2004 BMW 5 Series Air bags Problems
- Complaints
- 29about this part
- Share
- 45%of 64 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 81,000miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 29 complaints about the air bags of the 2004 BMW 5 Series, 45% of the 64 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 81,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Passenger seat/airbag warning malfunction. This warning has been on since I purchased vehicle. It is obviously the common seat mat sensor failure. And it would appear that either my VIN isn't on the previous recall or it has expired for my year and model. But my wife sits in that seat and if we have an accident and her airbags do not deploy whose fault will that be?”
NHTSA complaint #11130543, filed 2018-09, 175,000 miles“Passenger restraint malfunction illuminated on the dash. It indicates that the seat belt lock and/or airbags may not work in an event of an accident. When I called Bmw, they told me that my car is not covered under this recall and it will depend on my local dealership if I will have to pay for the repair.”
NHTSA complaint #10255774, filed 2009-01, 85,000 miles“My front passenger seat occupant detection mat has cracks in it and does not function properly. My front airbag may not deploy in case of an accident. There has been a recall for that part for my make model and year but Bmw north america claims that my VIN number is not on the list even thought my make model and year is a part of the recall. There are also several other recalls for this particular car and again my VIN is not on the list but I have the issues listed in the recall.”
NHTSA complaint #10483810, filed 2012-11, 50,000 miles“In march passenger side seat belt air bag light turn on for no reason. I have searched on the internet and come to know that there was a recall on this issue from Bmw for 2004 525i series. I call local dealership Bmw of plano texas and provide them my VIN number and other information and they said it is not covered. Even though it is noted on NHTSA site that 100k or 10 yrs this recall is covered. Not sure what can I do as this is real serious issue where air bag will not be enabled even if a passenger sit in the seat”
NHTSA complaint #10538134, filed 2013-08, 86,000 miles“My car has the passenger restraint system malfunction message on the navigation screen and also the seatbelt light and the airbag light are illuminated on the dashboard. There is a recall for seat occupancy sensor below and as you can see my car falls within the criteria as the cars affected by the recall but a visit to my local Bmw dealer revealed that there was no active recalls under my VIN number. This is an obvious safety issue as airbags will not deploy and the risk of being seriously hurt or killed. …”
NHTSA complaint #10455361, filed 2012-04, 102,000 milesRelated recalls
- 08V384000Aug 5, 2008Bmw 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…Covers: BMW 5 Series 2004–2006, X3 2004–2006, 3 Series 2006
Related service bulletins
- 10149557Oct 1, 2018For the above-referenced vehicles with driver?s side airbag modules, BMW of North America, LLC (?BMW NA?) will provide a Customer Support Program as outlined in the Takata…
- 10154816Feb 1, 2018In an effort to improve the completion rate on Takata air bag recall affected vehicles; BMW NA has expanded the BMW Ultimate Rewards platform to include a new Recall Support…
- 10043714Feb 1, 2012Bmw: steering column switch center contains one or more faults: internal control, steering wheel lock range exceeded, wiper angle defective. Various check control messages appear…
- 10029605Aug 1, 2011Bmw service campaign: see document search button for owner letter. The airbag warning lamp (awl) is illuminated, together with the passenger airbag status lamp (pol). The problem…
Air bags: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 1 | 10% |
| 2011 | 1 | 1% |
| 2010 | 1 | 17% |
| 2009 | 1 | 13% |
| 2008 | 2 | 2% |
| 2007 | 6 | 46% |
| 2006 | 36 | 42% |
| 2005 | 10 | 48% |
| 2004 | 29 | 45% |
| 2003 | 4 | 27% |
Other parts of the 2004 BMW 5 Series
11 complaintsElectrical system
9 complaintsSeat belts
7 complaintsExterior lighting
6 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
6 complaintsSteering
5 complaintsBrakes
3 complaintsTires
3 complaintsEngine cooling
2 complaintsElectronic stability control
1 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
1 complaintsOther or unknown
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2004 BMW 5 Series
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