accident. Hoping you can assist me with this issue.”
NHTSA complaint #11353268, filed 2020-09, 79,187 miles“In late 2017-early 2018 the passenger seat belt warning chime would come on occasionally when something less than 5 pounds was on the seat and no one was sitting on the seat. Eventually, it happened all the time when nothing at all was on the seat. I always needed to drive the car with the seat belt connected. I learned it was a serious safety issue and contacted Bmw dealer in early 2018 when the car had 88254 miles and they said it was no longer covered under warranty and would cost about $1300 to fix the airbag sensor mat. …”
NHTSA complaint #11131020, filed 2018-09, 88,000 miles“I am receiving a 'passenger restraint malfunction' message on my dash and the seatbelt and airbag light are stuck on. Online Bmw states the oc3 mat needs to be replaced. Check with your dealer, we extended the warranty on some models. I checked with my dealer and this does not qualify. They will not cover this safety repair. I cannot safely have anyone ride in the passenger seat, and the seat ceases to move as well. My dealer states it costs $1350 to fix and they would need to order in the part and have my vehicle for 2 days. This is a safety issue. …”
NHTSA complaint #11144154, filed 2018-10, 63,000 miles“My car has 66k miles on it and about a month ago, the seatbelt and airbag indicator lights showed up on the dash. This may or may not be related to the fact that the seatbelt ding goes off when there is nothing in the seat if the seat was hot due to sun exposure. The heat panel was replaced a few years back for the incessant dinging, but returned a few months ago. The passenger side seatbelt ding goes off intermittently and the indicator light for the airbag and seatbelt are constantly on while the car is on.”
NHTSA complaint #11217898, filed 2019-06, 66,000 miles“I had my passenger in the car driving 30mm and then I got a “restraint system warning ⚠️ “ illuminating the seatbelt light and seatbelt with airbag light. This is a safety concern as it is still on without a passenger. This affects the passenger airbag so in the case of fatality this would fall on BMW NA for neglecting to fix this issue. The car was fine before and this came out of no where”
NHTSA complaint #11469243, filed 2022-06Related service bulletins
- 10149616May 1, 2013"Safety Belt Extender ""Handover"" Fails to Deliver the Belt to the Customer. The customer states that the seat belt extender ""handover"" on the front driver's or passenger side…
Seat belts: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 2% |
| 2015 | 2 | 2% |
| 2014 | 6 | 4% |
| 2013 | 10 | 4% |
| 2012 | 5 | 4% |
| 2011 | 12 | 2% |
| 2010 | 4 | 3% |
| 2009 | 14 | 7% |
| 2008 | 11 | 5% |
| 2007 | 15 | 4% |
| 1999 | 5 | 5% |
| 1997 | 2 | 8% |
Other parts of the 2011 BMW 328I
194 complaintsEngine cooling
175 complaintsElectrical system
130 complaintsAir bags
91 complaintsOther or unknown
43 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
24 complaintsFuel system
20 complaintsExterior lighting
19 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
14 complaintsSeats
11 complaintsBody and structure
11 complaintsElectronic stability control
10 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2011 BMW 328I
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology