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.
The contact owns a 2005 BMW 330ci. While the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the plastic that covered the front driver's side headlight wiring started to peel. The contact was concerned that the wires could become exposed. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 157,124.
The contact owns a 2005 BMW 330I. While driving at any speed, the headlights dimmed without warning. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the headlights needed to be replaced. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign numbers: 11V438000 (exterior lighting), 14V428000 (air bags), and 15V318000 (air bags). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure was not remedied. The VIN was invalid. The failure mileage was 85,000.
The contact owns a 2005 BMW 330I. While driving at night, the headlights illuminated extremely dimly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the reflector inside the headlight housing melted and caused the light to illuminate dimly. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000...updated 01/21/15 updated 9/11/2017
Zkw brand xenon headlights - the back of the projector bowl is made of plastic (vs. Metal in the al/Bosch brand, also used by BMW), which over time burns from the heat put out by the headlights. The burn turns the plastic from white to brown/orange, which severely reduces light output, making night driving dangerous. I don't feel comfortable driving at night unless my hi-beams are on, which is hard to pull off unless I'm the only car on the road. This issue is most prevalent in 2002-2005 3 series sedans, and the issue is well documented in the BMW community.
In 2002-2005 BMW 330I sedans with the xenon headlight feature, BMW opted to use zkw brand headlight assemblies instead of al/Bosch brand assemblies. The zkw brand assemblies have plastic projector reflector bowls whereas the al/Bosch assembies have metal projector reflector bowls. As a result of constant heat and concentration of the xenon bulb on the plastic projector bowl, the reflective surface begins to deteriorate. Soon enough (after a few years of use) the bowls receive brown/blackish burn marks from the concentration of light. The burn marks no longer reflect the xenon light and cause the output from the xenon zkw headlight assembly to be fainter than original state. Numerous individuals on the BMW car forums have experienced similar problems and have made note that this is the cause of their failure. Note: Some 2002-2005 330I sedans did come with al/Bosch brand headlight assemblies.
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