This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
My 2004 BMW 325I rear left lights go out even when the light bulbs are good. I cannot signal other drivers when I need to change lanes. Problem started September 2010. Started to occur sporadically, but it is constant now. Dash indicator shows incorrectly that bulbs are broken.
This is a very common problem for this year and model BMW car. At just under 45K miles, the exterior tail lights at times fail to work. The lights have been changed etc. I get notified from the inside dash board. However, at times it is a false positive (dash says it doesn't work but in fact it is working). Then at times the warning lights switch from the left to the right tail lights. I am not sure when it is actually working and when it is not working - this is dangerous and BMW should fix this design flaw. This failure is due to poor materials usage (corrosion problem) and grounding like the other posts have mentioned. Apparently there is a class lawsuit against BMW for this. With all these complaints for the same problem, I don't understand how it has not been recalled for fixing B/C failure to signal when changing lanes is a violation because it is dangerous. BMW needs to fix this.
Documented failure of 2004 BMW 325I rear brake light, parking light and turn signal assembly. Occurred on my personal BMW on or about 6/2010. Occurs sporadically, resulting in total failure of all three lights on left side and also right side. Dash indicator shows that bulbs are out but bulbs have been replaced and problem still occurs.
2004 BMW 330xi sedan (E46) rear tail light indicator light consistently comes on, even though there is no tail lamp failure. Online community forums report that this is likely due to ground wire short in the tail lamp assembly. Cost of repair at dealership estimated at $700. Currently being investigated by NHTSA as EA09-019, but I'm wary of being overcharged by dealership for what should be a recall.
BMW tail light ground is inadequate for applicable current load. Hundreds if not thousands of BMW owners have reported this situation, where the brown ground wire connected to the male pin of the tail light module becomes oxidized, eventually causing a short, melting of the connector plug, and causing brake and turn signal failure. BMW sells a fix package for the problem, so they certainly know it exists. Again, this is being reported by hundreds if not thousands of BMW owners.
- Milford, OH, USA
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I have a major BMW problem. It currently has a service bulletin # si B 63 03 06 lights but BMW will not fix this out of warranty even though they knew about this when my car was under warranty and I was supposed to get full services. I want a formal investigation.
2004 BMW 330xi sedan (E46) rear tail light indicator light consistently comes on, even though there is no tail lamp failure. Online community forums report that this is likely due to ground wire short in the tail lamp assembly. Cost of repair at dealership estimated at $700. Currently being investigated by NHTSA as EA09-019, but I'm wary of being overcharged by dealership for what should be a recall.
2004 BMW 325I tail light intermittently turns on and off. BMW dealership has diagnosed the car to have a faulty ground wire - BMW S ib (service bulletin) 63 03 06 which prevents the tail lights from working properly.
Unreliable taillight/brakelight/turn signal functioning in 2004 BMW 325xi. Problem began in early 2008. Lighting indicators kept coming on suggesting taillights were out. Replaced all applicable bulbs several times over the past year then finally brought to dealer. They said that they have seen many of these instances where they need to replace carrier, harness and add a ground wire to fix the issue in order to get lights working again. Dangerous at night. Unfortunately no recalls, however, this is not a normal wear item and if a dealership needs to go back in and change wiring to make it work, than it's simply a design flaw and the consumer should not be responsible. Needless to say, $700 later, I had to get it fixed to ensure safe driving.
Rear tail light assembly (right side). Dash warning light illuminates. All lights in assy. Work. Remove tail light assy, screw all bulbs out and in, replace plug and warning light is out. This is an ongoing problem. While still under warranty was informed of a sill that applied only if wiring or plastic assy was obviously damaged! fault occurs randomly at various intervals from weekly to monthly..
This is a formal petition for a safety defect investigation. My 2004 BMW 325xi has a left tail light that does not work because of a poor connection at the rear lamp connector (the ground wire receptacle and housing have burnt out because the ground is not strong enough for the current). My right tail light still functions but I am concerned about this side burning out as well and posing a possible fire hazard. BMW has issued a service bulletin (si B 63 03 06) which addresses this issue and says that the cause is "minor corrosion at the 8-pin rear lamp connector creates high resistance causing damage to the connector housing." BMW has not issued a recall and I am worried about getting into an accident without a properly functioning tail light.
At first I thought it was defective light bulbs (one from two different sets failed when one set was installed for my turn signal and the other from my brake lights), but as I began to do more research online, I found that other people were having an issue similar to mine. They reported that there seemed to be an electrical problem that would cause corrosion and a loose connection. So I decided to check my car out as well and discovered that the problem had afflicted my vehicle as well. I then followed the link to the technical service bulletin released by BMW, and the problem that I am having is just as they have described. One of the 8-pin rear lamp connectors has melted causing a loose connection and my car continuing to tell me that I have a dead bulb, when in fact it is the connection.
I have a 2004 BMW 325I. The rear indicator warning light came on telling me the light was out. The light was not out. I had to get a state inspection as I live in Virginia. The dealer would not pass my car due to the dashboard indicator being on. The estimate was $367. I declined the work and tried to find out what was wrong on my own. I discovered you all started an investigation on 4/9/09 on this issue. I also found internal documents from BMW on the web describing the "defect". they don't have enough grounding wires and it causes melting and corrosion. This is dangerous. They know about the problem and are ripping of the public for roughly $350 to $400 a tail light to fix the defect. They don't even have a part number for the extra ground wire. The say in their document to purchase "brown wire" from a local source and charge $1 to $2 for it. I have looked inside my tail light and it is melting in spots. I am worried about a fire and feel that BMW should pay for the repairs. They have admitted a defect. It should be recalled. Here is the document www.bmwtis.com/tsb/bulletins/bulletin_graphic_temp/B630306G.htm.
1. over the lifetime of the vehicle the xenon bulbs are hot enough to burn the plastic reflector that shines the light on the road. As this reflector bowl burns inside the headlight assemble light output is severely diminished by at least 60-70% this posed a major safety issue to myself and others. 2. the headlights made by zkw were installed on BMW sedan's model years 2003-2004 only. It is a constant occurrence and is very dangerous. I cannot see the road in front of me without my fog lights. 3. I was forced to purchase two new headlight assemblies that were priced at $1,000 per side. There is no alternative which is very troublesome for thousands of owners of this model year car.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Roseville, CA, USA