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Air bagsPart report

2005 BMW 545I Air bags Problems

Complaints
34about this part
Share
44%of 78 total for the year
Median mileage
101,750miles
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 34 complaints about the air bags of the 2005 BMW 545I, 44% of the 78 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 101,750 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“Driving approximately 50 MPH an accident occurred where there was oil in road. My car lost control and veered into a guard rail on the highway. My car was subsequently totaled and none of my air bags deployed in the crash.”

NHTSA complaint #11325833, filed 2020-05, 150,000 miles

“2005 Bmw 545I e60 fault in passenger restraint system: this model Bmw has experienced a fault in the passenger restraint system and is not listed in the past recall which can lead to dangerous situations if an accident occurs and the restraint system malfunctions. The problem is in the mat of the passenger seat and upon a passenger getting into my car about a year ago, I received the error message. …”

NHTSA complaint #10779344, filed 2015-10, 105,000 miles

“As I understand a vehicle for passenger side airbag in passenger side free stream has been dealt with already I just received this vehicle several months ago so it is new to me and I have the same errors as which a recall has been issued for my car 2005 545 I Bmw. As I have read after x amount of years a recall is finalized I just received this vehicle several months ago so I feel I am still able to succeed from this safety recall from the manufacture”

NHTSA complaint #11139108, filed 2018-10, 172,000 miles

“I turned on my car and a notification appeared on the idrive that there was a passenger restraint system failure. I read that there was a recall on this and called my local Bmw dealership to give them my VIN to see if my vehicle would be on the recall. I found out that it was not. I don't know what fits the criteria for the recall and if this would be considered normal wear and maintenance of the vehicle.”

NHTSA complaint #10680728, filed 2015-02, 86,400 miles

“As soon as I started the car, the passenger seat belt restraint and airbag light showed up as a malfunction. After doing some research I notice that Bmw had a recall on a seat mat sensor on 200,000 5 series. I also did some research and notice that there is a great amount of people with this same problem. This is a major concern because the seat mat sensor is bad the passenger airbag will not deploy if I get into a car accident.”

NHTSA complaint #10605623, filed 2014-06, 112,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Air bags: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
20053444%
20041841%

Other parts of the 2005 BMW 545I

Transmission and drivetrain
15 complaints
Electrical system
14 complaints
Brakes
10 complaints
Seat belts
9 complaints
Steering
5 complaints
Seats
4 complaints
Wheels
4 complaints
Engine cooling
3 complaints
Equipment
3 complaints
Exterior lighting
3 complaints
Body and structure
3 complaints
Tires
3 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2005 BMW 545I

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