Front Air Bag Sensor Control Problems of BMW M3

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).

See all problems of the 2003 BMW M3 🔎.

Error message: fault in - passenger restrain system affecting airbag, belt tensioner, or belt force limiter. This is caused by fault seat mat sensor in the passenger seat, which may cause the airbag not to function properly.

See all problems of the 2009 BMW M3 🔎.

The dealer fix for this problem across the country has been to reset the code and say, "OH, don't worry about it. " apparently its a sensor in the seat, and lots of BMW's are having these problems. Safety system faults should not be tolerated.

See all problems of the 1998 BMW M3 🔎.