Side Curtain Airbag, Improper Deployment from Pothole

[DeathTrap]

Long story short, my wife was driving the ZHP, hit a pothole in the road and the passenger side curtain airbag went off.

I inspected the car when she came home and did not find any significant damage that would warrant an airbag deployment. I did replace that side tire and continued to drive the car normally while corresponding with BMWNA about the next course of action.

BMWNA suggested I take the car in for an inspection, which I did on January 12, 2018. Eight days later I get the results of the inspection. Now the funny thing is BMWNA and my service adviser had very loose communication during this issue. I had to be the one to update my SA on what BMWNA was saying.

Surprisingly, the airbag was determined to have functioned normally. I go to pick up the car and I get an invoice for $373.06. I tell the dealership that I am not going to pay that and I'd like to discuss it with my SA who will be there on Monday. My deductible for collision is $500. No way am I paying twice for this.

The inspection invoice says the following things were found or done:
Found passenger airbag deployed
Found airbag light on
Connected battery charger, performed short test and found FC 0A stored in MRS for head airbag (ITS) - right and FC 91 stored in MRS for crash telegram memory.
Performed vehicle inspection per BMW guidelines
Found impact damage noted to frame rail on underside of the vehicle (right side just behind stiffening plate)
Found damage to stiffening plate
Found several wheels bent
Found damage to outside of front right wheel
Found RR control arm bent

This inspection was worth 2 hours of labor at a rate of $156.88 equals $321.88.
There is another note that says "customer pay shop charge for repair order 48.28"
The Misc charge is 48.28, which I'm assuming is what I'm supposed to pay...

Anyway, I never trust the dealer, ever. On Monday I'm going to ask to see the damage as well as an explanation of how said damage can trigger an airbag deployment as well as get some good pictures for examination purposes.

The "impact damage noted to frame rail on underside of the vehicle (right side just behind stiffening plate)" seems like the most plausible cause depending on the severity. A minor dent should not cause an airbag deployment.

The stiffening plate damage might be due to jacking the car up, the center plate dent. Damage to the stiffening plate should not cause an airbag deployment.

Several wheels bent? Shouldn't cause an airbag deployment.

Damage to outside of front right wheel? Curb rash should not cause an airbag deployment

RR Control arm bent? Has been that way since I got the car. Should not cause an airbag deployment

Sorry for the lengthy post, but this is very irritating. I love the car, but dealerships leave a sour taste in my mouth. This is a safety related issue, but the "it's not our fault" mentality is a bad look for a business.

How do you guys feel about this situation? What would you do?

[az3579]

From the dealer's point of view:

1) They don't know the history of the car, so...
2) There's no way for them to know what caused all this damage and it has to be assumed that the driver ran over something
3) They are just performing an assessment and reporting what they see
4) The system very well could be operating normally. It may be programmed for "better safe than sorry", which is always the better route to take when it comes to lives being on the line. If something hits the frame rail badly enough to damage it, that sounds like one hell of an impact in their eyes

From your point of view:
1) It's ridiculous that BMW NA wasn't directly communicating with the dealer in question.
2) You mentioned a collision deductible. Even thinking about insurance will probably total your car (frame rail damage = totaled). Might not want to go this route.
3) There are plenty of places you can get a used airbag and cover to replace what got deployed for reasonable prices. I'd just fix it yourself and not worry about this. I honestly don't think they're going to do anything for you if they deem the system was operating within parameters.
4) It may be a good idea to teach the wife how to not drive into potholes. :)

Sorry this happened. Take the easy way out (buy used parts and replace) and go on your way, IMO.

[DeathTrap]

I was thinking about the possibility of insurance totaling the car. To them, it's just a "regular" 3-series. I'm sure the cost to repair just the airbag itself would more than likely exceed the value of the car. I like this car, so that idea goes in the trash.

For a 15 year old car, I highly doubt they'll do anything either. My main concern was that the MRS system was stable and operating correctly. If they have determined that is was then I'm satisfied. My second concern is the cost of inspection. Almost $400 for a vehicle inspection? It would have been nice to get a call saying that the price is going to exceed a certain amount. I believe that was more my mistake for assuming that I'll only be out an hour or so of labor for diagnostics. This may just be an expensive lesson.

And yes, the wife has been banned to the Accord from now on :shifty

[az3579]

Pricing at a dealer is astronomical, which is why your inspection cost was so high. Unfortunately when dealing with BMW NA, it's hard to avoid going to the dealer. I think labor rates are usually more than $150/hr!

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[Smolck]

The previous owner of my 04 ZHP (friend of mine) had this happen to him when the car was under 50k miles and it was the passenger side.BMW fixed it and I think he did pay his insurance deductible. When I bought the car, I found the skid plate was bent to heck near where the CABs bolt up, and ultimately replaced it with a new one. Sounds very similar to your experience.

Right or wrong, I doubt you'll get BMW to take ownership of the issue.

[DeathTrap]

BMW covered the inspection. Very thankful for that. Wow, I don't see how it's economically feasible to own this car out of warranty especially considering the amount of maintenance that us (enthusiasts) do to our cars! Well, time to find an airbag and an airbag reset tool.