Front Seat Heater/cooler problems of the 2005 BMW X3

River's seat heating unit overheats when on high setting, to the point of burning skin through the seat and clothing. Lower left lumbar . Per service shop, the seat heater grid is broken, causing 40 degree higher temperatures than normal in the left leg area. Ongoing issue, not a single occurrence.

Daughter turned on vehicle, turned on heated drivers seat, as she was driving on a city street, began to smell something burning, pulled car over & got out, left vehicle running, continued to smell burning and began to see smoke. Saw that a burn hole was forming in the left side, bottom of leather seat. Turned seat heater off and smell and smoke diminished. Upon inspection of he clothing it was also discovered that the seat began to but a hole in her outer jacket. It did not burn through her clothing and she was not injured (thankfully).

When I turned on the driver's side seat heater, the seat heater burned through and burned a hole through my clothes.

Two minutes after turning on driver's side seat heater, I began to smell something burning. Lower left lumbar section of the seat was extremely hot, felt hot instantly even through a winter coat and sweatshirt. Immediately turned the seat heater off. Extremely considered the car would catch fire. Car has 102,000 miles. No visible wear or burn marks on this seat.

The left side of the drivers side seat heater has overheated and burned through the leather and my pants. There appears to be similar complaints on this website and a NHTSA recall bulletin number 04v575000 for older 5 series vehicles. I think this investigation should be expanded since so many people have experienced this behaviour.

The heated seat got hot enough to burn a hole in the seat. When I felt the hot spot I turned off the heater , there was no fire. I understand from the internet that this isn't that uncommon and I was hoping the NHTSA could work towards a recall so those that have had this problem could get it warranted.

I left home and turned on the seat heater for the driver seat. In just a few seconds I felt discomfort in my left buttock. I repositioned thinking something was pinching me and then smelled something burning. I was able to pull off the roadway and get out of the car. I saw the seat bottom scorching and immediately turned off the seat heater. No further damage was noted, but now afraid to use either seat heater.

Was driving with seat heater on. The seat felt very hot on my legs at it smelled like something was burning. I immediately turned off the seat heater. I pulled into a parking lot and exited the car. I noticed a burn mark on the drivers side seat. There is a matching burn mark on the wool coat I was wearing. The coat is what prevented me from being injured. I have pictures of the damage if you need it.

The driver's seat (bottom) contains a heating element. When on, even on the lowest setting, a hot spot develops near the left rear side that is so hot I have to shut off the heater out of fear of a fire.

The seat heater in my 2005 BMW X3 caught fire and melted a hole in the seat and burned my left butt cheek while I was driving. My left butt cheek was burned a little but I was otherwise uninjured. I read online that a ton of other people with the same/similar make and model car as me have had the same problem. The dealer said it would cost about $2000 to replace the entire seat. There is clearly a major flaw in the seat heater and it could pose a major safety issue should a fire occur and the driver is not able to leave the car right away. BMW should recall and/or pay for the replacement/repair of the seat.

I was driving home from work on I-90 in washington state and felt a sudden painful sharp pin point sensation in my left upper outer posterior thigh. I thought I was being stuck by a pin or something sharp. I put my hand down to pull out the sharp object and then felt a small spot in my seat that was burning hot. I almost lost control of my car from the severity of the pain in my fingers and thigh. I turned off the seat heater and the hot spot went away quickly. When I got home I turned the heater on again - and the same thing happened. I had a dime sized red burn mark on my thigh. This was only a minor injury, but I am lucky I did not receive a more serious burn, and that a fire did not start and that I was not in an accident. This is an extremely dangerous defect.

While driving to work (approx. 2 mile trip) on a cold morning (outside temp 18 deg f) turned on driver's side heated car seat at maximum setting. Prior to this incident, the seat heater had functioned properly although left side of seat always seemed to somewhat hotter than rest of seat. Within 1. 5 mile, seat became extremely hot on left side of seat bottom 2/3 back from front and I began to smell a strong burning plastic odor in the car. I immediately turned off seat heater. Arrived at office and upon inspection, discovered a blackened burnt spot on the seat leather at the location where extreme heat had been.

While driving down the road the heated seat got hot enough to burn a hole in the seat. When I felt the hot spot I turned off the heater and there was no fire. I understand from the internet that this isn't that uncommon and I was hoping the NHTSA could work towards a recall so those that have had this problem could get it warranted and BMW would have an incentive to make sure they improve on this system. I have been a vol. Firefighter and I know first hand how quickly ( almost instantly) a vehicle will become fully engulfed. Thank you.

Upon driving my X3 I turned on my drivers side seat heater and within a few minutes it started getting so hot that it began to burn the top part of my left leg. I had to turn it off and and lift my leg off the surface of the seat a bit until it cooled off. It appears there is a problem on the left side of the seat (bolster). It happens now everytime I attempt to use it. . . I have owned this vehicle from day one and never had this problem before. I have not smelled any burning odors yet but there is a serious problem with the seat. My wife has experienced the same thing !. . . This needs to be addressed by BMW and corrected before there is a fire or bodily injury. So for safety reasons and preventing burns I am unable to use this feature I paid so dearly for. . . I will be contacting the dealership on Monday to advise them of this problem.

The contact owns a 2005 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving, the driver side heated seat overheated. The seat became severely hot and burned through the leather seats as well as burning a hole through the contact's pants. The contact was not injured. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 75,000. Updated 02/22/12 updated 03/01/12.

The contact owns a 2005 BMW X3. The contact stated that the driver and passenger side heated seat function overheated. In addition, the air bag warning light remained illuminated and the key became difficult to release from the ignition. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the wiring needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

A driver side seat heater overheated the seat and burned through leaving a hole. This happened while I was driving and caused me to step accelerator mistakenly. This is a serious safety issue and BMW needs to recall all defected parts.

Driver side seat heater overheated, burned through the leather seat and into coat of driver, leaving dime-sized burn hole approximately 12 inches up on the left "wing" of the seat back. Can no longer use heated seat on driver side, as the same spot begins to smolder when the seat heater is turned on, even on low.

Driver's seat at left leg bolster area heats up when seat heater element is activated. Shocking or burning sensation is felt due to overheat problem.

The contact owns a 2005 BMW X3. The contact was driving approximately 25 mph on normal road conditions. The driver side heated seat was activated. Suddenly, an unexpected excessive high voltage of heat penetrated through the bottom of the seat. The driver pulled over to the side of the road and deactivated the heated seat system. The driver sustained a minor burn to the left leg and the driver seat cover exhibited a burn mark. The vehicle was able to resume normal operation. The dealer was notified of the malfunction. There was concern of the safety risk involved. The failure mileage was 31,000.

Drivers seat warmer burned through vinyl seat causing a hole in seat and burn to driver. Car is currently at dealer being repaired. Car was at dealer day before because of ignition not working properly. They were unable to determine problem. Next day incident occurs.