Front Seat Heater/cooler problems of the 2006 BMW X3

While using driver side seat heater, elements overheated burning through the leather seat and burning the left side/hip of the driver. Car was in motion and almost caused an accident. Pulled over and turned off the heater immediately and haven't used it since.

Driver seat heater caught on fire this morning dealership said no recall yet million msg boards clearly show faulty issue I have documented over 30 separate cases already since 2009! smoke filled car burn smell burned hole right thru seat happened in minutes safety issue 100% Bmwgallerynorwood said not covered to fix?!?! have on video&pics glad my 16 year old son was only in driveway when this happened his sweatshirt ruined with burn marks imagine if he was on main rd!!.

As I drove home from a long flight home after the holidays, the engine caught fire due to a frozen crank case ventilation system which caused oil to spray out in the engine compartment. I pulled over when I noticed smoke in the passenger compartment and smoke coming out of the hood. I was able to blow out the fire. Temperatures were 5 degrees f that night. The dealer stated there was a "more robust crank case ventilation system" that they would install at my cost. After the week long repair, the dealer brought my car to the front and turned on the seat heaters. I drove about 5 miles before noting a pinching/painful sensation on my left upper thigh. I pulled over to find a burn mark on the leather seat and a burn on my left upper thigh. It appears to be due to a short in the seat heater.

Had been ongoing for a couple months the heated seat was malfunctioning. You would turn it on and the driver seat in the left side would start to heat up beginning from the butt area ending by the knee to the point where it was starting to sting and making it really uncomfortable to sit. Just recently the seat heater got really hot to the point it burned the leather and burned my wifes butt. Go to inspect it while it was on and while pushing down slightly where the burnt hole was, sparks began coming out.

Driver's side seat heater wire burned through the seat, melted a spot on my vinyl raincoat and subsequently burned my buttock. Vehicle was in motion on a city street at the time.

Driver seat heater coil burned up while I was sitting in the garage preparing to leave causing hole in the seat and my pants. . I searched on youtube and it showed that there were several incidents of this happening. Shouldn't there be a recall for this problem.

The contact owns a 2006 BMW X3. While driving 55 mph, the passenger seat warmer became extremely hot and burned the passenger's leg. The wiring began to smoke and the contact oberved a spark. No medical attention was required. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was invalid. The failure mileage was approximately 115,967.

Driver's seat heater element overheating. Turned on seat Dec 2015, got too hot. Used diaper to insulate leg. Seat heater melted diaper to leather. I have not used it since. An internet search indicates this is happening to other cars of this model.

I was driving and noticed a burning smell. I had my seat heater on and noticed a very, very hot spot on the bottom part of the seat on the left side. I hurried and shut the seat heater off, but noticed burn marks on the leather. The seat would have definitely caught on fire if I hadn't shut off the seat heater.

The contact owns a 2006 BMW X3. While driving approximately 10 mph with the front driver side heated seat activated, smoke appeared from the seat. As a result, a hole was burned through the front driver seat and the contact¿s coat. There were no injuries reported. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 95,000.

Seat heating system issue: without any earlier warning signs the driver seat overheated very quickly (within one minute of turning on the seat heaters) to the point of burning the drivers skin. A burning smell occurred at the same time. The driver had to get up from the seat rapidly to avoid any serious burns. This made bringing the vehicle to a controlled stop very difficult. The driver was halfway up from the seat with the seatbelt holding the driver back. This could have lead easily to an accident as it is very difficult to control a vehicle in that position. Fortunately, the vehicle was still at a slow speed and operated in a residential area. However, the risk of an accident or injuries at a higher speed and/or more populated area would have been much greater. I believe this is a serious safety related defect under the united states code for motor vehicle safety (title 49, chapter 301). Internet research and multiple complains on the NHTSA website confirm that this is not an isolated incident.

Turning into a driveway with a boulder on the edge/corner. With the drivers side seat heater on, the seat burned a hole thru the leather and made me turn abruptly and bumped the boulder. Damage to the fr. Bumper, inner fender and wheel. Left side (drivers) seat bolster has a burn-through hole.

Front seat heaters become too hot on outside bolster ( left side on driver's seat, right side on passenger seat), burning hole in seat cover and burning person sitting in seat.

2006 BMW X3 heater on the drivers seat malfunctioned and burned a hole in the seat and my coat.

2/5/10 smell of fire in my 2006, BMW, X3, noticed drivers seat had a burnt hole mark. I brought the vehicle to the BMW service department and the service department found a manufacturing fault in the seat, heater shorted out.

The contact owns a 2006 BMW X3. While driving approximately 45 mph the heater on the drivers seat malfunctioned and burned a hole in the seat. As a result the driver was injured. The dealer was contacted and stated that they would not cover the repair cost because the warranty expired. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for repairs. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.