BMW i5 Active Hood Warning Needs Urgent Safety Fix

Hey there! I had a similar issue with my 2021 BMW iX3 last season. The active hood sensor gave me the same warnings, airbag light and all. From my garage experience, this is actually a safety-critical system that needs proper attention. The active hood is designed to protect pedestrians in case of an accident, so it's not something you want to ignore. In my case, the spring actuators had indeed been triggered and needed replacement. The sensor wiring harness also had some damage. The repair involved replacing both actuators and the complete wiring assembly. It wasn't a quick fix, took the technicians about a day and a half to sort everything out. I'd strongly suggest taking it to an authorized BMW service center since they have the specific diagnostic tools needed for the active hood system. This isn't something I'd trust to a general mechanic, especially given the safety implications. They'll need to reset the system and clear the fault codes after the repair. Hope this helps with your decision!

Thanks for sharing your experience! That's exactly what I'm dealing with right now. The BMW guys did mention something about the wiring harness when I called them. Quick question, do you remember roughly how much you ended up paying for the full repair? Also, has everything been working smoothly since they fixed it? Just want to make sure I'm not going to run into any other surprises after getting it sorted.

Hey again! Yep, happy to give you an update on my repair experience. So after taking it to the BMW service center, they diagnosed it as a defective acceleration sensor, not the wiring harness they initially suspected. The total bill came to 315 € which wasn't as bad as I'd feared. The active hood fault has been completely fixed and I haven't had a single warning light since then. The repair was actually pretty quick too, they had my car back to me the same day. Everything's been working perfectly for months now. No more warning lights, no false triggers, nothing. It's honestly such a relief to have it sorted properly. Just make sure you get it checked out soon, like I mentioned before, it's a safety system you don't want to mess around with. Feel free to ask if you need any other info about the repair process!

Thanks so much for the detailed follow-up! I actually just got back from the BMW service center yesterday. Turns out my issue was a bit different, they found that both actuators needed replacement due to accidental triggering. The total came to around 950 € which was more than I expected, but at least it's fixed now. The service was pretty smooth though. Dropped it off in the morning, and they kept me updated throughout the day. The mechanic even showed me the old parts and explained what went wrong. Much better experience than some of the sketchy shops I've dealt with before! Really glad I asked here first and followed your advice about going to the official service center. The car's running perfectly now, no warning lights, and everything's back to normal. Definitely worth the peace of mind knowing it was done right. Thanks again for helping me make the right call on this one!