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 federal safety agency could work towards a recall so those that have had this problem could get it warranted.
2005 BMW X3 seats complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 48, newest first, as owners wrote them.
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.
Tl* 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.
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 heated seat was so intense it burned through the seat and burned my leg. I originally thought the area affected was a burn hole in the seat from a cigarette, afterwards I realized that the burn hole had been created by an heating element that was exposed in that area and burned through the leather and then my leg. We've been afraid to drive the car for other electrical issues. I contacted both the dealership and the manufacturer and no one has helped me to this date.
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.
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 federal safety agency 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.
While driving my bmw x3 2005, I turned my seat warmer on and it ended up burning a hole through the seat. My pants were burned and so was I. Luckily I had turned the seat warmer off without any additional damage or shock during my drive.
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.
Driver side heated seat heats up to the point of injury. Unusable.
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.
Upon turning on my driver side heated seat within 2 minutes of driving started to smell a burning and then a burn/shocking sensation on left thigh. Adjusted while driving then realized my seat was burning me on the left leg. Pulled over and got out of car and saw my seat was smoldering (smoke and burning). Realized it must be the heated seat. Turned off seat warmer and waited for 5 minutes and realized had a small hole through my pants. After seat cooled, drove home and inspected a burn hole better at home and put ice on a 1st to 2nd degree burn on my left upper thigh.
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.
Driver seat heat mat got too hot causing smoke, damage to clothing, and skin injury in less than a minute after turning the system on high. The seat had been functioning normally the day before. The seat cover is visibly damaged at a single point about the size of a quarter. The spot is on the left seat pan bolster 2/3's back from the front edge of the seat pan.
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.
I turned on the heated seat feature on my 2005 bmw x3 and about 5 minutes later my leg started to get very hot. I reached down with my hand and it was so hot that it burnt my hand. I started to smell smoke and quickly turned off my heated seat. When I got home I looked on my driver seat and noticed a small brown burnt spot on the left side cushion of my driver side seat. Thankfully I noticed it right away, if it was on any longer I'm not sure what would have happened! This is very dangerous and I could have been badly burnt.
When I use the heated seat on the drivers side, there is a hot spot that gets so hot if you don't roll onto your right hip you will get a serious burn.
While using the heating device for the seats I smelled something burning and felt heat on my pants. I turned the heating device off. There was a small burn stain left on the seat, which has turned into a small hole.
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 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.
I had just started the car and the airbag light came on in the instrument cluster. The passenger air bag on/off light was also illuminated. From that time on both lights are on and I'm concerned that we don't have a passenger airbag. I'm guessing it has something to do with that sensor that tells if someone is sitting in the passenger seat.
I was driving the vehicle and turned on the driver side heated seat. I turned it on to the first setting which is the highest. After about 2 minutes I started to smell something burning. Then I also felt my leg burning. The heated seat had heated up so much that it melted a small hole in the leather where my left outside thigh would touch the seat. I am unable to use the heated seat anymore because I am afraid of getting burned worse.
On christmas morning, december 25, 2012, the driver of the vehicle started the car, activated the seat warmer, and we immediately detected a burning odor in the car. We drove less than approx. 1/2 block and pulled over to determine the problem. The seat warmer was so hot that it had begun to burn a hole in the bottom seat cushion. The burn hole stopped because we identified the defect quickly and immediately turned off the warmer. I have reported the defective seat warmer to bmw.
The drivers seat warmer caught fire and burned on the left hand side of the seat. The seat warmer wires were exposed and burned the seat and through my pants.
I used the heated seat function for the drivers seat in my 2005 bmw x3 and it rapidly heated up becoming unbearable to sit on. I immediately turned it off and stopped the car and got out because the seat was too hot to sit on and because there was a burning smell coming from under the seat. After a while the smell dissipated and the seat was cool enough to use. I have not used the heat function since and am waiting for my bmw dealer to check it and get back to me.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 bmw x3. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH with the heated seat warmer in activation when suddenly the heating element began to penetrate the contact's clothing with an excessive amount of heat. The contact immediately deactivated the heated seat warmer. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who advised that the driver's seat would need to be replaced in order for the heated seat warmer to operate properly. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000. ..updated 11/14/12
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.
Tl* 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 *bf updated 03/01/12
My wife's heated driver seat burned a hole in the vinyl seat cover and through her sweater. Dealer says this is not covered by warranty, but it appears to be a common problem for the x3. An internet search reveals several complaints. Additionally, a recall was announced for the bmw 5 and 3 series for the same issue. I hope the ntsb conducts a quick response. Thanks.
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.
I have a 2005 x3! This morning my driver side seat nearly went up in flames!! So scary!! Lucky I wasn't in traffic or on the highway, I was able to jump out and address the problem. Is there a recall number for the heated seats yet? I have seen allot of issues with the bmw 04-08 x3 heated seats. Most people are getting burnt and this could be very dangerous for us owner while driving. Something need to be done, lucky it was me driving and not my wife. Thank you
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2005 BMW X3?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history