"Passenger Restrain System" BMW X5 - Why Can You Read This?

When you are driving a relatively fresh BMW SUV, you don't expect it to send you some error messages on its dash and make you nervous about a possible malfunction. But it does. And it does it pretty often. People who have already owned a BMW know what we mean.

Passenger restraint system message highlights

• Common reasons:water damage to seat sensor, seat belt issues, other safety system problems
• How to fix:replace the seat sensor, verify the seat belt is OK, use a good scanner tool
• Possible consequences:airbags on the passenger side not deploying when needed
• Priority level:High
• Can you drive?Yes
• DIY repair:Impossible
• Repair price range:$150-$500

Why do you see the "Passenger Restraint System" message?

This error tells you about a malfunctioning safety system that is integrated with the seat. In this case, it's all about the passenger seat, the one that is located on the right side of the driver's seat.

If you see this error on your screen in the BMW X5, you won't feel any changes in how your car goes. It will not activate any kind of limp mode or whatever. But, in most cases, the error will get on your nerves. It will not disappear.

Here are some reasons for this error message:

• Water damage. In the majority of cases, people report having spilled some water onto the seat before this message showed up. If this happened, electric contacts are out of order and need professional help to get back to normal functioning.
• High moisture. Also, many BMW X5 drivers admit that this error message appears seasonally - in autumn and spring when the moisture level is very high. This is a manufacturer's mistake in organizing wiring and contacts.
• Wiring problems. Some X5 owners say that they started seeing this error message after they cleaned their car carefully and especially under the passenger's seat. They could just damage some wiring.
• Fuse issues. The fuse for the passenger's safety system is located under the glovebox in recent generations of the X5. Find the scheme in the manual and replace or check the fuse that controls the passenger restraint system in your BMW.

Of course, some other problems are possible. For example, if moisture or water damages the ECU in your car, you may get different kinds of error messages in the BMW X5. Over time these problems will only get worse. So, the best thing you can do in this case is to go to the repair shop or better directly to the BMW dealer and have the system checked thoroughly.

What can you do to deal with the issue?

While in some cases (like ECU failure, wiring problems, or contact deterioration) you just can't do anything to solve the problem, sometimes DIY methods will work. If the problem is in the moisture or water impact, you may try a simple trick.

Here's how you can deal with the problem:

• check whether the seat is wet or not, if it is, try to dry it with any possible methods;
• then, turn on the heated seat option to the maximum level every time you drive your car;
• drive like this for a week and see if the problem disappears;
• if it stays, then you will anyway need to go to specialists and have the issue diagnosed.

So, the key to solving your problem may be heated seats. Just use the maximum level of heating to evaporate possible moisture and avoid any impact on contacts and connectors. This will help you get rid of the error message with no other problems. Of course, this may be hard to do in the summer when the weather is hot, but you will need to do so to avoid a visit to the dealer.

If this doesn't help, you will most likely need to go to the dealer and spend some money unless your vehicle is still under the warranty. We know about cases when BMW dealers just replaced the passenger seat after trying to get rid of the issue with any other methods. So, it can be quite expensive.

Is it dangerous when you see a "Passenger Restraint System" error in your BMW?

This error doesn't pose any direct danger to you or your passenger. But chances are that when you see this error message, the safety system for the passenger in your BMW X5 is not fully active. It means that, in case of impact, airbags may not deploy or the active headrest may work unpredictably.

So, we still recommend dealing with this problem as soon as possible to avoid any bad consequences of a possible road accident.

Passenger Restraint System error goes on and off

A lot of BMW owners report that their errors go on and off on the dashboard and get on their nerves. At first, they are happy to see that the error is off and they can drive their vehicles without any disturbance. But in a day or two, they find the message on the dash again.

Usually, it means that something is wrong with contact or wiring because of humidity. Once the humidity or temperature are out of the ordinary, the contacts get lost and the error lights on. But once the problematic weather comes to an end, everything starts working properly and the error disappears.

It doesn't mean that the vehicle is OK and doesn't need any servicing. You should know that over time this error will disturb you more often and one day you will not see it going off anymore.

Once your BMW says to you that the passenger restraint system is not OK, you should do something with it. The wisest decision will be to visit a dealer and ask what they can do to prevent this problem from happening again.

Do passenger airbags still work when the message is on?

It's hard to say whether the passenger safety system will still work if the "Passenger Restraint System Malfunction" message is on your dashboard in the BMW. In most cases, it will work. The message only tells you about some sensors' faults and the entire system may still be working properly.

But you can never be sure about that. We've seen cases when the "Passenger Restraint System" error turned off the entire safety system for the passenger in a BMW. And this is a big problem. If you get into an accident, your passenger may just be injured because the airbags won't deploy and the seat belt will not work as it should.

One of the best decisions is to offer your passenger to change the place and to seat right behind you. This is thought to be the safest place in a vehicle, and airbags will work here in case of an accident.

How can you repair the passenger restraint system?

If the problem keeps on bothering you after you dried up the seat, you will have to go to specialists and have the system checked and diagnosed. In most cases, BMW diagnosing equipment will find the problem for a minute or two. They will just locate the sensor or any other part of the system that is malfunctioning.

Usually, the issue develops from one little sensor located inside the seat or right under it. Replacing this sensor is not that hard, so the labor won't cost a lot. But parts for your BMW are not cheap, so, you will anyway need to spend some money.

Unfortunately, any DIY methods aren't appropriate but drying up the seats.