Exterior Lighting Problems of BMW 550

BMW 550 owners have reported 10 problems related to exterior lighting (under the exterior lighting category). The most recently reported issues are listed below. Also please check out the statistics and reliability analysis of BMW 550 based on all problems reported for the 550.

1 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2008 BMW 550

Failure Date: 10/16/2023

The daytime running lights aka angel eyes wiring is sub-standard. The plastic coating on the wires for the daytime running lights/angel eyes has melted away exposing bare wiring that has fused causing the lights to malfunction and not work. I believe the manufacturer is aware of this sub-standard issue and needs to provide a suitable fix or replacement for the sub-standard wiring of their product.

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2 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2013 BMW 550

Failure Date: 04/07/2023

Water resistant.

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3 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2011 BMW 550

Failure Date: 07/01/2021

Light assembly has became compromised with moisture , casued a total light failure ! repair cost is $4000. 00.

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4 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2008 BMW 550

Failure Date: 06/02/2021

The wiring in my headlight assembly is crumbling and the headlight is shorting out. The coating on the wiring is trash. I own a 08 Bmw550i. BMW should be ashamed. Thanks barnabas emerson.

5 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2011 BMW 550

Failure Date: 02/18/2021

Door opening defect. The driver side door would lock and not open from inside and outside posing a serious safety hazard as one cannot get out of vehicle in emergency. This is noted when vehicle is in stationary or parked position.

6 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2012 BMW 550

Failure Date: 09/25/2020

Vehicle stops suddenly while driving.

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7 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2008 BMW 550

Failure Date: 12/18/2017

I have been in contact with BMW of north America for 8 weeks. My 2008 BMW 550i caught fire while stationary at a gas station at the gas pump. The fire department was called out to contain the fire. The fire inspector and the fire chief both stated that it was a wiring issue. I have the fire report. I was finally able to get BMW of north America to inspect the vehicle on Feb. 5, 2018 and was told there �looks like there could have been�work done to the wiring of the car. I have owned the vehicle since April 2017 (7 months) and have not done any work to the wiring. I also pulled a carfax report before purchasing the vehicle. It showed 0 accidents and 0 major mechanical working. I asked BMW for a copy of the inspector's report and was denied. That really made me suspect something foul from BMW.

8 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2007 BMW 550

Failure Date: 09/07/2016

Experience "highbeam malfunction" warning light. Inspected the headlamps (e60 adaptive xenon part # 6312710157). The driver's side low-beam halogen melted through reflector. Inspected wiring and the sheathing / jacket were disintegrating causing short circuiting. Upon further research, this is a result of BMW's use of biodegradable materials in mid-200's cars. Not only is this a fire hazard, the only remedy is to get a new headlamp set (~$1300 each).

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9 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2008 BMW 550

Failure Date: 04/28/2015

I recently started experiencing fuses blowing on my right front head light units. Errors would indicate it was the 'right daylight parking unit' and then would clear or stay constant. When it was constant, it was due to a blown fuse. It turns out when I had a BMW certified technician look at the issue he said that the problem was related to the wiring inside the front head light. The wiring had insulation that was starting to flake off allowing contact of the two wires going to the bulb and was even apparent on other wires within the head light assembly. If I hit a bump or went over rumble strips these wires could touch and short causing the fuse to blow and/or error message. After 3 fuses and buying an unnecessary set of h8 bulbs, the technician fixed the wiring with some electrical tape but suggested that a file a complaint here since there is no open recall for this common issue. He also told me this problem with wire insulation falling off was very common on BMW's that were 5-7 years old. I could see burn marks on the wire an installation from where the short occurred and was shocked that all the wiring within the head lamp on both the right and left front showed these flaking and cracking. After researching online at several BMW forums I found many similar issues and images almost identical to the ones my technician took. I would like a recall to be issued by BMW to replace the head light assemblies or internal wiring with wires that have a better/proper insulator that doesn't flake off. I've not had the back lights checked, but found that this is common on most if not all BMW light assemblies front/back for a few online research queries. Also where can I send the digital pictures my technician took of the wiring?.

10 Exterior Lighting problem of the 2007 BMW 550

Failure Date: 06/09/2012

About 3 months ago I bought a 2007 BMW 550i with 29,802 miles. When a large red steering lock light appeared on the dash, as well as, the center console computer had instructions "not to turn the engine off". The car operated normally just with an uncomfortable big red light on my dash. Before calling the BMW dealer I decided to do some research on the internet. I have found dozens of BMW forums referencing steering wheel lock malfunctions. Most were ranging from updating computers to steering column replacements. I took the car to the BMW dealer as he gave me a loaner and took my car for the night. The following day he called me in and told me I needed to fix this problem that would cost me $700 or the steering might lock up on me during driving. With this many similar complaints it sounds like there might be a recall on the BMW steering lock?.


Other Common Exterior Lighting related problems of BMW 550

Problem Category Number of Problems
Exterior Lighting problems
10
Headlights problems
7
Tail Light Switch problems
1

Fuel Economy of 550 Vehicles
550 Service Bulletins
550 Safety Recalls
550 Defect Investigations