2006 Bmw X3 Seats Problems

Within two minutes of driving with the heated seats on, you notice a strong burning smell that intensifies until you feel sharp pain on your left hip — the heated seat is burning your skin. The pain is severe enough that you have to lift yourself off the seat while driving, creating a dangerous situation that forces you to pull over immediately. When you turn off the heated seats, the pain and smell stop, but you find a clear burn hole in both the seat and your pants, with lingering pain in your hip for the rest of the day. The heating element in the seat is overheating and creating a fire hazard that caused burns to your body.

Your driver's side seat heater overheated and burned through the leather seat, causing burns to the driver's left hip while the car was in motion. This nearly caused an accident. The seat heater elements failed to regulate temperature properly and will need to be inspected or replaced to prevent further injury.

Your driver's seat heater element burned out while you were sitting in the car, creating a hole in both the seat and your pants. You found online evidence suggesting this has happened to multiple owners of this vehicle model. The seat heater may need to be replaced or the heating element repaired to prevent this hazard from recurring.

While driving with the heated seat set to its highest setting, you noticed a strong burning smell. You pulled over and found the heated seat had burned through the leather seat and also damaged your coat. The seat malfunctioned and overheated without catching fire, but caused burn damage to both the seat and your clothing. Repair will likely require replacement of the heated seat element and reupholstering of the seat.

Your heated seat gets uncomfortably hot very quickly and is producing a burning smell. This suggests an issue with the heating element or thermostat control in the seat.

Your heated seat gets excessively hot and has caused burns on your skin. You also noticed a burning smell in the car, which suggests a potential electrical or heating element malfunction. The heated seat system may need to be repaired or replaced to prevent injury and fire risk.

HEATED SEAT MALFUNCTIONS CAUSING "HOT SPOT" THAT BURNS SKIN ON REAR UPPER LEG.

PROBLEM WITH THE DRIVER'S SEAT HEATING MAT. PROBLEM WITH DETERMINING THE CAUSE OF ERRORS POSTED ON THE PHOTO

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.

MY HEATED DRIVER SIDE SEAT SHORTED OUT AND BURNED A HOLE IN THE LEATHER SEAT, AND LUCKILY BEING IN THE AUTO INDUSTRY AND HAVING A KNOWLEDGE OF SEAT CONSTRUCTION I IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE SEAT OFF. THERE ARE NUMEROUS REPORTS OF THIS ISSUE ON VARIOUS BMW FORUMS., INCLUDING FIRES! I THINK THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY DEFECT THAT BMW SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE TO FIX AND REPAIR.

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.

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!!

HEATED SEAT MALFUNCTIONED WHEN TURNED ON THE SEAT GOT SO HOT IT BURNED THE BACK OF MY THIGH, STRONG SMELL OF SOMETHING BURNING. TURNED IT OFF RIGHT AWAY. I HAD JUST TURNED TH CAR ON IT HAPPENED WITHIN SECONDS OF TURNING THE HEATED SEAT BUTTON ON.

FRONT SEAT PASSENGER OCCUPANT PROTECTION MAT FAILED. AIR BAG WILL NOT DEPLOY. AIR BAG FAULTS WERE SHOWN ON THE DASHBOARD AND INFORMATION CENTER. RECALL CAMPAIGN - 08V384000 WAS ISSUED BUT MY VEHICLE IS NOT COVERED. RECALL CAMPAIGN SHOULD BE EXTENDED TO OTHER MODELS IN THIS YEAR.

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.

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

WAS DRIVING DOWN MY BMW X3 DOWN THE ROAD WITH MY SEAT WARMERS ON AND THE INSIDE OF MY CAR STARTED TO SMELL LIKE SOMETHING WAS BURNING I FIGURED SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH MY SEAT WARMER SO I TURNED IT OFF A LITTLE WAYS DOWN THE ROAD I PULLED OVER TO CHECK AND MAKE SURE MY SEAT WAS OKAY AND NOTICED A SMALL BURN ON THE BOTTOM LEFT ON THE BACK OF MY SEAT AND I CHECKED MY SWEATER AND THERE WAS A BURN MARK ON IT TOO

I'M FILING THIS COMPLAINT ON BEHALF OF MY WIFE. SHE WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY UTILIZING THE HEATED SEAT FUNCTION OF THE VEHICLE TODAY WHEN SHE SMELLED BURNING AND THE SEAT BECAME DANGEROUSLY HOT. SHE PULLED OVER AND TURNED THE HEATING FUNCTION OFF WHICH TEMPORARILY RESOLVED THE THE PROBLEM. A LITTLE RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET REVEALS THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH 2006 MODEL BMW X3S. SOME CASES BEING SO SEVERE THAT PEOPLE'S SEATS HAVE BURNED THEM AND EVEN CAUGHT FIRE. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.

TL* 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.

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. *TR

I WAS DRIVING WHEN I SMELLED SMOKE AND REALIZED THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT HAD CAUGHT FIRE. I STOPPED THE CAR, JUMPED OUT, AND SAW THAT A HOLE HAD BURNED THROUGH THE CAR SEAT AND I COULD SEE FLAMES. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THIS HAS NOT TRIGGERED A RECALL AS IT IS OBVIOUSLY EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO HAVE YOUR CAR CATCH ON FIRE WHILE DRIVING. *TR

DRIVER SIDE HEATED SEAT CAUGHT ON FIRE. *TR

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. *TR

I HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT WARMER IN MY 2006 BMW X3 STARTING ON ABOUT OCTOBER 21, 2013. WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON A COUPLE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS, I FELT A "SHOCK" IN MY LEFT THIGH. I DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING ABOUT IT UNTIL THE SEAT WARMER STOPPED WORKING ALL TOGETHER. I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER TO FIX AND FOUND THAT THE ENTIRE HEATING ELEMENT WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED, AT A COST OF OVER $1500. AS I AM LOOKING INTO THE PROBLEM, I FOUND THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED TO NUMEROUS OTHERS. I AM FORTUNATE THAT THERE WAS NOT A MORE SERIOUS INJURY, AND THAT MY SEAT WAS NOT DAMAGED TO THE EXTENT THAT OTHERS HAVE ENCOUNTERED. HOWEVER, THIS IS AN UNACCEPTABLE PROBLEM AND BMW SHOULD BE TAKING CARE OF IT. *TR

WHEN TESTING THE HEATED SEATS IN THIS VEHICLE, AFTER 5-10 SECS, I FELT A STRONG HEAT SENSATION ON MY LEFT THIGH. THE THERE WAS A BURN HOLE IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT ON THE LEFT SIDE. SWITCHED OFF HEAT WARMER RIGHT AWAY. *TR

I FELT A BURNING SENSATION UNDER MY LEFT LEG AND PULLED THE CAR OVER. NOTICED THAT THE SEAT HAD CRACKED AND THERE WAS A DISCOLORATION INDICATING A BURN. I SWITCHED OFF THE HEATED SEAT AND CONTINUED. I HAVE FELT THIS BURNING SENSATION A FEW OTHER TIMES AND WOULD TURN DOWN THE HEAT OR SWITCH IT OFF ALTOGETHER. THE DEALER SUGGESTED A CHANGE OF THE SEAT COVER WHICH COSTS UPWARDS OF 1000 $S *TR

STARTED THE CAR IN MY DRIVEWAY THIS MORNING AND LET THE ENGINE IDLE FOR A MINUTE OR TWO BEFORE DRIVING OFF, I ENERGIZED THE DRIVERS SIDE HEATED SEAT TO THE LOWEST SETTING, AFTER 10 SEC OR SO I STARTED TO SMELL A BURNING ODOR AND FELT A SHARP PAIN UNDER MY LEFT THIGH. I TURNED OFF THE HEATED SEAT IMMEDIATELY, SHUT THE CAR OFF, AND GOT OUT OFF THE CAR TO SEE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. I NOTICED A SMALL BLACK BURN MARK ON THE SEAT THAT WAS VERY WARM TO THE TOUCH. I CALLED BMW NORTH AMERICA TO FILE A COMPLAINT, THE LADY ON THE PHONE TOOK MY INFORMATION AND STATEMENT AS TO WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND SUGGESTED THAT I TAKE THE VEHICLE TO AN AUTHORIZED BMW DEALER FOR INSPECTION. I HAD THE VEHICLE INSPECTED LATER THIS AFTERNOON BY CONCORD BMW AND WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE MANAGER THAT SINCE THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY THAT THE DEALER WOULD NOT COVER ANY REPAIR COST OF THE DAMAGED SEAT. I ASKED IF THEY WOULD CONTACT BMW NORTH AMERICA ON MY BEHALF AND ASK THEM TO AUTHORIZE AND PAY FOR THE REPAIR DUE TO THE SEVERITY OF THE EVENT, HEATED SEATS ARE NOT SUPPOSE TO CATCH FIRE AND MYSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE DRIVING THE VEHICLE COULD HAVE BEEN BURNED. I WAS TOLD NO, THAT I WOULD HAVE TO TAKE IT UP WITH BMW NORTH AMERICA ON MY OWN. *TR

THE HEATED SEAT DEVICE IN THE PASSENGER SEAT BECOMES HOT ENOUGH TO BURN YOUR LEG, PRIMARILY ON THE LEFT SIDE. A BURNING SENSATION AND INTENSE HEAT IS FELT WHEN THE HEATED SEAT IS TURNED ON, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO USE, FOR FEAR OF BURNS OR FIRE. APPEARS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE WITH THESE SEAT ELEMENTS, AND COULD CAUSE SERIOUS BURNS OR FIRE. WHY IS THERE NOT A RECALL ON A SERIOUS BODILY INJURY, SAFETY AND FIRE ISSUE? *TR

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. *TR

AFTER MY 2006 BMW X3 HAD BEEN RUNNING FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES, WITH THE HEATED SEAT ON, I BEGAN TO FEEL A BURN IN MY BOTTOM AS WELL AS SMELL SMOKE. I PULLED OVER, GOT OUT, AND NOTICED THAT THE LEFT CUSHION OF MY DRIVERS SEAT WAS SMOKING AND HAD MELTED ABOUT A QUARTER SIZE HOLE IN THE LEATHER UPHOLSTERY. THIS IS A COMMON AND KNOW ISSUE TO BMW. HOWEVER, THEY HAVE NOT ISSUED A RECALL. VERY DANGEROUS!!! *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BMW X3. THE CONTACT STATED THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE ON A CONSISTENT BASIS. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN INSPECTED BY A DEALER WHO ADVISED HER THAT THEY WOULD REPLACE THE SEAT UPHOLSTERY. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 66,000.

2006 BMW X3 HEATER ON THE DRIVERS SEAT MALFUNCTIONED AND BURNED A HOLE IN THE SEAT AND MY COAT. *TR

TL*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.

2006 BMW X3 .HEATED SEATS BURNED A HOLE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE DRIVER SEAT CAUSING BURNS TO MY LEFT THIGH. *TR

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. *TR