Air Bag Light On problems of the 2006 BMW 330 - part 2

The contact owns a 2006 BMW 330i. The contact stated that the air bag light continued to display that the front passenger seat was empty even when someone was sitting there. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer after reading online NHTSA recall campaign id number 08v384000 (air bags: frontal), but was told that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 58,600 and the current mileage was 65,000.

The contact owns a 2006 BMW 330xi. The contact stated that the air bag light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure was located at the passenger front sensor mat. The manufacturer advised the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign id number: 08v384000 (air bags:frontal) and denied assistance with the repair. The failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 100,000. Updated 06/29/12 updated 07/09/12.

I purchased this BMW new from the dealer around June 2006 (please note the mileage is an estimate) I'm writing to request an investigation into my car relating to the a potential faulty passenger airbag sensor. The passenger indicator light for "passenger airbag off" is activated despite a passenger being in the car. Over the years, the light randomly activated when a passenger sat in the seat. However, it would turn off at times so I presumed I had hit a button on the car steering column for a children's seat which caused the light to activate or something else perhaps. Because I rarely had passengers, I didn't pay attention. The light would did not stay lit for months on end. However, now the "passenger airbag off" light remains activated all the time which caused me to investigate. This is not normal wear and tear. I see there is a recall for 2006 3 series BMW models and more for this problem. Specifically, my car is a 2006 330i BMW with sport seats. I have called the BMW dealer, and BMW north America, but they only check the VIN database and to date have not investigated further. However, I have alerted them that it appears BMW may have failed to recall a number of affected vehicles given the many complaints I reviewed posted on the web by 2006 BMW 330i owners who have the same problem with their vehicles airbag deactivating, but received no assistance from BMW. One owner stated he had (at his own expense) replaced the (defective) installation/part, (the part he removed was the same one as the one under recall by BMW), but BMW like with the other 2006 330i owners will not bear the replacement cost because his VIN was not included on the list. Please assist with identifying the additional 2006 330i Bmws that were affected by what seemingly is a defective design/component. Thank you, see NHTSA action number: ea08001.