Front Air Bag Sensor Control problems of the 2003 BMW M3

One problem related to front air bag sensor control has been reported for the 2003 BMW M3. The most recently reported issues are listed below.

1 Front Air Bag Sensor Control problem

Failure Date: 09/19/2016

Driving vehicle at highway speed ran over small/minor pothole resulting in passenger side curtain/head airbag to deploy. No passenger was in the vehicle at the time. No weighted object was in the passenger front seat from vehicle start to time of incident. Moved vehicle to side of road to inspect. No tire damage. No body damage. No evidence of ride height change (to suggest suspension compromise). I was ironically on the way to the dealership for recall work and they did a cursory inspection while the vehicle was on the rack. No obvious damage was identified. Car was mechanically sound after incident on the way to dealership and home ~30 miles driven. No rattles. No drifting. No change in handling. Concerned that this may be a phantom deployment or maladjusted sensor / srs software issue. This is similar to other incidents reported on various online discussions for this body style (e46). BMW na has been contacted for further investigation. I am awaiting a reply from them (estimated in a few days per their representative).


Other Air Bag related problems of the 2003 BMW M3



Safety Ratings of M3 Cars
Fuel Economy of M3 Vehicles
M3 Service Bulletins
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M3 Defect Investigations