Passenger Seat Occupancy Sensor

[e30mpower]

This is a question that's been nagging at me for a while... was it only facelift models that came with the occupancy sensor? I see it in parts catalogs all the time for my 2003, but you know I don't have the "passenger airbag disabled" tell-tale. My manual says something to the effect of "in the event of a collision airbags will not be deployed in positions unoccupied," yet I have no indication of when the sensor detects the seat is unoccupied.

At least I don't have that annoying ding-ding-ding thing when the car's in motion without all people belted in.

EDIT: To the OP, since your car is within 10 years (and hopefully within 100k miles), assuming you're in the US, BMW NA should replace sensor at no cost other than labor as part of "goodwill repair." ESPECIALLY if it's part of a recall campaign, even though your particular VIN/model isn't listed. Keep going up the corporate ladder until you get a yes. If you can't get a yes, let me know and I'll reach out to my contact at Corporate and put you in touch with the right person. This is a safety issue that BMW doesn't want on their hands.