Two problems related to air bag not deploy have been reported for the 1997 BMW Z3. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
The consumer was driving 65 mph on I-95 when all of a sudden he lost control of the vehicle. The traction control feature on the vehicle failed to work. The consumer hit a guard rail and the air bags did not deploy. The consumer was injured.
Airbag light stays on all the time. This happened the first time in November 1999. Dealership analyzed the fault on their computer and said it was a problem with the driver's side seatbelt recepticle. This was replaced under warranty. In June of 2001, airbag lite came on again. Dealership diagnosed the problem as a short in the driver's side seatbelt receptacle. Replacement cost is $266. 00. I said they replaced the same part a year and a half ago. The said the warranty on parts is one year. I called BMW of north America and requested help with the repair. They said the parts warranty is one year. I said it's a major safety component of the vehicle and its been replaced once already. There's obviously a problem with the part they manufacture. Without the sensor in the seatbelt receptacle functioning, the airbag will not deploy in a crash. They replied, parts warranty is one year.