BMW iX Active Hood Fault Causes Airbag Warning Light

Hey there! I have some experience working on EVs. I actually had a similar issue with my 2021 BMW iX3 (also have an i4 in the family). The acceleration sensor was faulty on mine, triggering the active hood and airbag warnings, sounds very similar to what you're describing. Took it to the workshop and they diagnosed it properly with their diagnostics system. Parts and labor came to around 315 Euro to get it sorted. Can you share if you've had any impacts or sudden braking incidents recently? Also, what's your mileage? This could help pinpoint if we're dealing with the same problem. By the way, you might want to avoid driving until it's checked out, since it involves safety systems. Let me know those details and I can share more about my repair experience.

Thanks for your detailed response! I'm at 20528 KM and just had my service done recently. I haven't had any impacts or sudden braking incidents, which makes this even more puzzling. It just showed up out of nowhere during my regular commute. Think I'll follow your advice and get it to the workshop asap. Really hoping it's just the sensor like in your case, would be nice if it's a straightforward fix. Did yours start out of nowhere like this too?

Oh yeah, mine started exactly the same way, totally unusual! I was actually on my way back from grocery shopping when the warnings popped up. Definitely sounds like we had the same issue, especially since your mileage is similar (I was around 22,000 KM when it happened to me). The weird thing about these sensors is they can sometimes trigger without any obvious cause. In my case, the workshop explained that some moisture had gotten into the sensor housing, causing it to send false signals to the system. That's why both the active hood and airbag warnings came on together. It's actually pretty common in the iX series, the techs at my workshop mentioned they'd seen it a few times before. The good news is that since yours is a 2023, it should still be under warranty. I had to pay because mine was just out of warranty (typical timing, right?). Quick tip, when you take it in, make sure they check the wiring harness too. In my case, they initially just wanted to replace the sensor, but I insisted on a full check and they found a slightly loose connection that might have contributed to the problem. Haven't had any issues since they fixed both. Keep me posted on what they find! Always interesting to hear if these cases turn out to be similar.

Thanks so much for all that info, super helpful! That's really interesting about the moisture in the sensor housing. I'll definitely mention checking the wiring harness when I take it in. You're right about the warranty, just checked and I'm still covered, what a relief! I've already called the workshop and they can get me in tomorrow morning. Really appreciate you sharing your experience, it's made me feel a lot better knowing it's probably not something major. I'll update you once I get it sorted. Thanks again for taking the time to help out!