The post about the belt being sucked through the main seal into the engine is relatively common as far as I know. There are other reports of that happening online. I think root cause of the failure is it's 7 year old rubber. And not just a rubber bushing - the belt is constantly bending and flexing as it goes around the engine. You're asking a lot of that belt. Mileage interval is 60k but there may also be a time limit as well. Maybe 5 years? You're at 38k miles - if you're on the factory tires, this may be an indication you want to change those too.
Now that I'm done preaching about proactive maintenance, I'm going to drive my 2011 128i that's still on the factory accessory belt.
I've got the kit in the garage, just need to get it done to avoid getting stranded or damaging something.